Vicente was born in Palos de la Frontera, crown of Castile circa 1462 (actual date of birth is unknown) to Martin and Mayor. Between 1477 to 1479 records indicate he was a privateer with his brother Martin Alonso. By 1492 he was living in nearby Moguer moving again to in 1502 to Seville.The last known record of him was in 1514 living in either Seville or Triana the same year of his death however, where he is buried is still a mystery. Now for the rest of the story. like I mentioned in 1492 he was living in Moguer where he set out on an adventure. For you see he sailed with Columbus aboard the Nina as captain of the vessel. His brother in crime before that Martin was the captain of the Pinta. Now you can imagine all the fears and tribulations that went with the voyage however, do you kno... 01/29/2017

Aline Elizabeth was born in Norfolk, Virginia back in 1906 to Charles and Ida. After high school, she went on to further education receiving a Master of Science degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1935.While attending college, she began working as a science instructor in the public-school system. She only received two-thirds the pay to her counterpart (more on that shortly). Feeling this was just wrong she filed suit against the school system under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. She petitioned the Norfolk School Board and they denied her petition. She got some backing and an attorney. The attorney was the future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. The Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals denied her appeal after the case was dismissed by a lower c... 01/25/2017

Delbert Ray was born in Tamms, Illinois back in 1924 to Elbert and Emma. An undergraduate at Southern Illinois University was interrupted during WWII. After the war, he went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he received his Ph. D in mathematics in 1951.After graduation, he worked for the RAND Corporation until 1971 moving to Cornell University as the Maxwell Upson Professor of Engineering. Sadly, he took his life in 1976. Now for the rest of the story. now you may be asking yourself where is James finding all these people. Well I can’t give you that information. However, for what he did in 1956 he will forever be written down in the history book for.Sorry almost forgot to tell you I’m writing about Delbert Ray Fulkerson. Name doesn’t ring a bell, that’s okay it didn’t for me ... 01/22/2017

Elisha Matthew was born in Acadia, Florida back in 1918. I do not have any information about his parents, upbringing or much of anything else, that is except for the rest of the story, so, let’s get to it.He made his playing debut in 1939 with the Americus Pioneers which was a Brooklyn Dodgers minor league where he played shortstop, second and third base. He went on to play for the Philadelphia Phillies where his battering average was .221 in 90 games, including eight doubles and two stolen bases while scoring 21 runs and driving in 22 more. He retired in 1957.For you non-baseball fans I’m writing about Elisha Matthew Mott. Hmm, name doesn’t ring a bell, let’s see does Bitsy Mott help any? Well now what he will go down in the history books for is from 1955-1973 he was the personal secur... 01/13/2017

Paavo Johannes was born in Turku, Finland back in 1897 to Johan and Matilda. His father died in 1910 and one of his sisters Lahja a year later. He left school at 12 to help his family financially working as a errand boy for a bakery.Pushing the bakery carts up the steep slopes in Turku is what he credited for what you will learn is the rest of the story. In 1919 he joined the Finish Military he ran the obstacle course with a backpack full of sand along with the rest of the equipment. He improvised new training methods to his training by holding onto the rear bumper of trains increasing his strength. He also used heavy iron-clad boots. He became a coach for the Finish Athletics Federation and opening a clothing store in Helsinki. He died in 1973 in Helsinki, Finland. Now let me tell you ... 01/10/2017

Auguste and Louis Lumiere were born in Besancon, France back in 1862 and 1864 respectively to Charles and Jeanne. The family moved to Lyon in 1870. Both educated at the La Martiniere which was the largest technical in Lyon at the time.Their father owned a small factory producing photographic plates employing a dozen workers. Their father retired in 1892 when the brothers took over the business and as they say the rest is history. What they did was the setting for what we still enjoy to this day. So, you may be asking yourself what did they do? Well I’m glad you are so here is what they did. They patented several significant processes, most notably film perforations thus creating what we now know as movies. Their first film shows workers leaving a factory. They also developed the first p... 12/30/2016

William W. Abercrombie was born in Medford, Oregon back in 1914. Sorry I don’t have any information about his parents or schooling however, what I can tell you is the rest of the story. So, let’s get to it.He enlisted in the Naval Reserve at Kansas City, Kansas in August of 1940 he was eliminated in flight training and receive an honorable discharge the day before Christmas. He accepted an appointment as an aviation cadet in December arriving at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida.He passed and won his wings in 1941 where is was assigned to Torpedo Squadron 8. He boarded the carrier Hornet as the ship sailed from the Atlantic to the Pacific two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was with Commander John C. Waldron during the Battle of Midway Island. All 15 planes were sh... 12/29/2016

