Tiberius Claudius Nero

"Upon the death of Augustus, Tiberius Claudius Nero stood as the last logical choice in a long and tumultuous line of potential heirs."

https://www.unrv.com/early-empire/tiberius.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+037+-+7132099

Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name Mark Twain, is considered one of the greatest writers in American literature. Born in Missouri in 1835, he became a renowned writer, humorist, and lecturer, much esteemed and treasured by the general public — so much so that his friend, inventor Thomas Edison, once said, “An average American loves his family. If he has any love left over for some other person, he generally selects Mark Twain.”

Twain’s influence over American culture and literature has not faded since his passing in 1910. His books, including classics like Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, continue to be read and studied across the nation today.  He also remains one of the most quotable (and misquoted) figures in the history of the English language — a testament to the timeless nature of his words.To better understand the monumental character of the man, here are a few things you might not know about the magnificent Mark Twain.

TWAIN WAS QUITE A HANDFUL AS A BOY

Twain was born Samuel Clemens on November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri. He was two months premature and was quite sickly for the first 10 years of his life. As such, his mother, Jane Clemens, spoiled him to the extent that he became something of a mischief-maker — not unlike the young Tom Sawyer. When Twain’s mother was in her 80s, he asked her about his early years of ill health and whether she was “uneasy” about him. “Yes, the whole time,” she replied. “Afraid I wouldn’t live?” asked Twain. “No,” she said, “afraid you would.”

TWAIN WAS A STEAMBOAT PILOT

As a teenager, Twain wanted nothing more than to be a steamboat pilot. “Pilot was the grandest position of all,” he later wrote. “The pilot, even in those days of trivial wages, had a princely salary—from a hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty dollars a month, and no board to pay.”Twain became an apprentice pilot and, after more than two years, received his pilot's license. He worked as a pilot until the Civil War broke out in 1861.HE WAS NO STRANGER TO TRAGEDYTwain's childhood was marked by tragedy. Three of his six siblings died from disease while they were still children, and his father died of pneumonia when Twain was 12.Later, while training as a steamboat pilot, he invited his younger brother, Henry, to come work with him on the riverboat Pennsylvania. Henry was killed when one of the boat’s boilers exploded; Twain was not on board at the time, but he blamed himself for the rest of his life.

TWAIN’S PEN NAME COMES FROM HIS STEAMBOAT DAYS

Twain used a number of peculiar noms de plume before deciding on “Mark Twain,” including W. Epaminondas Adrastus Blab, Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass, Sergeant Fathom, and Josh. His pseudonym Mark Twain first appeared in print in 1863.Twain himself wrote that his pen name came from his years working on the Mississippi River, where riverboatmen would cry out “mark twain” to indicate a depth of two fathoms (12 feet), which was safe for a steamboat to navigate.

TWAIN ALMOST GOT HIMSELF INTO A DUEL

When he was 28, Twain managed to get himself in such a mess that he ended up challenging the editor of a rival newspaper to a duel. It all started with one of Twain’s satirical articles—written while drunk—about a charity fundraiser was published in Virginia City’s Territorial Enterprise. It caused quite a scandal.The precise details of the events have been clouded by conflicting accounts and later embellishments, but at least three challenges to duels were issued, one by Twain himself, and two from men demanding a faceoff with Twain. All the bluster eventually died down without a single shot fired.

TWAIN PREFERRED CATS TO PEOPLE

At one point in his life, Twain owned 19 cats, with names ranging from Beelzebub to Blatherskite to Buffalo Bill. He was obsessed with cats — they appear frequently in his stories — and seemed to prefer their company to that of people. “If man could be crossed with the cat,” he once wrote, “it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat."

HE WAS A FAN OF INVENTIONS AND INVENTORS

Twain had a great interest in science and innovation. He himself patented three inventions: an elastic strap designed to replace suspenders; a history trivia game about European monarchs; and a self-pasting scrapbook.Twain also became great friends with inventors like Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. Twain and Tesla  appear in a number of photographs together, and Tesla once cured Twain’s constipation by placing the writer on an electromechanical oscillator.

TWAIN WASN’T THE WORLD’S WISEST INVESTOR

Despite his ingenuity, Twain lost a huge amount of money investing in new inventions and technology. His most disastrous investment was the Paige typesetting machine. He invested around $300,000 on it — around $8 million today — only for the machine to be rendered obsolete before it was finished.He also famously turned down the investment of a lifetime: Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone. “I declined,” Twain later explained. “I said I didn't want anything more to do with wildcat speculation.”

