Excellent

Happy Birthday Harry Shearer. You may not know the name right away but apart from being bass legend Derek Smalls in one of my favourite movies 'Spinal Tap', he is also the voice of Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Ned Flanders, Reverend Timothy Lovejoy, Kent Brockman, Dr. Hibbert, Lenny Leonard, Principal Skinner, Otto Mann and Rainier Wolfcastle.

The picture is actually of Derek Smalls in The Simpsons.

2 more sleeps.

Alive!

Today back in 1972 fourteen survivors were found 10 weeks after plane crash. The Chilean Air force found the survivors from a plane that crashed in the Argentine Andes over two months before.

Four days after the rescue, a Santiago paper alleged that the survivors became cannibals to ward off starvation. The group confirmed that they ate human flesh at a press conference two days later.

A film based on the event was released in 1993, starring Ethan Hawke.

Fourteen of the survivors retraced their fateful flight route on the 30th anniversary in 2002.

Its a new day

Today in 1997 The Scotland Act 1998 was introduced and elections to the Scottish Assemblies were held in May 1999.

Donald Dewar became Scotland's First Minister (his statue in Glasgow city centre is pictured) and later the same month the Scottish parliament met for the first time.

Its snowing!

The Wright Stuff

Today in 1903 The first successful gasoline-powered airplane flight took place near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville and Wilbur Wright made the flight. The Wright brothers were two Americans who are generally credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane.

Can you imagine a world without airplanes?

Wrap up warm it's cold out there.

Sisters are doing it for themselves

Today in 1913 Suffragette's caused a dynamite explosion at Holloway Prison where Emmeline Pankhurst (pictured being arrested on the left) and Lady Constance Lytton were detained. Take note third years as this is whats coming your way after the winter break, the topic not prison.

Sorry for the lack of posts recently as I have had a hard time getting to a computer outside of work.

Santa is on his way soon

And the wind cries Mary

Today back in 1542 saw the birth of Mary Queen of Scots. She was the Scottish Queen who ascended to the throne when she was just 6 days old. A rebellion led to her abdication and later Elizabeth I (her cousin) imprisoned her for the plot to restore the Roman Catholic religion and to take the throne from her. In fact the whole saga seems like the twisted plot of a movie but it was real life and very exciting.

The roads are still awful out there so be careful.

Snow Joke

Sorry there was no post on Sunday but I forgot and as for yesterday...

I was one of the people you heard about being stuck in their car, I left for school a little earlier than normal as I thought the traffic might be slow. I ran into a blizzard and was advised to turn round and head home (See picture for my view for approx 8 hours). What a mistake. I was there for ever so long and finally got home at 10:35 pm. Sat outside Denny (near Falkirk) for most of the time. Only exciting thing was getting to walk on the Motorway. No cars moving at all. It was cold and I was tired but apart from that all is well.

On this day in 1941 Japanese planes bombed Pearl harbour. Within two hours, six battleships had been sunk, another 112 vessels sunk or damaged, and 164 aircraft destroyed. Only chance saved three US aircraft carriers, usually stationed at Pearl Harbor but assigned elsewhere on the day.

Pearl Harbor united an outraged American nation behind President Roosevelt and behind the war against Japan.

Big Brother

Today in 1948 George Orwell completed the final draft of the book Nineteen Eighty Four which was published on 8th June 1949.This book is a classic piece of social science fiction and has had a deep cultural impact.

Highly recommended.

Going Down

An all-white jury in the southern US state of Alabama convicted three Ku Klux Klansmen over the murder of white civil rights activist Viola Liuzzo (pictured) today back in 1965. This was a major leap forward for civil rights in the USA.

Despite its dubious heritage the KKK is still sporadically active in parts of the USA.

Perhaps this will be the last of the snow days. Hope you have been doing ok.

Red Telephone

Today back in 1929 Britain’s first 22 public telephone boxes came into service. In today's mobile phone world it is hard to imagine how important the public telephone used to be.

Today 97 years ago in 1913 the Ford Motor Company began using a new movable assembly line that ushered in the era of mass production. This may seem simple but this was a revolution in the way people worked and helped make Ford one of the largest motor companies in the world.

