Few books have played such a large role in history as Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, except perhaps the Bible and the Koran. Published on November 24, 1859, Darwin’s book discussed such new ideas as natural selection, the survival of the fittest and of course, the natural evolutionary progression of homo sapiens. This non religious version of reality sparked a controversy that the world had never known.
There was talk of a knighthood for Darwin before the church interposed. Darwin’s peers reacted in one of two ways: in favor or against the concept that man was descended from apes. Less than a year after the book was published, the term “Darwinism” was coined.
It’s a part of both the history and folklore of America: the sailing of the Mayflower. September 15, 1620, the famous vessel containing 102 pilgrims departs from Plymouth England for its legendary voyage to America. Originally, the Speedwell was a second vessel that the English separatist had bought in Holland but it leaked so badly it was abandoned and all the puritans boarded the Mayflower for the New World.
It was a harsh and sometimes brief existence for those ill equipped settlers. Families and married couples undertook the journey searching for religious freedom after years of persecution from the Anglican Church in England. They had spent some time in Holland but after problems there, decided to return to England before leaving for America.
“Now all being compact together in one ship, they put to sea again with a prosperous wind.”-William Bradford
The expedition was backed by both businesses and the scant monetary supplies of the puritan church and its followers. Many of the records of the passengers have been lost to time but a few journals and suggestions from former Jamestown colonist, John Smith, provide historians with an idea of the cargo and supplies. They brought with them the bare necessities of food, a little weaponry and several hunting dogs.
Life on board the 100 foot cargo ship was not easy, especially for the pregnant women. A few of the original bassinettes from the journey are now housed in some of the nation’s oldest museums. Three children were born on board the ship. Two people died on the ship.
It took 66 days to reach the New England coast. They had hoped to land at Virginia and start a colony similar to Jamestown. Instead, they veered 600 miles off course and came ashore at Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Eerie repeats of the trouble at Jamestown occurred. The words “died during the first winter” or “died during the first sickness” punctuate the list of Mayflower passenger records. Several children and infants lost their lives as their parents searched for a better place to raise them.
Despite the many versions of the pilgrim’s journey and settlement and the rose tinted version of events celebrated each Thanksgiving, there are a few things about the pilgrims that conflicting historians cannot deny. The pilgrims were ambitious, determined and passionate about finding a place where they could express themselves freely and without fear of persecution. Their principles joined the many voices and sentiments that eventually filtered down into the American constitution and what it means to live in a democracy.
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Queen Elizabeth I is considered by many to be one of Britain’s greatest leaders. Her strength and resolve in the face of overwhelming odds, as the Spanish fleet entered waters with the threat of land invasion, remains one of the Empire’s most enduring stories. The attack of the Spanish Armada of 1588 began in mid May and was the culmination of conflicts between Britain and Spain. 
The rebellion against the Roman Catholic faith was widespread with rioting and destruction of popish artifacts taking place in Europe’s major cities. King Phillip was Dutch but leaned towards his Spanish possessions which had only increased after the abdication of Charles V and the break up of the Hapsburgs territories. It was a tumultuous time across Europe as old and new ideas clashed, often violently. When Philip sent troops to the Netherlands to quash the rebellion, he only created more resentment and confused loyalties. 
The Spanish set sail for Britain in May of 1588 accompanied by their German and French allies. The armada consisted of approximately 130 ships and they were making straight for British waters with the plan to invade the country. But the Spanish fleet was a miss match of vessels from cargo ships to small boats and many never made it to English waters. After rough weather and the loss of several ships, the Spanish went to harbor only to sail again in June. They reached Calais in July where they anchored making ready to attack England. 
England’s highest military advisors held counsel with the Queen to determine the best course of action given the circumstances. The British Navy had increased its strength in the previous months and needed now only the rallying cry of a Queen to get them motivated for the fight. It was Elizabeth’s words to her troops that helped spur the British fleet onto victory and have gone down in history as one of the world’s greatest speeches. 
Duly inspired by a determined queen, the British attacked. They began by sending eight ships covered with ignited pitch (tar and straw on fire) into the Spanish fleet causing chaos and a number of other fires. Then the guns began to boom. Both sides were heavily armored but the rumored 190 British ships carrying 17,000 men quickly claimed victory. Although Spanish vessels weren’t captured by the British navy, they were forced to flee and hopes of a respite, rendezvous and return attack quickly fell from favor. The British were determined to win and the British Isles remained free of foreign invasion then and to this day. 
By May of 1937, planes, trains and automobiles were an integral part of modern life. Transatlantic communication was well on its way to becoming the global streamlined system it is today. People crossed the world’s oceans quite regularly. There were a few misadventures along the way, the worst of which would take the lives of 35 people in a matter of seconds. The Hindenburg disaster remains one of the most shocking and spellbinding pieces of film footage in media history. 
The Hindenburg was named for the former president of the Weimar republic, Paul Von Hindenburg. Considered a national hero, President Hindenburg passed away in 1934, never knowing the grisly outcome of his namesake. It was Hindenburg who appointed Hitler to the position of chancellor; a position that would act as springboard towards his ambitions as fuehrer. Hindenburg is thus associated with two disasters: the rise of Hitler and the downfall of transatlantic airships. 
Having thwarted the efforts of an earlier thunderstorm, the Hindenburg was slowly making its way in to land. 200 hundred feet above ground, and just as the first tie line descended, an ominous orange glow became visible. The massive gas filled balloon was about to burst. There were 91 people on board. 33 lost their lives jumping to the ground to avoid the flames. Another two were ravaged by flames. 
The radio broadcast that is most famed by the Hindenburg disaster (with the famously haunting “oh the humanity!” cry from eye witness journalist, Herbert Morrison) was actually the first national coast to coast broadcast in the country. What was meant to be a shining day for the developing media/movie industry became a thunderous marker of what happens when dreams are marred by fate. 
Many people are not familiar with the American Civil War Battle of Hampton Roads until it is referred to as Monitor vs. Merrimack. It was one of the most important Civil War naval battles because of the development of navies it influenced. The battle was fought during the two days of March 8-9, 1862 in Hampton Roads Virginia which is a place where the Elizabeth and Nansemond Rivers connect to the James River and open into the Chesapeake Bay. The battle was an effort of the Confederacy to break the Union blockade which stopped international trade for the large Virginia cities of Richmond and Norfolk. The battle is important because it was the stage for a new type of ship called the ironclad. The confederate ironclad was the CSS Virginia built using the remains of the scuttled Union ship the USS Merrimack and some support ships and during the first day of battle they were confronted by some wooden-hulled ships of the Union Navy. The CSS Virginia destroyed two ships and threatened a third, the Minnesota, but darkness and low tide stopped the action so the Virginia returned to port to take care of the few wounded sailors and fix the small amount of damage it had sustained.
The Virginia returned on the morning of March 9 to finish the destruction of the Minnesota which had run aground but the ironclad USS Monitor had arrived during the night and was defending the U.S.S. Minnesota.The two ironclads slugged it out for three hours but neither could significantly damage the other and the fight ended in a stalemate so the CSS Virginia returned to her home port for repairs and the USS Monitor returned the defense of the Minnesota. The ships did not battle again and the Union blockade stayed in place but the battle got worldwide attention and had an immediate impact. The premier naval powers of Great Britain and France stopped building wooden hulled ships and started building new warships, the monitor, which was based on the design of the original. A small number of heavy guns installed so they can fire in any direction which was featured on the USS Monitor became standard. These improvements were adopted by navies around the world and changed the course of naval combat forever.