Clarence was born in Anaheim, California back in 1909 to Monte and Harriet. His parents were owners of a successful orange grove in Fullerton, California.At an early age, he started showing an interest in tinkering with electronics. When he was 14 his uncle sent him, a box filled with discarded radio parts and a battery. Soon after he began to repair radios out of his parents’ home. He graduated from Fullerton Union High School and went on to Fullerton Junior College with a major in accounting. After college, he took a job as a delivery man at Consolidated Ice and Cold Storage Company. With his knowledge in radio repair he was approached by a local band leader. He asked Clarence to build a public-address system for the band. In 1933 he worked for the California Highway Department but du... 12/25/2016

Pick up that phone.One of my jobs as broker is of course to try and recruit agents to our agency. In the past I, have always sent out an email for those agents who had a closing the day before. Recently instead of sending out those emails I’ve picked up the phone and made a call to the agent. So far so good as I have not had one gent who has been rude to me. They are receptive and listen, some ask questions, some don’t. what I have learned out of this experience I believe most agents would prefer a phone to instead of an email. Will I continue to call instead off email them, you bet I will. Just a thought for the moment 12/22/2016

James Jabara was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma back in 1923. He joined the Boy Scouts eventually becoming an Eagle Scout. He worked at his parent’s grocery store while attending Wichita North High School in Wichita, Kansas. He stood a whopping five feet five inches tall and had to wear corrective eyewear. He read articles and novels and articles expounding the adventures of Eddie Rickenbacker and other pilots. Due to his eye problems, he ate 20 carrots a day in the belief it would improve his vision. As soon as he was old enough he enlisted as a cadet in the United States Army Air Corps at Fort Riley, Kansas. He received his pilot’s wings and a commission as a second Lieutenant at Moore Field, Texas in 1943.During WWII, he was assigned to the European Theater of operations. He served two t... 12/17/2016

Helen Lamond was born in Melbourne, Australia back in 1941 to Maxwell and Stella.  Her father was a Sergeant in the Australian Army serving in New Guinea at the time of her birth.  He also served during the Korean War.  At the tender age of 4 she was involved in a vaudeville act where she sang and danced.  She did this until between the ages of 12 to 17 she rebelled just wanting to be a wife and mother.  She married Jeff with only $12.00 to her name.  According to her it was love at first sight, three days later they were married.  Two days after they married Jeff lost his job and she supported them by doing a $35.00-a-night hospital and charity benefits.  They were so broke that they snuck out of a hotel room carrying their clothes in paper bags and when they did get a chance to eat it... 12/14/2016

We had chicken sautéed in butter tonight with mac/n/cheese. My wife trimmed the chicken breast and set the scraps to the side to cook later for the dogs. After supper, she was watching television in the living room. I was in the office working on the computer and watching television. I kept thinking I smelled smoke but I was sure I'd turned off all the burners so I continued to sit and wonder then it hit me.  I ran through the house like a man on fire. I had put the chicken scraps back on the burner and went the office forgetting the chicken. Stiiiinky! We turned on the exhaust, opened the back door and left it open as long as we could. Good grief it's cold outside and it stinks inside. The only good thing about this little screw up, not much.  Thankfully Susan did not criticize me as I... 12/03/2016

Kenneth Tompkins was born in Cooperstown, New York back in 1904 to William and Mary. He studied at Horace Mann School in New York and entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1921 to study electrical engineering. In only five years he earned both a bachelor of science and a master of science degree. During the summer breaks, he worked at General Electric’s laboratories in Lynn, Massachusetts where he obtained three patents related to photoelectric tubes. Not that he was satisfied with what he had accomplished now his attention turned to physics. So, he enrolled t Princeton University where in 1929 he was awarded his Ph.D. and his thesis was on a search for element 87.   In 1932 he used an instrument to verify Albert Einstein’s mass-energy equivalence by developing a mass spe... 11/25/2016

