Today in history

Abraham Lincoln, October 3, 1862 on the Battlefield of Antietam. This is perhaps the best outdoor portrait of Lincoln. He is shown standing next to Allan Pinkerton (Left) and General McClernand (Right). The Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest day in American History. There were 23,000 casualties in one day . . . four times the casualties suffered during the D-Day invasion. The Battle of Antietam was one of the defining moments in American History. In the fall of the year 1862, Abraham Lincoln had become desperate for a victory in the Civil War. Up to that time, the South had achieved victory after victory. Bull Run, Wilson's Creek, and Shiloh had all been convincing victories for the South. Abraham Lincoln realized that if the North did not achieve a victory soon, the survival of the Union would be in doubt. This led Abraham Lincoln to look to God and make an offer . . . Lincoln prayed that if God would grant him victory on the battlefield, he would free the slaves. Slavery had haunted Lincoln for some time. He fully realized the cruelty and brutality of this corrupt institution, but he did not have the strength to stand up against it. Desperate for a victory, he made the deal with God. Shortly after this, he received news of McClellan's success at Antietam. Despite devastating losses, McClellan was able to drive Lee out of Maryland, and back into Virginia. The battle of Antietam was fought on September 17, 1862. On September 22, 1862 Abraham Lincoln honored the promise he made to God, and issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

Interesting Trivia

Did you know... Multiplying 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321, Did you know... Each King on playing cards represent a King in real history; Spades: King David Clubs: Alexander The Great Hearts: Charlemagne Diamonds: Julius Ceasar Did you know... A ducks quack has no echo, and nobody knows why. Did you know... A statue in a park with a soldier on a horse with its 2 feet in the air means the soldier died in combat. If the horse has only one foot in the air, the soldier died of injuries from combat, if the horse has all 4 feet on the ground, the soldier died of natural causes. Did you know... It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. Did you know... Starfish have no brains. Did you know... Mosquitoes have teeth. Did you know... The word "cemetery" comes from the Greek koimetirion which means dormitory. Did you know... Thomas Edison was afraid of the dark. Did you know... When the English settlers landed in Australia, they noticed a strange animal that jumped extremely high and far. They asked the aboriginal people using body language and signs trying to ask them about this animal. They responded with "Kan Ghu Ru" the english then adopted the word kangaroo. What the aboriginal people were really trying to say was "we don't understand you," "Kan Ghu Ru." Did you know... Humans and Dolphins are the only animals that have sex for pleasure?

Railroad Warning Signs

Danger!! Parents: See that your children play in a safe place! Do not send them out on the railroad tracks to pick coal! The Chance Taker Loses! Cross Crossings Cautiously! Gosh! I wish I'd stayed off that railroad. Play safe today, and you'll play tomorrow. Walk not on RR tracks! 'tis often fatal! Think Driver Think! Cross Crossings Cautiously!

Fitness in the 1800's

I don't know what's more fun... The exercise machines or the clothing!!

What It's All About

When we celebrate Independence Day, it's good to remember how tenuous our independence really is. Here is an amazing picture with an intriguing story. You are looking at a pleasant view of a newborn baby, a skilled nurse, and a proud mother. These three people have some amazing things in common. They are all US citizens, none of them have committed a crime, none of them have been charged with a crime, and none of them have stood trial for a crime, yet all three are imprisoned. The child was born a US citizen, imprisoned at his birth. This is not a scene from some distant land, but occurred in the United States. While today this appears almost unthinkable, it happened at the outbreak of World War II. Fear and distrust led US authorities to round up and imprison US citizens of Japanese descent. They were placed in prison camps in California. They were not given a trial, and were not even given the opportunity to put their businesses in order before being detained. They were detained simply based on their race and heritage. The picture represents tough choices that were made in tough times. It was a terrible thing that American Citizens were denied there freedom, and something we must make sure never happens again.

Native American Dwellings

Here is a small collection showing the wide variety of homes native americans lived in during the early 1900's. Two tepees reflected in water of a pond, with four Piegan Indians seated in front of one tepee. Camp Among Oaks, an unusual image showing a campsite with two tent-like shelters, one with child and baby in cradleboard outside, dog in foreground. A rare image of a traditional Wachita Grass house. A Pima Ki, or primitive Pima home, made of arrowbrush and earth, and shows a woman seated by the doorway. A stunning image of King Island Eskimo Village, showing houses on stilts on a terraced cliff above body of water, small boulders and low growing vegetation in foreground. Klamath Tule Hut, with a Klamath woman, full-length portrait, facing front, seated in front of house thatched with rush mats. Indian Cliff Dwellings with four Hopi women in front of a pueblo building. Chemehuevi Indian House, a thatched shelter built on mounded dirt. An Apache Wickiup documenting the Apache tradition of living in straw houses. It shows a rounded structure made out of grass, with baskets in front. Joseph Dead Feast Lodge. ~Photography by Edward S Curtis

Sony World Photography Awards 2008

Here are just a few of my favs from the Sony World Photography Awards. Awesome, huh?

Today in History

It was a war between Good and Evil, and Evil was winning. Out of Europe had come a maniacal dictator with a philosophy of Fascism and a gospel of hate. He had dreams of creating a new world order; a world purged of Jews and governed by his perverted perspective. His name was Adolf Hitler, and he was determined to take over the world. By 1944 this tyrant and his war machine had taken most of Western Europe. Some countries fell because they had limited resources and others fell because their will was weak, led and filled with men not willing to make a stand. The tiny island of Britain remained one of the last European holdouts. At this time there was a Nation that stood up and said "Enough, this will not stand". That country was the United States of America, and she was coming to Britain’s aid. The photograph above was taken on June 5, 1944, one day before the Allied invasion of Europe on the beaches of Normandy. This image captures one of the Defining Moments in American history. General Eisenhower is speaking to a group of paratroopers. He is sending them on a mission, and it will be a suicide mission. Within 24 hours they are to be dropped into enemy territory. Within 24 hours, many of them will be dead. We know this now, and they knew it then. Look at the determination on Eisenhower’s face, and ask yourself, how could he send these men to an almost certain death. Look at the quiet resolve on the face of the men, and ask yourself how could they face so great a mission with such calm reserve. The answer to both questions is simple. These were men who believed in a country and believed in a cause more important than their very lives. They were willing to trade their life for the country and the cause they loved. Freedom of their families and their country was more important to them than the length of their lives. The calm came not from a lack of understanding the risks, but from a full understanding of the importance of the cause. We must ask ourselves, what would the world look like today without their sacrifice? What would the world be without men such as these, willing to make a stand? Evil is on the move in the world again today, an evil element on par with the brutal regime of Hitler. Again today, men have stood up and put their lives on the line. Men are standing up and shedding blood on foreign soil in the hopes of preventing the shedding of the blood of their friends and family on American soil. How can we thank men like this, past and present? We can thank them by each purposing in our heart to make a Nation that continues to be worthy of their sacrifice. We must love and cherish the priceless gift that has been given to us at so great cost . . . our freedom.

World's Best Driving Road

The Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the greatest driving road in the world. Stretching for 7.3 miles and climbing nearly 4,000 feet, it boasts 60 corners and a surface so smooth that it would flatter a racetrack. It could easily be described as the eighth wonder of the world, but almost nothing is known about its creation. The road is cut into the Jebel Hafeet mountain, the highest peak in the United Arab Emirates, the oil-rich Persian Gulf state. The mountain spans the border with Oman and lies about 90 minutes' drive southeast of the thriving city of Dubai.