Displaying items by tag: history

Since 1933, the historic and stately Cleveland Street District (Downtown) Post Office in Clearwater has added a sense of aesthetics and charm to an already picturesque neighborhood, but recently the adorable location was in danger of being closed.

NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity is investigating a metallic meteorite the size of a large watermelon that is providing researchers more details about the Red Planet's environmental history.

The rock, dubbed "Block Island," is larger than any other known meteorite on Mars. Scientists calculate it is too massive to have hit the ground without disintegrating unless Mars had a much thicker atmosphere than it has now when the rock fell. Atmosphere slows the descent of meteorites. Additional studies also may provide clues about how weathering has affected the rock since it fell.

America – a country founded on principles of individual freedom, by strong-principled men and women who fought to create a social structure in which citizens could choose their religions and their own ways of life.

Some people may consider that the American way of life is under attack by political or economic factors. This may or may not be true – but one thing is certain: America and Americans are under concerted attack by those who manufacture, smuggle, distribute and sell drugs of abuse. This is so true that there is no corner of this great country in which illicit drug use or abuse of prescription drugs cannot be found.

The story of illicit drug use in America is a devastating tale of lost life, abuse, neglect, emotional and physical damage and lost potential. Since 1996, statistics on the number of current drug users ages 12 and over have risen from an estimated 13,000,000 to 20,400,000. Drug abuse and addiction aggravate every social ill we experience, from child or domestic abuse to crime, medical costs, production and employment problems and social welfare costs. .

John’s Pass celebrated its rich pirating history with the annual three day “Pirate Days” festival. The festival honors the discovery of John’s Pass by John Levique who, according to legend, was a French peasant boy, forced to take up a life of piracy after the Spanish sailing vessel, on which he was a cabin boy, got hijacked by pirates. He rose up through the ranks, eventually becoming a pirate captain himself. After retiring from his life of piracy on the high seas, Levique became a turtle farmer, and was set to take a shipment of turtles to New Orleans and return to his treasure buried on the West Coast of Florida, but the hurricane of September 1848 had other plans for him. Upon Levique’s return, he found the hurricane had split the land by its massive gale force winds, and so he sailed through the new pass, which has been known as John’s Pass ever since.

Pirate Days also offers education on hurricane preparation, by providing a hurricane expo where people can educate themselves on safety.

“Today is a historic day, today is a scenic day,” noted Pinellas County Commissioner, Karen Seel, speaking at the June 25th Courtney Campbell Causeway 75th anniversary rededication of a historical marker. The Causeway “is just beautiful and it leads me to paradise. “

The marker honoring the Courtney Campbell Causeway had been moved due to construction and the rededication also celebrated its return in a short ceremony in which Clearwater Mayor, Frank Hibbard, spoke, along with others. Many dignitaries from Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties were in attendance, truly a symbol of how the Courtney Campbell “bridges” the two counties.

Heritage Village recently was designated as one of the top five living history museums in Florida by "American Heritage" Magazine. The honor was announced in the magazine's Summer 2009 issue in the magazine's "Guide to Historic Sites in Florida" special section.