History thoughts and stories from Inside Chris’s head

When Did Amateur Become a Dirty Word?

When Did Amateur Become a Dirty Word?

It seems over the last few years main stream media has increasingly taken the position that main stream media is “professional” and that bloggers and podcasters are “amateurs”. When did “amateur” become [...]

FBI Memo: "It's a Wonderful Life" is Communist Propaganda

Filed Under: History, Movies

“Here’s to George Baily”!, or should we say comrade Baily? In 1947, the FBI considered this anti-cosummerist message as subsersive Communist propaganda. The FBI thought the movie smeared American values such as [...]

History Maps

History Maps

Filed Under: History

If you have ever been sitting around the house wondering how large the Empire of Sargon got then you need this site with historic maps.

Filed Under: History

I am not a big fan of war, but the best named war in history started on this day in 1739 when Robert Jenkins’s ear was cut off, sparking the War of [...]

Star-Spangled Banner

Filed Under: Baseball, History

On this day in 1931 The “Star-Spangled Banner” was adopted as the national anthem of the United states. So before 1931 baseball games started with that awkward pause before “play ball!”.

Propaganda Posters

Propaganda Posters

Filed Under: History

The Free Information Society has an interesting collection of propaganda posters from World War II.

Dark Day In History

Filed Under: Baseball, History

On this date in 1973 Baseball’s American League adopted the “designated hitter” rule which allowed another player to bat for the pitcher, starting the slow decline of the American civilization. Disco also [...]

Calfornia's First Freeway

Filed Under: History

On this day in 1940 California opened its first freeway. As it turns out World War II would start in less than a year. During World War II the government implemented gas [...]

First Computer Ever !

Filed Under: Computers, History

My personal understanding of the history of computer’s was rewritten with this artcicle Many encyclopedias and other reference works state that the first large-scale automatic digital computer was the Harvard Mark 1, [...]

Chicago Fire

Filed Under: History

On this day in history the great Chicago fire started. It may not have been started by Mrs O’Leary’s cow as legend states. But we do know that a couple of hundred [...]