Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started

Month: February 2018

John’s Believe It Or Not… February 3rd

* 1916 – Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings Destroyed by Fire. * 1959 The day the music died. * 1953 Cousteau publishes The Silent World. * 1950 Klaus Fuchs arrested for passing atomic bomb information to Soviets. * Early American mass murder changes common perceptions of crime.

It’s Saturday! Did You Know…

* 1916 – Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings Destroyed by Fire.

The huge and impressive Gothic stone and wood Parliament had dominated the skyline of Ottawa, the capital of the young country for just over 50 years.

Late in the evening of February 3rd, 1916, as the First World War raged in Europe, smoke was seen escaping from the reading room of the Centre Block. The fire spread quickly and by 21:30 the roof collapsed, and in the early hours of February 4th, the clock tower collapsed. Seven people died in the blaze. By the next day, the fire was out, but the structure was a smoldering icy shell. Continue reading “John’s Believe It Or Not… February 3rd”

On Black History Month

Jill Dennison reminds us of a significant chapter in the history of North America as Black History Month is celebrated in both Canada and the United States. Please share.

Filosofa's Word

It is easy to lose sight of many things with all the hoopla that comes out of Washington, D.C. these days.  Things that might otherwise be front-page news, are relegated to a paragraph of small print somewhere in the clutter.  February is Black History Month in the U.S. and Canada, and it deserves attention, rather than being stuck in a dark corner filled with the smoke left by Washington politics.

black history quoe1The History:

The origins of Black History Month date back to 1926 when Harvard historian Carter G. Woodson declared the second week in February ‘Negro History Week’.  February was chosen as it coincided with the birthdates of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

Black History Month was first proposed by black educators and the Black United Students at Kent State University in February 1969. The first celebration of Black History Month took place at Kent State one year later, in February…

View original post 491 more words

John’s Believe It Or Not… February 2nd

* 1956 – Ontario town of Wiarton starts the Wiarton Willie Groundhog Day Festival. * 1897 – Clara Brett Martin first woman barrister in the British Empire. * 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed. * 1996 Gene Kelly dies. * 1882 James Joyce is born.

It’s Friday! TGIF – Happy Groundhog Day! Did You Know…

* 1956 – Ontario town of Wiarton starts the Wiarton Willie Groundhog Day Festival.

Wiarton Willie is the title given to that of an albino Canadian groundhog who lives in the community of Wiarton in Bruce County, Ontario. Every February 2, on Groundhog Day, Willie takes part in the local Wiarton Willie Festival. His role is to predict whether there will be an early spring. Although the original Wiarton Willie died, the Wiarton Groundhog Day celebrations continue each year with successors of the original Willie, also referred to as “Wiarton Willie.” Continue reading “John’s Believe It Or Not… February 2nd”

John’s Believe It Or Not… February 1st

* 2017 – 1-Year Anniversary of Words To Captivate. * 1920 – Founding of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. * 1884 Oxford Dictionary debuts. * 2003 Columbia mission ends in disaster. * 1979 Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran.

It’s Thursday! Did You Know…

* 2017 – 1-Year Anniversary of Words To Captivate.

On this day in 2017, I launched this website as my official blog site. I had a lot of helpful advice and encouragement from my good friend, author, and blogger, John W. Howell of Port Aransas, Texas. John was the first of 493 subscribers I accumulated in this first year. Thank you, good sir. John’s website, Fiction Favorites is found at https://johnwhowell.com/ – if you don’t follow John already, do check out his daily postings. Another good friend, author, and blogger who has been a long-time supporter and among the first subscribers here is Gwen Plano. Gwen’s website is From Sorrow To Joy — Perfect Love at http://www.gwenplano.com/blog-reflections. Both John & Gwen are gifted writers and I encourage you to investigate their excellent books. Again, thanks, dear friends. Continue reading “John’s Believe It Or Not… February 1st”