Harry Houdini, the world-famous illusionist and stunt performer, was born on this day in 1874 in Budapest, Hungary. His real name was Erik Weisz. His best-known acts involved escaping from impossible situations such as being chained upside-down in a tank of water. Erik’s family emigrated to the US in 1878, where his father served as […]
We Americans have a tradition of turning minor ethnic holidays into major excuses to party. St. Patrick’s was just another Catholic feast day to commemorate the man who, according to tradition, brought Christianity to Ireland. Now it’s become a festival of drink and debauchery – not that I object to that sort of thing, within […]
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 […]
By Arlys Holloway & Vaughn Treude Our model: Arlys Endres, photo by @ In our extended celebration of Valentine’s Day, we’d like to summarize some of our research about love in Victorian times. We’ve learned some interesting and sometimes surprising facts. The Victorian period, which is defined by Queen Victoria’s long reign as monarch of […]
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 […]
