ALL ABOUT ELVIS PRESLEY

January 21, 2010 | Filed Under Civil War | No Comments

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Elvis Aaron (or Arona) Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American musician and actor. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the “King of Rock and Roll” or simply “the King”. Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Presley at the age of 13 moved with his family to Memphis, Tennessee. He began his career there in 1954 when Sun Records owner Sam Phillips, eager to bring the sound of African American music to a wider audience, saw in Presley the means to realize his ambition. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was one of the originators of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country and rhythm and blues. RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage the singer for over two decades.

Presley’s first RCA single, “Heartbreak Hotel”, released in January 1956, was a number one hit. He became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll with a series of network television appearances and chart-topping records. His energized interpretations of songs, many from African American sources, and his uninhibited performance style made him enormously popular—and controversial. In November 1956, he made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Conscripted into military service in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. He staged few concerts, however, and, guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided.

In 1968, after seven years away from the stage, he returned to live performance in a celebrated comeback television special that led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of profitable tours. In 1973, Presley staged the first global live concert via satellite, Aloha from Hawaii, seen by approximately 1.5 billion viewers—the most watched broadcast by an individual entertainer in television history.[1] Prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at the age of 42. Presley is regarded as one of the most important figures of 20th-century popular culture. He had a versatile voice and unusually wide success encompassing many genres, including country, pop ballads, gospel, and blues. He is the best-selling solo artist in the history of popular music, with sales of approximately 1 billion units worldwide.[2][3][4] He was nominated for 14 competitive Grammys, winning three times, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36. He has been inducted into four music halls of fame.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/history-articles/all-about-elvis-presley-1760580.html

5 Pennsylvania State Symbols

January 20, 2010 | Filed Under Civil War | No Comments

Did you know that PA had state cookie? Have you ever take note of of the Pennsylvania state canine? The Commonwealth of PA has several intriguing state symbols. In this posting we will take a look at some of the lesser recognised ones.

Animal

PA’s state animal is the white tailed deer. The PA House of Representatives first passed regulations to protect these wildlife in 1721 and it was termed state animal in October of 1959. Early settlers relied on these kind of deer as a key supply of garments and food.

Dog

PA formally named the Great Dane as the State’s canine in 1965. William Penn, of whom Pennsylvania was termed, was well recognized for his adoration of these canines. There’s a well-known painting labeled ‘Best Friend’ that hangs in the Governor’s home and includes Penn together with his Great Dane.

Locomotive

PA has two state locomotives - a state steam train and state electric train. PA’s state steam locomotive is the K4 1361 steam locomotive. Manufactured in Pennsylvania, these coal burning trains transported passengers on PA railroads for over 30 ages with additional than 400 operating across the state at one time during the peak of the train’s operating period.

The state’s electric train is the GGI 4859. Over 130 of these trains raced across PA rails at speeds in excess of 100 mph. They were used to carry together freight and trains filled up with troops during Earth War II. The two locomotives were formally manufactured state symbols in 1987.

Tree

Created use of by early PA settlers to assemble log houses and for additional construction and survival requirements, PA formally termed the eastern hemlock as the state tree in 1931. The eastern hemlock is able to be located all over forests and woodlands in PA and can survive for over Five hundred ages or more. Generally, these trees can attain heights of something like 100 to 170 feet.

Cookie

According to state Senator Arlen Spector’s internet site (yet not the official Pennsylvania state webpage) the PA state cookie is the chocolate chip cookie. It was originally presented for consideration by a Fourth grade primary school class.

PA has a rich historical past and several increased interesting state symbols. You might discover further material on the history behind the symbols by going to Pennsylvania’s official state internet site or discovering each symbol separately on the web or at your local library.

