May 29th, 2013 by Wordsman
It was Rome without Rome, strange to say
And outlasted the West far and’way
After two months of siege
Mehmed was the new liege
And the Turks were now having their day
Event: The fall of Constantinople and end of the Byzantine (also called “Eastern Roman”) Empire
Year: 1453
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Constantinople
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Empire
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Empire
Posted in This Day in History | 
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May 22nd, 2013 by Wordsman
People call today’s congress a zoo
But their fighting is not at all new
Preston Brooks drew his cane
Sumner nearly was slain
I’d say things have improved now, don’t you?
Event: Representative Preston Brooks (D-SC) beats Senator Charles Sumner (R-MA) with a cane in the Senate chamber in response to Sumner’s “Crime Against Kansas” speech
Year: 1856
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Charles_Sumner
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas-Nebraska_Act
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May 15th, 2013 by Wordsman
Standard Oil, both hearty and hale
Had to be blown to pieces, wholesale
Said the court, “It’s not fair
Others haven’t a prayer”
How’s that sound next to “Too big to fail”?
Event: In Standard Oil Company of New Jersey v. United States, the Supreme Court rules that Standard Oil is an unfair monopoly and must be split into a number of different companies
Year: 1911
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Oil_Co._of_New_Jersey_v._United_States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman_Antitrust_Act
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May 8th, 2013 by Wordsman
“Try a sip of this drink, my fine bloke!
It’ll cure all that ails you, no joke!
The ingredients? Well
I have sworn ne’er to tell
What’s it called? I’ve been thinking ’bout ‘Coke'”
Event: Coca-Cola is first sold
Year: 1886
Learn more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola
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May 1st, 2013 by Wordsman
And . . . we’re back to Wednesdays.
England sought to extend north their might
But the Scots, they put up a good fight
So they said, “It’s all square”
But it would not end there
Later on, they would fin’lly unite
Events: England ratifies the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton, ending the First War of Scottish Independence with Scotland retaining its status as an independent kingdom; The Acts of Union of 1707 go into effect, uniting England and Scotland into a single kingdom: Great Britain
Years: 1328; 1707
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Edinburgh-Northampton
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wars_of_Scottish_Independence
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_Union_1707
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