Another snow day, lucky I have lots of ways to fill my time. Watched three movies last night.

Happy St Andrews Day

Saint Andrew is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. He is the reason why we have a Saltire (or St Andrews cross) as the flag of Scotland.

Snow day number 2. Wrap up warm.

Native

Today back in 1864 The Sand Creek Massacre occurred in Colorado when a militia led by Colonel John Chivington, killed at least 400 peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians who had surrendered and had been given permission to camp.

We should always remember that the place that we know today as the USA was not discovered but rather always had its own indigenous people living there for thousands of years.

Snow day today so school is off. I know I should be sad as a teacher but....

Have fun.

Let it snow

On this day in History it snowed some more in Glasgow. Here is the picture from my bedroom window.

Have fun if there is snow where you are today. If not then have some fun anyway.

The Way of the Dragon

Today back in 1940 one of the worlds most famous movie actors Bruce Lee was born. . He is considered one of the most influential martial artists of the 20th century, and a cultural icon.

Sadly Bruce died at only 32 in 1973, there are many rumours surrounding his death but one thing is for sure he made some kick ass movies.

It snowed in Glasgow last night and it was -2 on my cars dashboard.

Bang Bang

Today in 1867 Alfred Nobel patented dynamite. He was a Swedish chemist, engineer, innovator, and armaments manufacturer.

He was condemned by a French newspaper for his invention of dynamite and this is said to have brought about his decision to leave a better legacy after his death. He left money is his will to set up the Nobel Prizes. Explosive stuff.

Green Onions

One of the finest bass players of all time celebrates his birthday today Donald "Duck" Dunn (Booker T. & the MG's). Don't let the name fool you he could play (see video for evidence). A white boy with soul.

Wild Wild West

William H. Bonney aka Billy the Kid was born on this day back in 1859. His actual true life story is hard to separate from the myth. A relative unknown during his own lifetime, he was catapulted into legend the year after his death when his killer, Sheriff Pat Garrett, along with co-author M.A. "Ash" Upson, published a sensationalistic biography titled 'The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid'.

According to legend, he killed 21 men, but he is generally accepted to have killed between four and nine.

As a historian the truth is the most important thing but as a fan of a tall tale sometimes I don't want to believe it.

Iron lady starts to rust!

On this day back in 1990 Baroness Thatcher quit as Prime Minister of Britain. John Major succeeded as Tory leader five days after Mrs Thatcher's resignation.

I don't really know what to say about this woman other than she was not very popular amongst a lot of people in Scotland but no matter what I or anyone else thinks of her; she will always be the first female British Prime Minister.

She certainly had a face for politics.

Last night a DJ saved my life

Back in 1877 on this day Thomas A. Edison announced the invention of his phonograph (An type of record player). Edison was an American inventor, scientist, and businessman who developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the aforementioned phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb.

Just imagine what the world would be like if we didn't have some way of playing music in our homes. Although many people no longer have a turntable in their home (I do) and some of you might never have seen a vinyl record, this invention was an amazing leap forward in home entertainment and all the DJ's around the world owe Thomas a little something.

Killer Queen

With all the talk of royal weddings I thought you might like to know that today in 1947 Princess Elizabeth married Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh in Westminster Abbey.Of course we don't call her Princess any more as she is now the queen.

Truth be told I am not a royalist in any shape or form but I do find the Duke of Edinburgh very funny (for all the wrong reasons).

Pants!

Today back in 1942 Calvin Klein was born. I wonder if he realises how many bums his pants have covered.

Have a great weekend.

Never Forget

Today back in 1916 Douglas Haig, commander of the British Expeditionary Force in World War I, called off the Battle of the Somme in France. The offensive began on July 1, 1916.

The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles of the First World War: by the time fighting had petered out in late autumn 1916 more than 1.5 million casualties had been suffered by the forces involved, making it one of the bloodiest military operations ever recorded. To put this in to some sort of perspective that's approximately a quarter of Scotland's population.

Elizabeth my dear

Well with all the news being filled with regal news why should this blog be any different. Today in 1558 Elizabeth I ascended the English throne upon the death of Queen Mary Tudor. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and her relationship with Mary Queen of Scots was an interesting one. In fact her life is so interesting it has been made in to more than one film.

