Shot Heard Around the World
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Category Archives: History
250 Years and 11 Months Ago
Minute Man National Historical Park was the starting place of the American Revolution. Here the resolve of citizens willing to risk their lives for the ideals of liberty and self-determination was instrumental in the formation of the American identity. This park preserves sites where colonial militia men and British soldiers clashed on April 19, 1775. A force of 700 British Regulars left Boston to seize military supplies stockpiled in Concord. Paul Revere and other alarm riders alerted the countryside. In area towns, militia companies assembled, ready to defend their communities and their liberties. A brief but bloody skirmish on Lexington Green (5:00 a.m.) left eight Colonists dead. At the North Bridge (9:30 a.m.), the first ordered firing by Colonists upon British troops killed two British soldiers, with a third mortally wounded, the “shot heard around the world.” As the British soldiers marched back towards Boston, Colonial militia companies poured in. Fighting erupted along “Battle Road” (12:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) as nearly 1,000 Colonists unleashed “an incessant fire” upon the British Regulars. At the end of the day, the Colonists surrounded and laid siege to Boston. The Revolutionary War had begun.
What goes around comes around
Black Monday (also known as Black Tuesday in some parts of the world due to time zone differences) was a global, severe and largely unexpected stock market crash. Its impact was feared to be catastrophic, but its effects were gone within two years. Why my parents saved this paper is a mystery to me. Chalk it up to things you might want to ask at the next seance you attend. Maybe this financial crisis occurred at an inopportune time in their lives, like near retirement? Or maybe the answer lies within its pages. Who knows? There are some other puzzling newspaper pages that we found while going through my parent’s belongings, a few pages from a NYC paper from 1898. This paper is so old that great care must be taken while handling it. Another mystery to solve.
I find it amazing that its headlines could be reprinted with today’s date, still work and readers would believe that they are reading the latest news. On this date in our house, Anne and I were celebrating the birth of our second son, David. I am writing this post in his house’s dining room. He is a father now, with two sons of his own, making me a grandfather. What goes around comes around.
Cascarones
In California’s Spanish and Mexican days, no one was safe from ambush or attack from about Christmas to the first day of Lent. Eggshells (cascarones) filled with confetti or cologne were dashed on the heads of unsuspecting friends and foreigners alike. Imported from Spain to Mexico, this custom was described as, the season for breaking egg shells having arrived, the young men and women procure as many of them as they can, and woe betide the young fellow who breaks an egg on a female’s head where there are four or five young women, they will be sure to take ample revenge by breaking us many on his head as they can possibly find an opportunity for, generally drenching him from head to foot with cologne water.
The Steamboat Arabia
The Arabia was a side wheeler steamboat that sank in the Missouri River, on September 5, 1856, when it was gored by a submerged tree snag. The ship sank quickly, without loss of life, except for a mule that had been forgotten and left tied up. It was rediscovered in 1988 by local treasure hunters, an HVAC guy, his sons and some of their friends, near Kansas City. In the 130 years since its sinking the river has shifted, and the boat was found half-a-mile from its present-day course, beneath forty-five feet of mud, under a farmer’s field. The farmer gave permission to dig up his field, provided that they were done in time for spring planting. Over the course of one winter the wreck of the Arabia was excavated. Much of its 200-ton cargo was recovered. The following eyewitness account of the sinking was given by a Mr. Able D. Kirk:
“We embarked on the boat in Saint Louis and had been on the water about ten days. The boat was heavily loaded with freight but did not have a large number of passengers. One evening when many of the passengers were at supper the boat struck a snag. We felt the shock and at once the boat started sinking. There was a wild scene on board. The boat went down till the water came over the deck and the boat keeled over on one side. The chairs and stools were tumbled about and many of the children nearly fell into the water. Several of the men on board seized the lifeboat and started for the shore, but they came back and the women and children were put in the boat. They called for a small man to go with the boat and I was small and got on board. The river bank at the point were we landed had been carving off and was very steep. I climbed out and pulled the women ashore. Horses and wagons came down from Parkville and took us to the hotel for that night. Many of the trunks and valises were taken off the boat and stacked up in the woods near the river. That night they were broken open by thieves, and all the valuables were taken out. We were taken on the steamboat, James H. Lucus, and when we went aboard all that could by seen of the Arabia was the top of the pilot house. That sank out-of-sight in a short time.”
The recovered cargo fills a museum now. The ship was like a veritable floating Walmart of its day, full of every kind of trade good one could imagine. All bound for the western frontier. The amateur treasure hunters knew nothing about the recovery and care of the many items found. It was learned on the job. Word has it that the museum will be closing in November, a victim of parking or rather the lack thereof. There is talk of relocating, but no decisions have been made.
Toy Solders
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