HE RAN UP A HUGE AMOUNT OF DEBT — BUT PAID IT ALL BACK

Twain made good money from his writing, but his terrible investments saw him run up a lot of debt and ultimately file for bankruptcy. Being an honorable man, however, he wanted to make things right. In 1895, he set off on a year-long, worldwide lecture tour. It was tough going, but by the end he had earned enough to pay off his creditors in full — even though he was no longer legally obliged to do so.

THE ONLY KNOWN MOVIE FOOTAGE OF TWAIN WAS SHOT BY THOMAS EDISON

In 1909, Thomas Edison visited Twain at Stormfield House, his home in Redding, Connecticut. Edison took his camera and shot what is believed to be the only movie footage of Mark Twain in existence. The short film shows the writer walking outside his home, dressed in his characteristic white suit, and then seated with his two daughters, Clara and Jean. Twain died at Stormfield the following year at the age of 74.

Sulla

"The life of Sulla is one of stark contrast, and yet striking similarities, to those of Marius, and later, Julius Caesar. "

https://www.unrv.com/empire/lucius-cornelius-sulla.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+036+-+7132032#google_vignette

June 29

Original Globe Theatre burns to the ground (1613); English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning dies (1861); NBA star Kawhi Leonard born (1991); US Space Shuttle docks with Russian space station for first time (1995); Hollywood legend Katharine Hepburn dies (2003); Apple releases first iPhone (2007).

June 28

Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassinated, sparking World War I (1914); Treaty of Versailles is signed, formally ending World War I (1919); Stonewall uprising begins (1969); Elon Musk born (1971); Basketball coach Pat Summitt dies (2016).

Paul Bunyan

NATIONAL PAUL BUNYAN DAY

"On June 28, we fondly remember the tales of the big blue ox and a mighty lumberjack."

https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-paul-bunyan-day-june-28?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=10236663&hashed_email=6c23328441e0f46865e8039a24ce7ccf8880f2d7&email=yeremiah%40aol.com

June 27

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints founder Joseph Smith killed by a mob in jail (1844); Author Paul Laurence Dunbar born (1872); Helen Keller born (1880); The US enters the Korean War (1950); Director JJ Abrams born (1966).

Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus

"Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, better known as Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, was the last emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty to rule the Roman Empire."https://www.unrv.com/early-empire/nero.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV%20Roman%20History%20Newsletter%20-%20Issue%20033%20-%207131522

June 26

Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro is assassinated (1541); Sports great Babe Didrikson Zaharias born (1911); Berlin Airlift begins (1948); JFK delivers famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech (1963); Supreme Court legalizes same-sex marriage in the US (2015).

June 25

Korean War begins (1950); Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain born (1956); Actress and model Farrah Fawcett dies (2009); Michael Jackson dies from drug overdose administered by his physician, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter (2009).

June 24

Boxing great Jack Dempsey born (1895); First exhibit by Pablo Picasso opens in Paris (1901); Actress Mindy Kaling born (1979); Soccer star Lionel Messi born (1987); Condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida, kills 98 (2021).

Gaius Marius

"Gaius Marius was born near Arpinum, and was the son of a small plebeian farmer."

https://www.unrv.com/empire/gaius-marius.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+030+-+7127967#google_vignette

June 22

Department of Justice established (1870); GI Bill is signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1944); Actress Meryl Streep born (1949); Actress and singer Judy Garland dies (1969); Dancer Fred Astaire dies (1987).

Donald Sutherland

"Donald Sutherland, the tall, lean and long-faced Canadian actor who became a countercultural icon with such films as “The Dirty Dozen,” “MASH,” “Klute” and “Don’t Look Now,” and who subsequently enjoyed a prolific and wide-ranging career in films including “Ordinary People,” “Without Limits” and the “Hunger Games” films, died Thursday in Miami after a long illness, CAA confirmed. He was 88."

https://variety.com/2024/film/news/donald-sutherland-dead-mash-hunger-games-1236043323/

Caesarion

"Caesarion stands as a significant historical figure, being the last pharaoh of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt."

https://www.unrv.com/fall-republic/caesarion.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+028+-+7124993

June 21

US Constitution is ratified (1788); Benazir Bhutto, first female prime minister of Pakistan, born (1953); Prince William born (1982); Frida Kahlo is first Hispanic woman honored on US postage stamp (2001).

June 20

Samuel Morse patents the telegraph (1840); Beach Boys cofounder Brian Wilson born (1942); Mobster Bugsy Siegel is murdered (1947); Actress Nicole Kidman born (1967); Manjil–Rudbar earthquake kills 35,000-50,000 (1990).