Reese writes on a variety of topics. Also see Pennsylvania Teaching Jobs, Davis Wireless Weather Station, Nikon Monarch ATB Binoculars

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/history-articles/5-pennsylvania-state-symbols-1751162.html

Ancient Women - Aspasia

January 20, 2010 | Filed Under Civil War | No Comments

Aspasia lived in Athens c.450 BC.  She was a originally an inhabitant of the island of Miletos.  Her early career was spent as a slave hetaira.  Hetairai were women of slave status who worked in Athens as paid courtesans.  Their nearest modern day equivalent would be escort girls who spend time with men in return for payment with the possibility of sex thrown in, though not always.   In ancient Athens men and women spent most of their lives apart.  Men usually married in their twenties to girls who were usually aged about twelve years.  They probably did not know each other very well before the marriage because respectable women did not leave the house much and when they did they would be completely covered up and escorted by a close male relative.  The lives of Athenian women by modern day standards were restricted with little education and interaction outside the home.  Marriage produced children and the survival of the Oikos or household.  Hetairai it could be said, filled the gap.  It was customary for well off households to hold parties known as a symposium.  The master of the house would invite his neighbours and professional associates to his house where they would get drunk and play party games.  Symposia were important for the household because they ensured the status of the master (known as a kyrios) in the community.  Hetairai were an essential element of any successful symposium.  Hetairai were often well educated and taught at least a basic level of literacy and numeracy.  They could be sophisticated conversationalists and could entertain their male customers by playing musical instruments and/or dancing.  Obviously, sex could happen if the men present so wished, however it wasn’t the primary reason that hetairai worked.  They were all round entertainers.

Aspasia worked as a hetaira for a number of years.  During her work she would meet many influential and high ranking Athenian men.  One of these men was the great Athenian politician Perikles.  Perikles is best known for rebuilding the collection of temples on the Acropolis.  The earlier temples had been burnt down by the Persians when they invaded Athens forty years earlier.  When the Athenians returned, they decided to keep the Acropolis in its derelict state as a reminder of the barbarous Persian invasion.  Perkles was a great speaker and managed to persuade the people of Athens that the Acropolis should be rebuilt to show how great Athens had become.  It was rebuilt using money from the Delian league.  This money had been paid to the neutral island of Delos by a number of Greek islands to ensure that Athens would come to their help if they were attacked by the Persians.  The problem was that over time, the Persian threat diminished so some islands wanted to leave the Delian league and stop paying money into it.  Athens had become strong, so when an island showed signs of wanting out of the Delian league an Athenian ship full of soldiers would be sent over to ‘persuade’ them not to stop paying the league money.  Essentially Athens was now an empire with money. 

It is known that hetairai could begin long lasting relationship with some of their customers and even have children with them.  Aspasia was probably the most successful hetaira that ever existed.  Perikles had a long lasting relationship with her with rumours that she even had a bastard child to him.  Perikles finally divorced his wife and left his children.  He married Aspasia instead.  They had a son (Perikles the younger) who was recognised as an Athenian c.429.  Until this time there had been a law that prevented Athenian citizenship to children not born to two Athenian parents.  Aspasia’s marriage to Perikles would be a strong one that would last until Perkiles’ death  from a plague that ravished Athens in 429 BC.  Many other Athenians disliked the power that Aspasia had over Perikles.  It was even said that she was the power behind the man, writing some of his most famous speeches.  After the death of Perikles, Aspasia is reputed to have lived with another influential Athenian statesman called Lysikles.  She had another son with him.  It is not known for certain when she died, but it is believed that she may have died approximately 401 BC.

For more information about the ancient world please visit http://www.mythologyhellenic.com

Former teacher of Classical Civilisation.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/history-articles/ancient-women-aspasia-1721672.html

Frederick Bailey Deeming – Was he Jack the Ripper?

January 19, 2010 | Filed Under Civil War | No Comments

For many years now, speculation has been rife about who exactly was ‘Jack the Ripper’. Suspects range from John Pizer, a Jewish shoemaker to Sir William Gull, the Royal Physician. Even Queen Victoria’s grandson Albert Victor was not above suspicion, although this was probably just too ridiculous to contemplate, despite his well-known visits to the East End of London.

While many suspects were either discounted or convicted for other crimes, one possible, (some say probable), suspect was Frederick Bailey Deeming. Although the evidence against Deeming is flimsy, nevertheless he perhaps should not be totally discounted. After all, he was a serial killer!

Without doubt, Deeming was a strange individual. Born in Birkenhead, Cheshire on 30 July 1853, the youngest of seven children, he was often referred to as Mad Fred. Beaten regularly by his father (who was himself committed to a lunatic asylum), he turned to his mother, with whom he developed a deep relationship; probably too deep, since he apparently suffered a mental breakdown on her death in 1875. His mother was a Sunday school teacher; she was also so puritanical that Deeming became obsessed with ideas of sin and punishment. It is likely that these attitudes were the trigger for his future murderous behaviour.