Speaking of films It's also the birthday of one of my favourite directors Martin Scorsese.

They say it's your birthday!

Well today in history I started this blog. It's only been a year but a lot has went on. I have been in different schools with different pupils (almost all good).

Anyway Happy Birthday to the blog.

See you later Pedro II

Today in 1889, the Brazilian military staged a coup d'etat, dethroning Pedro II. and ending the monarchy. Brazil was proclaimed a republic, and the institution of slavery was abolished, the separation of church and state proclaimed. The new republic was referred to as the United States of Brazil; provinces had become states.


I love Brazil and hope to visit my good friend Fabio there one day soon and see his beautiful country for myself.

Manchester

No posts for the last couple of days as I have been visiting friends in Manchester. Its a great place and actually reminds me a lot of Glasgow. The name Manchester originates from the Ancient Roman name Mamucium.

Hope you all had a good weekend. Its getting cold out there.

Lest we forget.

It's not important what we do to mark the occasion but that we remember.

Can you tell me how to get, How to get to.......

Today in 1969 "Sesame Street" made its debut on PBS. I don't know anyone that didn't have this as part of their early childhood. I bet you all did. Truth be told I still love the show.

Feel a lit better today, but still have a sore head. Back in school tomorrow for sure!!!!

Here is a classic from the street.

JFK

Today in 1960 the USA saw Narrow victory for John F Kennedy in the race to become President. His term ran for just two years before he was assassinated in Dallas on 22 November 1963, an event that left the nation totally stunned.

His Presidency was short but non the less interesting, what with the bay of pigs (google it), Vietnam and civil rights at home. There were also lots of juicy rumours about his personal life.

In bed very unwell today, but I hope to return to school ASAP.

Mona Lisa

Today back in 1793the Louvre Museum, in Paris, opened to the public for the first time. In a city that is famed for its culture it is the home to the most famous smile on the most famous painting ever.

I don't fell well today.

Cloud Nine

Although I normally write about things that have happened a long time ago, today I thought I might talk about a piece of history I witnessed happening yesterday. I went to watch Celtic play Aberdeen yesterday and it finished 9-0. This was Aberdeen's worst ever defeat in their history and also it set a new SPL goal scoring record.

It was also the 123rd anniversary of the foundation of Celtic Football Club, what a way to mark the occasion.

Fire

Well there could really be only one story today and it happened back in 1605. The "Gunpowder Plot" attempted by Guy Fawkes failed when he was captured before he could blow up the English Parliament. Guy Fawkes Day is to celebrate his failure to blow up all the members of Parliament and King James I.

Fawkes had been trying to assassinate the King so as to restore a Catholic monarch to the throne. On 5 November 1605 Londoners were encouraged to celebrate the King's escape from assassination by lighting bonfires, "always provided that 'this testimony of joy be careful done without any danger or disorder'". An Act of Parliament designated each 5 November as a day of thanksgiving for "the joyful day of deliverance", and remained in force until 1859. Although he was only one of 13 conspirators, Fawkes is today the individual most associated with the failed Plot.

Have fun and be safe!

Red State

Today in 1956 Soviet troops poured into the capital city of Hungary ,Budapest, in a massive dawn offensive in response to a national uprising led by Prime Minister Imre Nagy. Encouraged by an apparent promise of help, Nagy appealed to the UN and Western governments for protection. But with the Suez crisis in full swing and no real appetite for fighting the USSR over a crisis in Eastern Europe, the West did not respond.

Some 30,000 people were killed in Budapest alone and about 200,000 Hungarians sought political asylum in the West.

The cold war was no where near thawing out.

Golden Brown

Today back in 1839 The first Opium War between China and Britain erupted. They came about with the aim of securing economic benefits from trade in China.
The success of the First Opium War allowed the British to resume the drug trafficking within China. It might seem funny now that we battle to keep drugs out when back in the 19th century we were the drug pushers!

Scary Monsters

The computer-animated movie "Monsters, Inc." opened today back in 2001. The film recorded the best debut ever for an animated film and the 6th best of all time.

The first time I saw it I couldn't get away with how fluffy Sully's fur looked. I love Disney/Pixar movies.

