History

. . . some cheap sunglasses. Historical miniature on the origin of tough guys with dark glasses: > This association is of relatively recent origin. Once worn only by the blind, dark glasses first appeared in the context of dangerous sports such as auto racing and mountaineering around 1930. A generalized connection with

The Bishop and the Politico, 1960s-style: > “Do you know what the Negro is?” Leander H. Perez once asked in 1965. “Animals right out [of] the jungle. Passion. Welfare. Easy life. That's the Negro.” As a state judge and political boss of Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana, Perez was

My effort to break up all the New Orleans coverage. I find this type of stuff fascinating: > When still a schoolboy the American gangster Charles (“Lucky”) Luciano noticed that some of the older Irish and Italian kids were waylaying the younger and smaller Jewish kids on their way home

Tech Central Station has run a brief history of New Orleans' origins. Kinda neat. Link [http://www.techcentralstation.com/090305A.html]. Excerpt: > The [French bank] charter also granted [John Law's] company control of Louisiana. Law reappointed Jean Baptiste LeMoyne, Sieur de Bienville, to a second term

> Frances Elliot, who traveled to Sicily in 1880-81, attended a party given to the city elite by Palermo's leading industrialist, Count Ignazio Florio. She observed: “What struck me most was the sight in the lobby of a table literally covered with all sorts of weapons, handguns, revolvers,

We like quirky little history lessons of obscure subjects. This is an excellent example: > Restaurant workers in the United States make more than twenty-five billion dollars a year in tips, so it's natural that people think of the custom as quintessentially American. But it wasn't