A man to be avoided, he nevertheless had an ability to charm women, a characteristic amply displayed by a number of psychopaths - Ted Bundy, the American serial killer, springs to mind. However, charm could turn to seething anger as his first wife, Marie found to her cost when she betrayed him. Marie was his childhood sweetheart and first wife, by whom he had four children. Incidentally, her sister Martha, who was in service in Birkenhead, married Frederick’s brother Albert.

Being somewhat of a wanderer as well as a professional criminal, Deeming would often go missing. He is known to have abandoned his family at least twice, moving to Australia on the first occasion and to South Africa on the second, where he was involved in several crimes. It was in South Africa where he met married a Miss Mathieson. Marie, however, tracked him down as she always managed to do. She informed his second wife of the bigamous relationship, but the latter preferred to defend her own reputation, rather than go to the police. It was probably just as well.

Marie on the other hand had no qualms. She was well aware of his philandering and criminal behaviour so sought justice (and money) for herself and her family. Subsequently, as well as having Deeming arrested, Marie blackmailed him. This sealed her fate. While in prison, Mad Fred decided the only way out of his trouble was to get rid of Marie.  He also had other plans, and they didn’t include his family.

After his release on 16 July 1891, Deeming sent Marie a letter offering reconciliation. Foolishly, she forgave him and the couple later moved to Rainhill, a sleepy village, 10 miles from the city of Liverpool.

In one of his letters, Frederick told his wife that he wanted to settle down and find suitable employment. So, Marie sent him £1000, which he used to help find a suitable home. Posing as a military officer called Albert Oliver Williams, who had returned home from a spell of duty in India, Deeming leased Dinham Villa from Mrs Mather, an elderly widow. Fred told her that the lease was for a fellow officer who would be taking up residence in the near future, but for time being he would look after the place himself.

Ever the conman, not only did Mrs Mather fall for the ruse, Frederick also managed to convince her that the floors needed cementing. Of course, he would pay for the work to be done, and soon conscientiously set about creating a tomb for his family.

Shortly after the work was completed, Deeming invited Marie and the children – 3 girls and a boy - to come to Rainhill. He murdered them on 11 August 1891 using an axe to knock them unconscious, probably while they slept, and then slit their throats; his eldest daughter, Bertha, was strangled. Perhaps she woke and disturbed him?

Wasting no time in getting rid of the bodies, Frederick spent the rest of the night burying them under the hearth in the kitchen and mopping their blood. He later hired a charwoman to thoroughly clean the house to ensure nothing could incriminate him.

It seems the idea for building a tomb came from his work experience as an apprentice plumber at Chester Cathedral. As part of his job, he had to reseal the Cathedral’s tomb with cement. Unfortunately for Marie and her children, his skill was perfect for the task.

Up to the time of his family’s demise, Deeming had been ‘courting’ Mrs Mather’s daughter, Emily. When Marie turned up, Deeming told Emily that she was his sister, a fact confirmed in Emily’s mind when Marie and children disappeared just as quickly as they came.

Convinced that everything was alright, Deeming proposed to Emily, the couple marrying on 22 September 1891. The spectacle was so public the whole village was invited. They left Rainhill as Mr and Mrs Williams on the pretext that Deeming (under his alias Williams) had been given a new military assignment in India. But the ship SS Kaiser Willhelm II arrived at Victoria in Australia. How Deeming managed to convince his new wife that everything was alright, will never be known. Whatever he said obviously did the trick, since the couple rented a house in Windsor, a suburb of Melbourne. Deeming though, kept his wife out of sight – he had already decided to kill her.  Emily probably suspected nothing. She was after all a woman in love. For Fred Deeming though, Emily was just a means to an end?

Emily was unaware that Deeming had previously made plans in Rainhill to incriminate her in the murder of first wife and family, if ever his crime was found out. His strategy involved first using a labouring friend of the Mathers to cement the area where Marie and the children were entombed. Second, if the police found the bodies he could blame Emily, suggesting she had killed them in a fit of rage, and then asked her labourer friend to help bury them. Luckily for Fred, no suspicions were aroused and so he slaughtered Emily on the 24 December 1891 – a Christmas to remember. Afterwards, he moved out of the area, telling neighbours his wife had returned to Britain on business.

