Tidbits of History

This entry of December 31, 2024, marks the eleventh year of “Tidbits of History”. I’d like to acknowledge some of the resources and references used for this project:

I’m also indebted to many, many books, including:

From Asimov, Isaac. Isaac Asimov’s Book of Facts. New York, Bell Publishing Company, 1981
From 2201 Fascinating Facts by David Louis, published by Greenwich House, New York, 1983
From Anniversaries and Holidays, Third Edition by Ruth W. Gregory, published by American Library Association, Chicago 1975.

I’ve gathered information from wherever I’ve come across it and deeply appreciate the efforts of others who contributed to the subjects I’ve included in Tidbits of History. Choosing what to include and what to ignore has been the challenge of this project and I’ve tried to include a variety of facts and events that I found interesting. The above mentioned websites offered more information than anyone could possibly digest on a daily basis.

I’d also like to thank “WordPress” for providing a forum which makes this blog easy. It allowed me to add formatting where I chose without having to HTML-ize every entry.

2024 has been a challenging year, as they all are. A diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease has led to many changes in our lives. The disease is complex and ever-changing. What symptoms Benney displays this week will be different than last week or next week. Keeps us guessing and on our toes. Medication is helping. Life is the opportunity to continue learning and changing and we are doing our best to adapt. One of the best things about this year and this situation was meeting with a speech therapist. Melanie was always upbeat, encouraging, complimentary. She recognized Benney’s strengths and positive qualities and meeting with her was a pleasure.

The Biden administration has been a disaster – from mass immigration at the border to the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. The so-called “deep state” is deeper and more sinister than we ever suspected before. We (and 77 Million other voters) are very hopeful that things will improve with the inauguration of Donald J. Trump on January 20th.

So, as 2025 begins, I look forward to another opportunity to study, to learn, and to share historical information. I am not attempting to provide comprehensive information on any subject, just a “tidbit” to whet your appetite in the hopes that you, too will find history worth learning.

There are those who would try to destroy or distort our history. To me that is a crime against humanity for we are the caretakers of the past. One of our favorite quotes by George Santayana is:

“Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

May 2025 be a wonderful year for all of us! May we continue to learn new and old “tidbits of history” and find delight in the discoveries.

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