The renowned British engineer George Stephenson was born on this day in 1781. Few people may recognize the name today but during his lifetime he was called the “Father of Railways.” He was instrumental in the advancement of rail transportation, a key component of the Industrial Revolution. The standard rail gauge, with its 4-foot 8.5-inch […]
Today is the BICENTENNIAL of the birth of England’s famous Queen Victoria. Victoria reigned over the British Empire from 1837 to her death in 1901, giving her name to the Victorian Era. She was the first monarch to bear the title Empress of India. Her reign was longer than any of her predecessors until the […]
Nikola Tesla was born 162 years ago today in Smiljan, Croatia. Known as a pioneer of radio, the father of alternating current, and the archetypal “mad scientist” he was awarded at least 278 patents. A lifelong eccentric, he never married nor had any romantic relationships, though he’s rumored to have been infatuated with a pigeon. […]
These were the first words spoken over the telephone on March 7, 1876, by inventor Alexander Graham Bell to his assistant Thomas Watson. He originally called it the “harmonic telegraph” as it was the next logical progression from Samuel F. B. Morse’s “dit-dit-dash” communication system. Bell was born on this day in 1847 in Edinburgh, […]
George Washington’s Birthday, February 22, 1732 It’s come to my attention that there’s a movement to no-platform George Washington in the same way certain leftists are trying to erase all Confederate leaders – even the honorable General Robert E. Lee – from our national memory. Washington’s crime is that he owned slaves, a practice that […]
Today would be the 209th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president. Though revered as a secular saint in the USA, his legacy is hotly debated among my fellow libertarians. Thus I’ve decided that instead of writing about the historical Lincoln, I’d review the 2012 alternate-history fantasy film Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter which was directed […]
Today is the 171st birthday of Thomas Alva Edison. At Steampunk Desperado, we celebrate the birthday of Nikola Tesla, so it’s only fair we acknowledge his rival Edison as well. Edison has gotten some bad press in recent years as fans of Tesla have decried his treatment of the Serbian genius. But Edison’s domineering personality […]