Deeming’s luck though, was about to change. The owner of the house was showing prospective householders around the property, when he was alerted to a strange odour coming from the dining room. Emily’s decomposing body was found underneath the hearthstone embedded in concrete. A post mortem revealed a smashed skull. Her throat was also cut.

During this time, Deeming used another alias – Mr. Druin. A local ironmonger remembered delivering various building materials and tools to the house in Windsor a few weeks earlier. These included: cement, a broom, trowel, closet pan and a spade. Druin (or rather Deeming) was described as being in his mid-30s, fair haired with a fair reddish beard and a large distinctive moustache. He was of medium height and slight build. According to the ironmonger, Deeming was a flamboyant gentleman who wore a lot of jewellery and spoke with a Lancashire accent.

After killing Emily, Frederick Bailey Deeming disappeared, turning up in Perth, Western Australia a short time later. He had now become Baron Swanston and was also courting a fourth possible wife – 22 year old, Kate Rounsefell. However, Fred’s luck finally ran out. A ‘WANTED’ poster was circulated in every settlement in Western Australia. The police caught up with him at Southern Cross – a gold mining village - where Deeming (under his new alias) had taken a job as an engineer, working for the Fraser Gold Mine. He was placed in charge of machinery. Why Deeming chose to mingle with drunken miners and their families is unclear. Did he hope to blend into the community? It’s highly unlikely. His manner and dress would have made him stick out like a sore thumb. Perhaps he believed the police wouldn’t bother looking in such places.

Frederick Deeming was arrested on 14 March 1892 and subsequently extradited back to Victoria. Shortly after, Emily’s mother was informed of her daughter’s murder and the circumstances surrounding it. This prompted her to recollect what Deeming had been doing at her house in Rainhill. The police were called and the bodies of Marie and her children discovered.

The unearthing caused a sensation and not just for the local population. Extra telegraph lines were installed, and more clerks hired to handle the demands of the many journalists who were covering the inquest. Not to mention the arrival of hundreds of curious people to the area to watch the funeral of Marie Deeming and her children. They were buried in an unmarked grave in St. Anne’s Church in Rainhill.

Interestingly, about eight years ago, Dinham Villa was knocked down. Despite the murder taking place over a hundred years ago, many local residents decided to take home one of the house bricks as a memento. Fascination with murder never dies.

What was the connection with Jack the Ripper? On 8 April 1892 the Melbourne Evening Standard published a report incriminating Deeming in the Ripper murders. The paper claimed a dressmaker identified him as being present in the East End on the occasion of Catherine Eddowes’ murder. The dressmaker knew him as Mr Lawson, the latter stating to her that he had intimate knowledge of the mutilation of Eddowes.

Belief that Deeming was the Ripper was apparently reinforced by a conversation with one of the doctors attending him. The doctor stated that Deeming told him he contracted Syphilis from a prostitute. He had intended killing her, but lost her. He also told the doctor that all such women should be exterminated. He is reported to have told the physician “I’ve had my own back, as more than one of them found out.”

Syphilis is a debilitating disease which causes madness. Deeming knew this as well, since he used this fact as an excuse in his defence for why he killed. Perhaps today, with our increased medical knowledge, Mad Fred might have been incarcerated in a Mental Hospital. In 1892 however, the jury would have none of it. It took them less than an hour to find him guilty. Frederick Bailey Deeming was subsequently hanged on Monday, 23 May 1892.

Fred Deeming may or may not have been Jack the Ripper. Newspapers published as early as 1888 were reporting that Deeming had been seen in the Whitechapel area at the time of the murders. But, is this sufficient evidence of his guilt? He did admit to buying knives in the area; he even admitted to fellow prisoners that he was Jack. But, is the word of a mad serial killer proof of his guilt? Perhaps he really just wanted the notoriety.

If this was his intention, at least he got what he wanted. A death mask was made which, for many years, was placed on show. Today, it can be seen at the Melbourne Gaol Museum. A verse was also written:

“On the twenty-first of May,
Frederick Deeming passed away;
On the scaffold he did say –
“Ta-ra-da-boom-di-ay!”
“Ta-ra-da-boom-di-ay!”
This is a happy day,
An East End holiday,
The Ripper’s gone away”

It should be noted though the date of his death in the poem is wrong.

