Sir Isaac Newton’s prediction of doomsday was scribbled below a series of mathematical calculations, revealing his multidisciplinary interests.

A signature of Isaac Newton (L), Image of Isaac Newton (R). (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Peter Macdiarmid (L), GeorgiosArt (R))

One of the greatest scientific minds in history, Sir Isaac Newton, is most popularly known for his foundation of gravity. Not to mention his work in science and mathematics, particularly the laws of motion and the basis of calculus. However, recently found 18th-century scribblings were reflective of his ponderings over the end of the world, according to the New York Post. A letter that he wrote in 1704 predicted the world to come to an end in 2060. The predictions were based on extensive biblical texts on the world resetting after plagues, war, and “the ruin of the wicked nations.” It was reflective of Newton being a devoted practitioner of natural philosophy. Continue reading →

The adoption of the Declaration of Independence of “the thirteen united States of America” on July 4, 1776 formally ended a process that had been set in motion almost as soon as colonies were established in what became British North America. The early settlers, once separated physically from the British Isles by an immense ocean, in due course began to separate themselves politically, as well. Barely a decade after Jamestown was founded, the Virginia Company in 1619 acceded to the demands of the residents to form a local assembly, the House of Burgesses, which, together with a governor and council, would oversee local affairs. This arrangement eventually was recognized by the crown after the colony passed from the insolvent Virginia Company to become part of the royal domain. This structure then became the model of colonial government followed in all other colonies. Continue reading →

Orson Welles could have been the spokesman for all humanity. ~ Samuel Zins
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Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779 – January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer, author, and poet from Frederick, Maryland, best known as the author of the poem “Defence of Fort M’Henry” which was set to a popular British tune and eventually became the American national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner“. Key observed the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814 during the War of 1812. He was inspired upon seeing an American flag flying over the fort at dawn: his poem was published within a week with the suggested tune of the popular song “To Anacreon in Heaven“. The song with Key’s lyrics became known as “The Star-Spangled Banner” and slowly gained in popularity as an unofficial anthem, finally achieving official status as the national anthem more than a century later under President Herbert Hoover. Continue reading →

Archaeologists discover evidence of Roanoke colonists’ fate after abandoning settlement

Tiny iron fragments in ancient trash heap reveal fate of America’s first English settlers.

A team of researchers believes they may have cracked one of America’s most enduring legends: Where did the settlers of the Roanoke Colony go? Continue reading →

A recent study has found a 50% decline in the use of semicolons over the last two decades. The decline accelerates a longterm trend:

In 1781, British literature featured a semicolon roughly every 90 words; by 2000, it had fallen to one every 205 words. Today, there’s just one semicolon for every 390 words.

Further research reported that 67% of British students never or rarely use a semicolon; more than 50% did not know how to use it. Just 11% of respondents described themselves as frequent users. Continue reading →

Thomas Paine

The United States, formerly these united colonies, is preparing for its 250th anniversary of its break-up from that era’s Great Satan by reminding us of what brought it about, such as the Battle of Lexington and Concord and subsequent battles of 1775, along with issues that preceded them. In spite of all the bloodshed and fiery tavern rhetoric, most members of the Continental Congress wanted reconciliation from Britain, not independence, even after the publication of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense on January 10, 1776.

“Nobody whose voice counted within the American colonies,” writes John Keane in Tom Paine: A Political Life, “thought outside the existing terms of the British Empire.” At the same time, the colonists’ “fearless love of English liberties [made] them in spirit more English than the English.” Continue reading →

It turns out, it’s actually an original!

A rare copy of the Magna Carta from 1300 sits in a display case at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts on April 15. Lorin Granger/Harvard Law School

A “copy” of Magna Carta bought decades ago by Harvard Law School for just $27.50 is now understood to be an extremely rare original from 1300, according to new research.

British historians were able to verify the document’s true authenticity after an academic stumbled across the item while looking through Harvard Law School’s online archives. Continue reading →

The 855-women crew was responsible for clearing out a 3-year mail backlog to boost morale among U.S. troops by working around the clock in harsh conditions

In this image provided by the National Archives, members of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-female, all-Black unit formed during World War II, are shown in an undated Department of Defense photo. National Archives

Congressional leaders honored members of the all-female 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor one can receive from Congress.

The medal was bestowed upon all 855 members of the battalion, colloquially known as the Six-Triple-Eight, to pay tribute to their service during World War II when the group was deployed to England to clear a massive backlog of mail that had been stacking up over the course of three years. The backlog hindered troops abroad from receiving letters and packages from their loved ones, resulting in concerning levels of low morale. Continue reading →

Much can be gained by acknowledging our society’s roots in the classical Roman civilization.

    Sculpture of Cicero. He was a great Roman statesman, who contributed greatly to Western philosophy.

Probably no other civilization has shaped the Western world more than the ancient Romans did.

At the peak of the Roman empire, when its borders stretched from the foggy hills of northern Britain to the winding waterways of the Nile, upwards of 60 million people lived under the sign of the eagle. The Romans left traces of their influence on all the people they ruled and, taken together, had a profound impact on Western culture as a whole. Continue reading →

A photo of Thomas Jefferson (Library of Congress and his weather observation sheet for January and February 1790. (National Archives)

Three days before the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, Thomas Jefferson purchased a thermometer from a local Philadelphia merchant while he was in town for the signing. He also bought a barometer, one of only a handful for sale in America at the time.

Jefferson immediately began recording weather observations and continued, with a few gaps, until a few days before his death in 1826. Jefferson began with an observation in the morning to capture the low temperature and one in the afternoon to record the high temperature, according to Princeton University. Continue reading →