history
louisiana state capital
from huey long posted in history by crabapple
On September 8, 1935, Huey Long was a sitting U.S. Senator and oppositional presidential candidate to F.D.R. A populist politician, Long had been an enormously influential figure in Louisiana politics: suing Standard Oil for unfair business practices and starting numerous social programs, as well as being militantly defensive of his political aspirations.
On that day in September, Long was at the Louisiana State Capital building when Carl Weiss, a disgruntled relative of a judge that Long was trying to oust, shot the senator in the abdomen. "The Kingfish" (as Long was known) died two days later.
Long's life has been the inspiration for many works, including the novel All the King's Men (1946) and the subsequent movie (1949 and 2006), as well as the Sinclair Lewis play It Can't Happen Here (1936).
view full location details...where woodward met with ‘deep throat’
from watergate scandal posted in history by nevereatshreddedwheat
In late 1972 through 1973 Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward met six times with his source 'Deep Throat' at a parking garage (specifically spot 32D) at this location in Arlington, Virginia. With Deep Throat's information, President Nixon's role in the Watergate coverup was exposed which led to Nixon's resignation in 1974.
In 2005 it was revealed that Deep Throat was Mark Felt, the FBI's number two man at the time.
A historical marker marks the spot where they met. As of 2013 the garage is still standing, although there are rumors that it will soon be torn down.
view full location details...salisbury cathedral
from magna carta, jay-z posted in history by prof_improbable
Boasting the tallest cathedral spire in the United Kingdom (23m/404 ft), the Salisbury Cathedral was completed from 1220 to 1258.
In addition, the cathedral contains the world's oldest working clock (circa 1386) and has the best surviving of the four original copies of the Magna Carta.
The Magna Carta (written in 1215) was one of the first documents where individuals, i.e. feudal barons, asserted their rights against divine monarchy. The lineage of the document can be directly linked to the American Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, among other documents.
In other news, Jay-Z was inspired by the lines in the Magna Carta for his new album MC/HG: "To no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay, right or justice."
view full location details...nohmul complex
from mayan culture, archaeology posted in history by speedy_dee
If you are walking around the village of Douglas in northeastern Belize and you admire the roads, that's because they are the remnants of a Mayan pyramid (c. 350 BC to 250 AD) that were bulldozed to make road fill.
The pyramid, now 70% destroyed, was on private land nearby. It was approximately 50 by 52 meters and was 8 meters tall.
The cultural heritage site was unmistakable, and the construction company knew they were destroying an ancient ruin to pave a road. Unfortunately, this is not new in Belize. As Professor Norman Hammond of Boston University put it to the AP, "bulldozing Maya mounds for road fill is an endemic problem in Belize."
view full location details...sir richard hoare’s mausoleum
from sir richard hoare, stonehenge posted in history by pete_nice
The British archaeologist, Sir Richard Hoare, 2nd Baronet (a term used to convey noble distinction), was half of the duo that did the first recorded excavation of Stonehenge in 1798, and again 1810. Hoare was an adherent to the form of antiquarianism that was popular among scholars of history of the day. He adopted the motto that encapsulated the movement: "We speak from facts not theory."
Hoare's mausoleum is at St. Peter's Church in Stourton, Wiltshire.
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