June 19

First recorded game of baseball (1846); Baseball great Lou Gehrig born (1903); Author Salman Rushdie born (1947); Julius and Ethel Rosenberg executed for espionage (1953); Actress Zoe Saldana born (1978); Koko the gorilla dies (2018).

Maximinus Thrax

"Maximinus Thrax, born Gaius Julius Verus Maximinus around 173 AD, was a Roman emperor who ruled from 235 to 238 AD."https://www.unrv.com/emperors/maximinus-thrax.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+025+-+7122950

June 18

The US declares war against Great Britain as War of 1812 begins (1812); Paul McCartney born (1942); Sally Ride becomes first American woman in space (1983); Five people die after submersible implodes while exploring wreckage of the Titanic (2023).

June 17

Battle of Bunker Hill fought (1775); Statue of Liberty arrives in New York as gift from France (1885); Tennis star Venus Williams born (1980); Rapper Kendrick Lamar born (1987); Juneteenth established as US federal holiday (2021).

Caligula

"Caligula, the third Roman emperor, is known for his tumultuous relationship with the Roman Senate during his reign."

https://www.unrv.com/early-empire/caligula/caligula-relationship-roman-senate.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+022+-+7122444

Commodus

"The assassination of Commodus, followed by the short reign of Pertinax and the auction of the empire to Didius Julianus, led to civil war and the rise of Septimius Severus."

https://www.unrv.com/decline-of-empire/septimius-severus.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+022+-+7122444

Kevin O'Leary

"Terrence Thomas Kevin O'Leary (born July 9, 1954), sometimes called Mr. Wonderful or Maple Man, is a Canadian businessman, investor, journalist, and television personality."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_O'Leary

June 14

Stars and Stripes officially adopted as flag of the US (1777); Abolitionist and author Harriet Beecher Stowe born (1811); Former President Donald Trump born (1946); High-rise fire in London kills 72 (2017).

June 15

Magna Carta is sealed by King John (1215); Arlington National Cemetery is established (1864); Henry Ossian Flipper becomes first Black graduate from West Point (1877); Jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald dies (1996).

June 13

Miranda rights are established (1966); Thurgood Marshall becomes first African American nominated to Supreme Court (1967); Pioneer 10 is first human-made object to exit our solar system (1983); Actresses Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen born (1986).

June 12

Former President George HW Bush born (1924); Anne Frank born (1929); Nelson Mandela sentenced to life in prison in South Africa (1964); President Ronald Reagan delivers famous "tear down this wall" speech (1987); 49 killed in mass shooting at nightclub in Orlando (2016).

June 11

Politician and suffragist Jeannette Rankin born (1880); President John F. Kennedy sends in Alabama National Guard to integrate University of Alabama (1963); Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington are first two women to become generals in the US Armed Forces (1970); Actress and civil rights activist Ruby Dee dies (2014).

June 10

Benjamin Franklin conducts famous kite experiment (1752); Hattie McDaniel, first African American to win an Oscar, born (1893); Hollywood legend Judy Garland born (1922); Italy invades France, declares war on France and Great Britain (1940); Musician Ray Charles dies (2004).

