Saudi Arabia is often looked at as a vast desert that contains a major religious center and a huge amount of oil. Formerly sold to industrialized countries in crude form, the country has gradually taken over the entire industry by replacing most workers with Saudi nationals. Nowadays the products sold are not only crude oil, […]
IS SAUDI ARABIA TURNING GREEN? Read More »
Global warming is a fact of life today, and it brings with it another nemesis—rising sea levels. This condition is exasperated by the huge amounts of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels for energy. Efforts are being made in many countries throughout the world to reduce the consumption of
THE DANGER FROM RISING SEA LEVELS Read More »
The origins of the Declaration of Independence in America date back over 200 years before Columbus even discovered land in the Western Hemisphere and brought the news back to Europe. The Declaration is not only the culmination of a long series of major complaints sent back to King George III, but also a continuation of
HOW THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE CAME ABOUT Read More »
In the mid 1930’s a popular form of long-distance air travel was the rigid airship, or Zeppelin. Filled with lighter-than-air gasses, the airships could travel up to about eighty or ninety miles per hour and could stay aloft indefinitely crossing the Atlantic Ocean in about two or three days. But the glamour of airship travel
WHAT CAUSED THE HINDENBURG DISASTER? Read More »
An economic boom usually occurs wherever oil is discovered. State and local governments in particular come out on top, and the growth in the area generates much in the way of income for local businessmen and real estate developers. But in the case of the Prudhoe Bay oil fields in north Alaska, the impact to
THE OVERALL IMPACT OF THE TRANS-ALASKA PIPELINE Read More »
During the time the U.S. grew economically after the Civil War ended, a class of ultra rich entrepreneurs rose to the top of many of America’s industries. Those that were the most successful had the backing of crafty financiers to provide large sums of capital when needed and to solve financial problems that blocked or
JOHN PIERPONT MORGAN—AMERICA’S GREATEST FINANCIER Read More »
The Second World War was fought in the far corners of each ocean in the world with many stirring stories about sea chases, with lucky chances, blunders, and skill that shaped the outcome. One of the best of those sea chases took place in late May, 1941, in the North Atlantic. The Battle of the
THE SHORT AND VIOLENT LIFE OF KRIEGSMARINE’S BISMARCK Read More »
In 1708 a small fleet of Spanish ships loaded with treasure obtained from mines in South America was attacked by a flotilla of British warships that aimed to take their cargo. After two hours of fighting, one of the Galleons, the San Joquin, escaped without forfeiting its cargo. Another one, the Santa Cruz, was captured
THE TREASURE TROVE OF THE SPANISH GALLEON SAN JOSE Read More »
The success story of artist turned entrepreneur, Walt Disney, mirrors the early period of growth of the motion picture entertainment industry. He made it to the top of his profession, but he began with a very humble, hard-working start. All along the way there were setbacks, bankruptcies, difficulties with distributors, and people turning their backs
THE SUCCESS STORY OF WALT DISNEY Read More »
In 1907, the U.S. banking system was brought to its knees by a bank panic—a condition where depositors lose confidence in their bank’s ability to pay back their money and thereby withdraw it. This situation occurred several times throughout U.S. history causing economic mayhem until the panic settled back down and liquidity returned to most
HOW THE FEDERAL RESERVE WAS FORMED AND HOW IT FUNCTIONS Read More »