Up on the roof

Today way back in 1512 Michelangelo's paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel were first exhibited to the public.

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (or Michelangelo for short) was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer. Despite making few forays beyond the arts, his versatility in the disciplines he took up was of such a high order that he is often considered a contender for the title of the archetypal Renaissance man, along with his rival and fellow Italian, Leonardo da Vinci.

I aint afraid of no ghost!

The origins of Halloween date back to the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced sow-in).

The Irish name Samhain is derived from Old Irish and means roughly "summer's end". What no ghosts, no scary monsters?

Diego

Today the great Diego Armando Maradona is 50. Despite the controversy that surrounds his life there is no doubting he was one of the greatest footballers of all time. He played in four FIFA World Cup tournaments, including the 1986 tournament, where he captained Argentina and led them to their victory over West Germany in the final, winning the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player.

Feliz cumpleaños Diego!

Heads you loose

Today in 1618 Sir Walter Raleigh was beheaded under a sentence that had been brought against him 15 years earlier for conspiracy against King James I.

Raleigh was a busy chap he was an English aristocrat, writer, poet, soldier, courtier, spy, and explorer. He is also largely known for popularising tobacco in England (thanks for that).

Another rainy day and the last of my break from school.

Il Duce Vita

Today in 1922 Benito Mussolini took control of the Italian government and introduced fascism to Italy.

Mussolini was among the founders of Italian Fascism, which included elements of nationalism, corporatism, national syndicalism, expansionism, social progress and anti-communism in combination with censorship of subversives and state propaganda. Sadly this fascist model was to catch on and spread into other countries within Europe and free expression of thought and will was dealt a telling blow for several years as a result.

How often a saviour can turn into a villain when they come to power.

Class(ical)

Just to show you all how much of music fan I am; today I am going to celebrate the birth of the composer and violinist Nicolo Paganini who was born on this day in 1782. The Italian violinist is rumoured to have gained his talent as a result of a pact to the devil. Who knows he sure could play faster than most.

As many of you may not be familiar with his work I have included a little video of Kirill Troussov playing Paganini Caprice 24, perhaps one piece of his work that is well known to people that stay up late and watch the South Bank Show.

Miss Jackson

Today in 1911 the singer Mahalia Jackson was born, she may not be a well known name to most in this country but she became one of the most influential gospel singers in the world and is the first Queen of Gospel Music.

Closely associated with the black civil rights movement, Miss Jackson was chosen to sing at the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington rally at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963.

The granddaughter of a slave, she had struggled for years for fulfillment and for unprejudiced recognition of her talent. She was present at many of Dr. Kings speeches at this time and was vital in whipping up excitement and creating unity in often varied civil rights audiences.

She sadly died in 1972 of heart failure.

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.

Today back in 1415 in Northern France, England won the Battle of Agincourt over France during the Hundred Years' War. Almost 6000 Frenchmen were killed while fewer than 400 were lost by the English (though these numbers are hard to accurately confirm due to lack of sources).

The battle is also the centrepiece of the play Henry V, by William Shakespeare. That's where the title of today's post comes from.

UN

Today in 1945 The United Nations (UN) was formally established less than a month after the end of World War II. The Charter was ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and by a majority of other signatories.

On this it's 65th anniversary, the UN resolves ‘to do more’ for peace. Let's hope they succeed.

Edison "Edson" Arantes do Nascimento

Today in 1940 was born arguably the greatest footballer of all time Pelé. In his career he scored 760 official goals, 541 in league championships, making him the top scorer of all time. In total he scored 1281 goals in 1363 games. On top of this he was part of three world cup winning teams.

Happy Birthday O Rei Pelé!

Good Vibrations

Today in 1966 The Beach Boys (another maritime related post, get it?) released the single "Good Vibrations". Along with being a fantastic band this song shows what vocal harmonies sound like when done very well.

Is it still fair that I love that it's Friday even though I have been on holiday all week?

Have fun! Enjoy!

Nelsons Monument in Glasgow

Well I'm just back from my walk and here is one of the pictures I took of the Nelson Monument in Glasgow Green (see previous post for more details).