John Abbey was born in Northamptonshire, England back in 1785. He served as an apprentice for James & David Davis. In 1826 he travelled to Paris on the invitation of Sebastien Erard who just happened to be a celebrated harp and pianoforte maker.He established himself in Paris as well as other parts of France. His works can be found in Paris, Rheims, Nantes, Versailles, and Evreux.  He died in Versailles in 1859 at 73. So, from 1826 to his death in 1859 you may be asking yourself what he did that caught my attention for me to write this about him. As always I like the way you think for you see John Abbey was an organ maker.He completely worked on the construction, renovation and enlargement of organs. He was the first one who introduced into French organs the English mechanism and the be... 11/20/2016

Alice Taylor Huyler was born in Hackensack, New Jersey back in 1886 to John and Ada. She attended Vassar College from 1903-1905. She married John, (no not her father another John). She embarked on a journey inn 1909 that will forever place her in the history books for the feat.She began her journey from Hell’s Gate in Manhattan, New York and travelled to San Francisco, California. May as well tell you now I’m writing about Alice Huyler Ramsey. It took her 59 days to make the historic journey, accompanied by two older sisters and another female friend. So, you may have already guessed it by now however, if you haven’t she is the first female to travel across the United States by automobile. The group used maps for the American Automobile Association to make the journey. Remember the jour... 11/19/2016

New post, What started out as anger and frustration at the telemarketers trying to scam me has turned into a fun game that I've come to look forward to...well I wouldn't go that far but I have decided to just have fun with it. Anyone see my post yesterday where I told the Windows guy that I'd killed my wife? Well his friend Chuck called today. "Hello ,sir. This is Chuck calling you from Windows about the problem you're having with your computer." "Huh?", I say in my most droll and dumbed out voice. He repeats his spiel and I act happy and surprised, "You're going to give me a computer?" "No", he says. "I'm going to help you with the problems you're having with your computer." I get even more excited, "You're giving me a free computer?" "No, I'm going to help you with the problem you're ... 11/18/2016

Yesterday I wrote about William Shippen so today as promised I’m writing about William Shippen Jr. He was born in 1736 and the first systematic teacher of anatomy, surgery and obstetrics in Colonial America. He founded the first maternity hospital in American. He was also the second Director General of Hospitals of the Continental Army.During the American Revolutionary War, he served as Chief Physician of the Army in New Jersey (1776). He also was among the founders of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia serving as its president from 1805-1808. He died in 1808 in Germantown, Pennsylvania.Now however, what I want you to know goes beyond his service to his country for you see he married Alice Lee and the union gave them a daughter Anne Hume Shippen. In turn she married Henry Beekman... 11/12/2016

Adam Helmer was born in German Flatts, New York back in 1754 to George and Maria.  By 1774 his area he lived in widely supported British control.  Then the Declaration of rights was issued by the Continental Congress and things began to change.  Word came to Adam about the Battle of Lexington and Concord, that battle brought Adam onto the side of the militia.  By 1776 then Lieutenant Adam Helmer was assigned to ranger duty.  In 1778 Adam and eight other scouts under his command were sent to the Unadilla River to spy on the British led by Joseph Brant.  He married Anna and sired ten that’s right 10 children.  Apparently, the homecomings was a time to rejoice and renew the marriage.  Anyway, he died in 1830 in the town of Brutus, New York.So, while siring 10 children is not a record can y... 11/09/2016

James Heath was born in London, England back in 1757 to George (sorry I don’t have his mother’s name). he studied under Joseph Collyer the younger. Joseph was an exacting master thus James acquired a great mechanical skill in his profession.James worked first in stipple (look that one up), and afterwards in line. Because of his training and expertise, he amassed a large number of pupils working under his direction. He also had a considerable fortune but lost it in a fire in 1789. He retired in 1823 and most of his works were sold at auction that year. He died in 1834.So you may be asking yourself what exactly did James Heath do? Allow me to tell you what that was. For you see he was an engraver. Now you may be asking yourself what did he engrave? He engraved some of the plates for John ... 11/06/2016

Anna Lane was born in Old Saybrook, Connecticut back in 1908 to Peter and Bertha. She and her sister was raised in the classic New England tradition. The family had a strong family foundation with well-traveled uncles who had many stories to tell her when they came home.She attended college t the Connecticut College of Pharmacy in New Haven receiving a Ph.D. in 1938 she married George from New Iberia, Louisiana when she and George moved to New York. Being a pharmacist was just fit for her so she began writing earlier and continued to do so when in 1947 they moved back to Old Saybrook where she lived for the rest of her life. She died in 1997 at 88 in Old Saybroook.Now can you tell me what she is most noted for? Oh My! I almost forgot you may know her better as Anna Petry. She was the fi... 10/27/2016