While the evidence for Deeming’s involvement in the Ripper murders is circumspect, it hasn’t stopped people theorising why he killed his family. Perhaps his first wife found out about his awful secret, and was silenced.

After all, she did blackmail him.

Steve Kelly publishes a bimonthly online history and genealogical magazine called Gen Mag Online. To see what it’s all about just visit http://www.genmagonline.co.uk

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/history-articles/frederick-bailey-deeming-was-he-jack-the-ripper-1730465.html

Martin Luther Kings Most famous Quotes

January 18, 2010 | Filed Under Civil War | No Comments

Its Martin Luther King DAy 2010 so what more appropriate time to have a look at some of Martin Luther Kings most famous quotes. Even today his legacy lives on with his quotes still being as relevant as ever to our modern day society. It is the annual holiday today with the MLK March and Celebration happening Reid Park from 10 am to 5 pm. The main celebration is at the DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center at the NE corner of S. Country Club and E. 22nd street.

Martin Luther King was a man who had a very special way with words and he made people look at the world in a new light. Here are just some of his more famous and influential quotes below.

“A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan. “

“A lie cannot live.”

“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”

“I want to be the white man’s brother, not his brother-in-law.”

“A riot is the language of the unheard.”

“At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.”

“Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.”

This is just a few of Martin Luther Kings most famous quotes. There could be pages of quotes to fill this article. As you can see though these quotes still have significance today. That is why Martin Luther King day is a special day for everyone to enjoy.

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Powerful players of Ancient Egypt

January 18, 2010 | Filed Under Civil War | No Comments

In ancient Egypt, the Pharaoh, or king, was the pinnacle of Egyptian society. The entire administrative structure rested on them, as did the religion of the day. These god-kings wielded great power that is staggering to today’s standards and ruled over everything. Considered a divine being and a physical offspring of a god, they had offerings made in their name. But the kings of ancient Egypt weren’t only males. Women too were allowed to rule. And when such an awesome power can be had, it’s no wonder, ancient Egyptians go to great lengths to get a hold of this power, hang on to it for as long as possible and show the world as they knew it that they are the greatest Pharaoh that ever lived.

Builder Supreme

More people would have heard of the Pharaoh Khufu than they would have of the Pharaoh Radjedef, and that’s because Khufu is generally accepted as the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. His son, Radjedef, on the other hand, didn’t achieve much during his reign…or so the world thought until a “lost” pyramid was found recently! In an attempt to trump his father’s magnificent achievement and stamp his supremacy, Radjedef erected the highest pyramid ever built, towering some 60 feet above Khufu’s Great Pyramid of Giza.

Sibling Snuffed?

Scientists have discovered something new about the most famous woman in history, Cleopatra. A tomb containing human remains has been discovered 500 miles from Egypt in Ephesus. Turkey and archaeologists are convinced this is the skeleton of one of Cleopatra’s victims, murdered by her Roman lover Mark Antony on her orders in a bid to safeguard herself and hold on power. Shocking still is revelation that the skeleton could be that of Cleopatra’s younger half sister, Princess Arsinoe! The remains are the first relics of the Ptolemaic dynasty to be identified. For 2,000 years, Cleopatra’s death orders have only been speculated upon (she was said to have one of her brothers killed), but by comparing historic writings and the new forensic evidence, scientists say they finally have proof of her murderous attribute.

The Truth About Tut

For someone so famous, there’s surprisingly little we know about King Tutankhamun. His intact tomb was discovered in 1922 but it said little about this child king. Who was he really? In early 2009, archaeologists examining the KV63 tomb that was discovered in 2006, believe it was directly related to Tutankhamun, that it could have been built for the body of a queen who has disappeared from history – his mother, Kiya (Egypt’s Mystery Chamber)

King Tut was nine years old when he became Pharaoh and died just 10 years later at age 19. Since he was just a little boy when he became king, he is believed to have had numerous influential advisors. For a long time, he was thought to have been murdered by one of his advisors, but in 2005, a CT scan concluded that he most likely died of gangrene after breaking his leg. But not everyone is convinced!

This is rewritten by the same person who used to recommend the thermometer hygrometer for weather forecasting, visit http://thermometerhygrometer.org for more information.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/history-articles/powerful-players-of-ancient-egypt-1731727.html

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