Lucille Ball

Lucille Ball was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. The red-headed actress is perhaps best known for her role as klutzy, accident-prone Lucy Ricardo from the 1950s hit series I Love Lucy, but the New York native’s long list of accomplishments extends well beyond her talents on screen.Though she’s remembered as one of the most beloved actresses in Hollywood, Ball came from humble beginnings: Ball was born in 1911 in Jamestown, New York. Her father worked for Bell Telephone, a job that required the family to relocate frequently. He died suddenly in 1915 from typhoid fever, an incident that Ball has often cited as her first memory. After his death, she and her younger brother, Fred, were raised by their grandparents.As a child, Ball was reserved, but she knew she wanted to try her hand at show business. At age 14, she enrolled in Manhattan’s John Murray Anderson School for Dramatic Arts, where her classmates included some future leading ladies. "I was a tongue-tied teenager spellbound by the school's star pupil, Bette Davis," Ball once said. The school wasn’t so convinced of Ball’s own talents, though; teachers told her mother that Ball was “too shy” to ever be successful. That feedback didn’t stop Ball, however. She went on to explore a number of different paths, including modeling. Fashion designer Hattie Carnegie hired Ball as her in-house model in 1928, and later, as a model for Chesterfield cigarettes. It was Carnegie who suggested that Ball dye her brunette hair blonde — but Ball’s signature bright red hair wouldn’t come until later.In 1933, Ball moved to Hollywood, determined to pursue acting more seriously. She was able to land a few minor roles, including one as a “Goldwyn Girl” to promote the 1933 film Roman Scandals. One of her bigger roles was a part in 1937’s Stage Door, alongside Ginger Rogers and Katharine Hepburn. She was known somewhat disparagingly (and somewhat fondly) as “The Queen of B Movies” in the 1940s, given the number of second-tier films she was cast in. But among these was one life-changing role: the lead in the musical Too Many Girls. It was on this set that Ball met and fell in love with Desi Arnaz, a Cuban American actor. The couple eloped one year later.What followed was a whirlwind of good fortune, business acumen, and extreme persistence. Ball was cast as the wife on a hit radio comedy series for CBS Radio, My Favorite Husband, in 1948. Following its success, CBS asked Ball to develop the show for television, and the actress agreed — under one condition: that she be able to cast Arnaz as her husband. CBS execs were skeptical, so Ball and Arnaz took their show on the road, literally. They created a vaudeville act and performed on tour, to the delight of audiences nationwide. CBS extended a contract to the couple, and I Love Lucy was born. The show was an immediate hit, quickly breaking records with 23 million viewers and becoming the most-watched show in America by the following year.The series premiered in 1951, with Ball and Arnaz at the helm of their newly formed production company, Desilu Productions. The pair made many groundbreaking decisions, including shoot the series on film versus the less expensive kinescope (they took a pay cut to ensure the quality of the aesthetic); locating their sets in Hollywood rather than New York; and filming the show in front of a live studio audience. Desilu Productions went on to produce other hit TV shows, including The Dick Van Dyke Show and Star Trek.Though the couple’s business partnership was a gold mine, behind the scenes their romantic relationship was faltering, and in 1960, they divorced. Arnaz sold his share of Desilu Productions to Ball, making her the first woman to own a major production studio. The two remained friends and co-parented two children together, Lucie and Desi Jr.Later in life, Ball continued acting, most notably in two spin-offs of I Love Lucy: The Lucy Show and Here’s Lucy. When she died in 1989 at the age of 77, she left behind a legacy for generations of actresses and comedians. Here, we’ve rounded up 17 of her most hilarious and inspiring quotes about success, life, and everything in between.

June 8

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright born (1867); Former first lady Barbara Bush born (1925); George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four" published (1949); James Earl Ray arrested in London for the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (1968).

June 7

Actress Jean Harlow dies (1937); Mathematician Alan Turing dies (1954); Musician Prince born (1958); US Supreme Court legalizes contraception use by married couples (1965); Writer Dorothy Parker dies (1967). 

NATIONAL BOONE DAY

"National Boone Day is observed each year on June 7 to commemorate the day (June 7, 1769) frontiersman Daniel Boone first began exploring the valleys and forests of the present-day Bluegrass State of Kentucky."

https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-boone-day-june-7?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=10043446&hashed_email=6c23328441e0f46865e8039a24ce7ccf8880f2d7&email=yeremiah%40aol.com

June 6

American founding father Patrick Henry dies (1799); Securities and Exchange Commission established (1934); D-Day: Allies begin Normandy invasions (1944); Bobby Kennedy dies (1968); Actress Anne Bancroft dies (2005).

June 5

The US moves off gold standard (1933); Bobby Kennedy is shot at campaign rally, dies next day (1968); President Ronald Reagan dies (2004); Science fiction writer Ray Bradbury dies (2012); Fashion designer Kate Spade dies (2018).

June 4

US Congress passes 19th Amendment, granting suffrage to women (1919); Battle of Midway starts (1942); Angelina Jolie born (1975); Hundreds killed at Tiananmen Square protests (1989); Basketball coaching legend John Wooden dies (2010).

Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus

"Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus (10 BC - AD 54) became the unlikely 4th emperor of the Julio-Claudian line after the violent murder of his nephew, Gaius (Caligula)."

https://www.unrv.com/early-empire/claudius.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+010+-+7105318

Nero

"In the heart of Nero's reign, the pacification and Romanization of Britain was quickly beginning to pay dividends."

https://www.unrv.com/early-empire/boudicca.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+010+-+7105318

June 3

Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto claims Florida for Spain (1539); Singer and actress Josephine Baker born (1906); Ed White becomes first American to walk in space (1965); Rafael Nadal born (1986); Muhammad Ali dies (2016).

June 1

Marilyn Monroe born (1926); Morgan Freeman born (1937); Helen Keller dies (1968); CNN debuts as world’s first 24-hours news network (1980); General Motors Corp. files for bankruptcy, fourth-largest US bankruptcy in history at the time (2009).