Miscellaneous
George Washington’s Spymaster
Most Americans know about the traitor Benedict Arnold and even his contact Major John Andre, the head of the British Army’s intelligence service in North America. Few of those reading…
Read MoreThank Our Founding Fathers for a Decimal System of Currency
When the war broke out in 1775, the – the future United States of America – were still using the English system of currency based on pound, shillings and pence.…
Read MoreThe Pandemic of 1793
By 1793, the United States had been an independent nation for 10 years. The Treaty of Paris gave the country peace with England. Our new Constitution was ratified in 1787…
Read MoreA Shell Company Provides Arms to the American Revolution
They say timing is everything. Many words could be used to describe Pierre Beaumarchais. Playwright and arms merchant are just a few. Scoundrel, watchmaker, revolutionary, entrepreneur and murderer could also…
Read MoreAmerica’s First Indian War
We all might think that the French and Indian War (1754 – 1763) was the first American war against what we now call Native Americans. It wasn’t because at the…
Read MoreWeatherguessing in the Late 18th Century
In most parts of the world, the spring and fall are the stormiest times of the year. Today, local weather forecasters use computer models that take weather data from all…
Read MoreSir Isaac Newton and the Sextant
Up until the voyages of discovery began in the late 15th Century, ship captains rarely sailed out of sight of land. Why? Even though they knew what direction they were…
Read More18th Century Navigation – Evolution of the Nautical Chart
When captains went to sea in the 18th Century, computers, accurate chronographs, satellite imagery of weather, inertial navigation systems and GPS didn’t exist. Instead, the captain had a timepiece, compass,…
Read MoreBen Franklin and the Gulph Stream
In 1513, Ponce de Leon was the first to note a current that was faster than his ships, but did neither explored it nor documented its location. What de Leon…
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