Random Learnings #22
I ran into the word affray while reading the Encyclopedia Brittanica, Thirteen Edition, had never heard of the term and had no idea what it meant.... archaic: FRAY, BRAWL chiefly…
Random Learnings #21
From The Encyclopedia Britannica, Thirteenth Edition (1926), Volume 2: Effects of the War Eastern Europe - The War completely changed the face of the Jewish world. In the Russian Empire…
Random Learnings #20
From The Encyclopedia Britannica, Thirteenth Edition (1926), Volume 2: ... When Congress made an investigation in Oct. 1921, it found that the Klan had funds enough to purchase an Imperial…
Random Learnings #19
From the June 1951 National Geographic, Occupied Austria, Outpost of Democracy. Ranked as a liberated nation, not a former enemy, Austria has its own Federal Government and exchanges diplomats with…
Random Learnings #18
My maternal grandfather, Carl Henke, died when I was very young; not sure when, but too young to remember him. I heard and learned little about him, other than he…
Random Learnings #17
I occasionally go to the University of Minnesota's Wilson Library to view microfilms of old newspapers. Today, I was reading about Queen Victoria's death in January 1901 and stumbled across…
Random Learnings #16
I purchased The Traitors by Alan Moorehead during my last visit to the Strand Bookstore in early December. Originally published in 1952 and updated in 1963, the book is about…
Random Learnings #15
Spending a Saturday morning drinking tea and perusing the Britannica Book of the Year 1948 - physical not digital - I learned something new about Iran (which isn't saying much,…
Random Learnings #14
European sports list the home team first while US sports list the home team last. I knew that football did that, but didn't know it extended to other sports as…
Random Learnings #13
John L. Stoddard was a lecturer who published ten volumes of his lectures, one of which I found at The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles. The volume I purchased were…