Nelson and Trafalgar

In keeping with the nautical feel of yesterdays post today in 1805 The Battle of Trafalgar occurred off the coast of Spain. The British defeated the French and Spanish fleet. This confirmed Britain's worldwide naval superiority, something which was not really to be threatened for over 100 years until the arms race pre WWI. No mean feet when you consider that global trade, at this time, was vital to a healthy economy and this was tied in to a countries ability to travel by sea.

Admiral Lord Nelson was mortally wounded during the battle, becoming one of Britain's greatest war heroes. In fact London's most famous square (Trafalgar) was laid out in 1829 to 1841 to commemorate Nelson's victory at the Battle. Though the first monument dedicated to Nelson is believed to have been erected in Glasgow Green in 1806. I think I might take a walk up and see it now as it's a nice day.

Tall and beautiful

A beautiful day in Glasgow and whilst out walking by the famous river Clyde I took this picture (on the right). It shows the tall ship 'The Glenlee'. She is a three masted barque, with length 245 feet, beam 37.5 feet and depth 22.5 feet.

The Glenlee first took to the water as a bulk cargo carrier in 1896. She circumnavigated the globe four times and survived (though not without incident) passing through the fearsome storms of Cape Horn 15 times before being bought by the Spanish navy in 1922 and being turned into a sail training vessel.

To find out more go visit, kids get in for free!!!

http://www.glenlee.co.uk/newsite/index.shtml

Justice?

Today back in 1989 The 'Guilford Four' were cleared of all charges and released after 14 years in prison. The charges were from the 1975 IRA bombings of public houses in Guildford and Woolrich, England.

As he emerged from the court, one of the four, Gerard Conlon, announced to the waiting crowds: "I have been in prison for something I did not do. I am totally innocent."

Guess who's back?

Well I have not blogged for a long time so I thought since I am at a new school it was time to get back in the swing. First off I want to say Hi to all the pupils at St C's and I hope you are enjoying your holiday.

Did you know that on this day in 1564 Sir John Hawkins begins 2nd trip to America?Despite being one of the foremost seamen of 16th-century England and main architect of the English navy he was also sadly to be the pioneer of the English slave trade. He was one of the first to run the triangular trade, making a profit at every stop. We can not judge him on today's standards as this would be somewhat unfair but think how different life would have been for millions if he had not been around.

Its good to be back!

Guernica

I have not posted in a while this is due to moving around a lot, holidays and internet issues. However as part of this travelling I write this post whilst sitting in Madrid and today I saw Guernica by Pablo Picasso. It was very impressive.

The painting shows the bombing of Guernica, which is in Basque Country (North Spain), by German and Italian warplanes at the behest of the Spanish Nationalist forces, on April 26, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War. You can find out more about it by searching the usual sights on the internet.

Tickle Day

Today in 1603 all married men were made to tickle their wives as part of the souffrance lifting laws. This law was later changed on the same day the following year to include unmarried men and women too. It stayed a law until 1/4/1914 when the growing concerns about a European conflict left the nation in a less jovial mood.

Quite an Eiffel

Today in 1889 in Paris (eh where else would it be?), the Eiffel Tower officially opened.

The Bruce

Today in 1306 Robert the Bruce was crowned king of Scotland.

From BBC's website :-

Robert was born on 11 July 1274 into an aristocratic Scottish family. Through his father he was distantly related to the Scottish royal family. His mother had Gaelic antecedents. Bruce's grandfather was one of the claimants to the Scottish throne during a succession dispute in 1290 - 1292. The English king, Edward I, was asked to arbitrate and chose John Balliol to be king. Both Bruce and his father refused to back Balliol and supported Edward I's invasion of Scotland in 1296 to force Balliol to abdicate. Edward then ruled Scotland as a province of England.

Cowboys

Today in 1848 Wyatt Earp was born. Now the name might not be familiar but he is a very famous law man in the days of the wild west. He is best known for his participation in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, along with Doc Holliday, and two of his brothers, Virgil Earp and Morgan Earp.

Despite all of what you might believe here the cowboys were actually the bad guys as Earp and his bunch had the law on their side. However as with most things in history it was not quite as straight forward as that in the west as Wyatt Earp was accused of murdering one of the cowboys.

His story along with Doc Holliday has been the subject of quite a few movies. My favourite being 'Tombstone'.

Have a great weekend.