Free Republic

Latin America, a region known for its rich cultural diversity, stunning landscapes, and complex history, has also seen a colorful array of currencies throughout its history. From the pre-Columbian era to the modern digital age, the currencies of Latin America have evolved significantly, reflecting the region's economic, political, and social changes. In this article, we will take a journey through time to explore the fascinating history of currencies in Latin America, from ancient forms of trade to contemporary digital payment methods with only a cardholder needed. Pre-Columbian Era: Barter and Indigenous Currencies Before the arrival of European explorers and colonizers,...

Volume 7, No. 3 - September 2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE COLD WAR'S LONGEST COVER-UP: HOW AND WHY THE USSR INSTIGATED THE 1967 WAR By Isabella Ginor The Soviet warning to Egypt about supposed Israeli troop concentrations on the Syrian border in May 1967 has long been considered a blunder that precipitated a war which the USSR neither desired nor expected. New evidence from Soviet and other Warsaw Pact documents, as well as memoirs of contemporary actors, contradicts this accepted theory. The author demonstrates that this warning was deliberate disinformation, part of a plan approved at the highest level of Soviet leadership...

1924: Pep, “The Cat-Murdering Dog” Pep "The Cat-Murdering Dog" was a black Labrador Retriever admitted to Eastern State Penitentiary on August 12, 1924. Prison folklore tells us that Pennsylvania Governor Gifford Pinchot used his executive powers to sentence Pep to Life Without Parole for killing his wife’s cherished cat. Prison records support this story: Pep’s inmate number (C-2559) is skipped in prison intake logs and inmate records. The Governor told a different story. He said Pep had been sent to Eastern to act as a mascot for the prisoners. He and the Warden, Herbert “Hard-Boiled” Smith, were friends. Pep was...

Was This The First Robot Ever Arrested? On August 18, 1982 the Beverly Hills Police Department took a rather unusual perp into custody: a robot called DC-2. The crime? Illegally distributing business cards and generally causing a commotion on North Beverly Drive. It was probably the first time a robot had ever been arrested. When BHPD approached DC-2, the person operating it via remote control refused to identify himself to police. Officers searched the immediate area, but whoever was behind the thing was nowhere to be found. The bot's mysterious operator wasn't afraid of a little joking around though, despite...

Late 1960s: Economy Class Seating on a Pan-Am 747 The 1960's were barely done when Pan Am again set a standard the rest of the world was forced to follow. Pan American's Boeing B-747 Jumbo Jets brought down the cost of long distance air travel once again. Source: Pan Am Historical Foundation

First World War bomb kills two construction site workers 100 years after it was fired at Belgian battlefield • Armament was disturbed and exploded evacuation works at the site • Killed two and injured two, all construction workers working in the area • This area of Belgium is rife with unexploded bombs from the Great War • It is the former Flanders battleground where many shells were fired A First World War bomb killed two construction site workers when it exploded 100 years after being fired at a Belgian battlefield. The bomb had laid dormant for a century at an...

circa 1939: Dragging a fugitive across the border, near El Paso, Texas, USA Picture by Luis Marden / National Geographic.

“Arthur Mann joined the Royal Flying Corps in 1914. His daughter-in-law says he was shot down by the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen – Arthur’s parachute caught in a tree. He also fought in the trenches – when Arthur was shot, the bullet bounced off this tin and saved his life. He also survived gassing, but this experience badly affected his long-term health. He died in 1953″ Explore Europeana 1914 – 1918

1941: Photograph of a 'time traveler' ... Young man (right side, third up) with sunglasses and contemporary-like clothing in this 1940s photograph. - From Wikipedia:  “A photograph from 1941 of the re-opening of the South Forks Bridge in Gold Bridge, Canada, was alleged to show a time traveler. It was claimed that his clothing and sunglasses were modern and not of the styles worn in the 1940s. “The modern appearance of the man may not have been so modern. The style of sunglasses first appeared in the 1920s. The sweater with a sewn-on emblem, is the kind of clothing...

1899: Armoured quadricycle

Workmen transporting a house next to the White House. (President Calvin Coolidge apparently had no concern about this.)

In 1917, the United States entered World War I and the military demanded motorcycles for the war effort. Harleys had already been used by the military in the Pancho Villa Expedition, but World War I was the first time the motorcycle had been adopted for combat service. Harley-Davidson provided about 15,000 machines to the military forces during World War I. - Wikipedia

Early 20th Century: 4th July pageant, Jerusalem

The Old West: When men were men and women knew their place How many times have we heard men declare of the days of the old West, ‘men were men and women stayed at home and knew their place’? This is a common refrain after folks watch a movie based on the period. A peek behind the myths reveals difficult and trying lifestyle most modern men would never concede to and when a seeming minor health issue that would be easily cured today would take lives by the thousands. The ‘cool’ concept of a man that stands tall for all...

“The Pig Cafeteria” was an exhibit produced by the Department of Agriculture to educate farmers about new methods of farming and raising livestock — specifically, what to feed pigs so that they would be healthy and profitable.

“Jada were a popular night club act at Club Lido in Panama City. Not surprisingly, her routine was entitled “Beauty and the Beast”. She is shown here performing for the sailors of the US Task Force 11, while they were on leave. The troops were on their way to New York City to participate in Navy Day celebrations, but made a stop before passing through the Panama Canal.”

“Soldier in black and white uniform to conceal him while climbing trees. He stands in front of a house camouflaged to represent a fence and trees. Company F, 24th Engineers. American University, D.C. Army Engineer Corps..”

3rd September 1967: Traffic in Sweden switched from driving on the left to driving on the right “Dagen H (H day) was the day on which traffic in Sweden switched from driving on the left-hand side of the road to the right. The change was widely unpopular, The campaign included displaying the Dagen H logo on various commemorative items, including milk cartons, men’s shorts and women’s underwear. Swedish television held a contest for songs about the change; the winning entry was Håll dig till höger, Svensson (‘Keep to the right, Svensson’) by Rock-Boris.”

A punt gun is a type of extremely large shotgun used in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A single shot could kill over 50 waterfowl resting on the water’s surface. The hunter would maneuver the entire boat in order to aim the gun. In the United States, this practice depleted stocks of wild waterfowl and by the 1860s most states had banned the practice. “Since Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897 there has been a punt gun salute every Coronation and Jubilee in Cowbit, Lincolnshire, England” - Wikipedia

The gun is John Moses Browning’s M1895 Colt-Browning machine gun, aka ... Potato Digger.