Byte Sized Biographies…

Georg Elser’s failure is one of the most remarkable stories in European history. The contrast between Adolf Hitler and Georg Elser could not have been more dramatic.  Hitler was a fanatically driven over achiever who had overcome his lower middle class background, lack of education and early personal failures to become one of the most charismatic and extroverted political figures of the twentieth century.  Elser was a simple woodworker, with an intermittent work history, an … Continue reading Georg Elser’s 1939 Beer Hall Bomb Plot To Kill Hitler (Part One) →

Georg Elser’s failure is one of the most remarkable stories in European history. At precisely 9:20, the first of George Elser’s clocks activated perfectly the bomb detonated with a tremendous blast that pulverized the speaker’s platform, shattered the pillar behind it and brought the roof of the building down upon its inhabitants.  Dust and debris filled the air, the room now shrouded in darkness with beams falling and screams for help.  Seven people were killed … Continue reading George Elser’s 1939 Beer Hall Bomb Plot To Kill Hitler (Part 2) →

Michelangelo, the Eternal Genius Michelangelo Buonarroti-Simoni was born on March 6, 1475 in Caprese, Italy in Tuscany , about sixty miles east of Florence.  A month later his father moved the family back to the Tuscan capital.  Ludovico Buonarroti’s family were bankers and money lenders and despite the failure of the family bank, Michelangelo’s father managed assets and property that allowed an upper middle class existence.  He occasionally served as a bureaucrat and at the … Continue reading Michelangelo, Giant of the Renaissance (Part One) →

Michelangelo, the Eternal Genius The relationship between Julius II and Michelangelo has been dramatized as a nasty battle of wills between two egocentric men.  In actuality, Michelangelo’s issue with the Pope stemmed from the reality that Julius’ main focus was to expand the territory of the Papal States and the ensuing warfare that would be required.  Michelangelo’s artistic projects would always be secondary to this fundamental. As soon as the Last Judgment was completed the … Continue reading Michelangelo, Giant of the Renaissance (Part Two) →

Harriet Tubman, righteous heroine Harriet Tubman was born Araminta Ross in the eastern shore region of Maryland in 1822.  Her exact date of birth remains unknown.  Both of her parents were slaves, Harriet (Rit) Green and Ben Ross. The summer of 1859 also brought a resumption of John Brown’s plan for rebellion.  He was already gathering assets in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania in anticipation of his planned attack on the Federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia.  His … Continue reading Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railway →

Alexander Hamilton, the Zelig of American military and political history. The circumstances surrounding the birth of Alexander Hamilton are complicated and even when he was born is a matter of dispute.  His mother, Rachel Faucette, was of British and French descent.  His father, James Hamilton was a Scot.  They met on the island of St. Kitts in the British West Indies where James Hamilton was unsuccessfully attempting to build a career trading sugar and other … Continue reading Alexander Hamilton, His Life and Legacy →

Francis Scott Key and the National Anthem Key was a prominent lawyer from Frederick, Maryland who, through a sequence of incidents that occurred during the War of 1812, observed one of the most critical episodes in American history. In fact, Ross and Cockburn had decided on a coordinated air and sea attack.  Ross would land his troops at North Point, Maryland at the tip of the Patapsco Neck and make the short fifteen-mile march to … Continue reading Francis Scott Key and The Star Spangled Banner →

Amelia Earhart, Lost Heroine Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas.  Although her mother came from a wealthy family, her father was an attorney but also an alcoholic with an erratic work history that lead to an unstable childhood for both Amelia and her sister, Muriel.  Amelia would attend six high schools before graduating from Hyde Park High School in Chicago. Although Amelia dismissed speculation about a global flight, George Putnam … Continue reading Amelia Earhart, Lost Heroine →

Paul Gauguin, the Bitterness and the Beauty From his very first days, Gauguin’s life was filled with a volatile instability that must have affected his development.  He was born in Paris on June 7, 1848.  His father, Clovis, was a journalist, his mother, Aline, the daughter of Flora Tristan, a seminal feminist writer of the early nineteenth century.  Aline’s father had been imprisoned for the attempted murder of Flora, an indication of the chaos surrounding … Continue reading Paul Gauguin, Beauty and Bitterness →

Jack Johnson, the Real Deal Jack Johnson was born on March 31, 1878 in Galveston.  Very little can be verified about his early life.  Most historical information about him comes from autobiographies that he published himself.  Had he not gone on to achieve boxing notoriety, both he and his family would have been completely forgotten. By the end of the fourteenth round Jeffries could barely see, his nose was broken and face and upper body … Continue reading Jack Johnson, Heavyweight Champion of the World →