The History Spot: June 2017

Friday, June 30, 2017

Under Construction: The Gateway Arch

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Terror in New Orleans

From 1918 to 1919 a notorious killer roamed the streets of New Orleans, killing poor store owners who lived behind their businesses while they slept.

The axeman communicated to the people of New Orleans through the press, promising to spare anyone who played jazz music from a gruesome death. Frantic townspeople played jazz music all night just to ward off the sinister killer. He never struck again, but he did earn the nickname 'The Axeman of New Orleans.'

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

How To Get An Observatory...

Imagine that your university really needs an Observatory. How can you get a wealthy individual to donate the funds to build one? Why not convince him that it would be a fitting tribute and the perfect location to spend his eternal slumber? Does that sound too hard to believe? Well, it happened!

The University of California wanted to build an Observatory atop Mount Hamilton near San Jose, California. A daring development officer approached James Lick, a land speculator who made millions during the Gold Rush, with the opportunity to fund the Observatory.

James Lick wasn't sold on the deal until he was offered the opportunity to be buried underneath the telescope. Amazingly, he finally accepted the offer and remains buried under the telescope to this day.

Monday, June 26, 2017

The Leaning Tower

The famed Leaning Tower of Pisa was never actually straight. It had begun leaning during construction after the third story had been built. Wars halted construction for 100 years, which caused the land underneath the tower to become more stable. The Tower was strengthened somewhat and construction was eventually finished in 1372.