Archive for History

Reconstructing Past Storm Conditions on Lake Superior

November 13, 2007 at 2:22 pm · Filed under Great Lakes, History

One of the most awesome sites I’ve seen while living in Michigan’ Upper Peninsula is a November storm on massive Lake Superior. Even just standing on the shore of this natural wonder watch the huge white caps smashing in to break walls or rocky cliffs give leaves no doubt why the Great Lakes are often called inland seas.

One of my favorite stories of legendary G.L. storms is about the . Story of the November 1975 tragedy detailing one of the worst storms in G.L. recorded history and the mighty merchant/freighter ship, The Edmund Fitzgerald that was thought to be unsinkable. The ship went down with all hands aboard. Do a Google search and read more about the story.

For you meteorology buffs, here is an interesting link that was forwarded to me about reconstruction of storm conditions (using up to date modeling methods) that led to the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in eastern Lake Superior in 1975.

http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2006/20060016.pdf

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A Moment in Black History: Benjamin Banneker — 1731-1806

August 10, 2007 at 3:26 pm · Filed under History

Excerpt from 2005 conference newsletter of Planning and the Black Community , a division of the American Planning Association

The Washington D.C. Plan

Benjamin Banneker’s major reputation stems from his service as a surveyor on the six-man team which helped design the blueprints for Washington, DC. President Washington had appointed Banneker, making him the first Black presidential appointee in the United States. Banneker helped in selecting the sites for the U.S. Capitol building, the U.S. Treasury building, the White House and other Federal buildings. Major Andrew Ellicott, George Ellicott’s cousin, asked Banneker to help him survey the “Federal Territory”. Banneker and Ellicott worked closely with Pierre L’Enfant who was the architect in charge of planning Washington D.C. L’Enfant was suddenly dismissed from project, due to his temper. When he left, he took the plans with him. Banneker recreated and reproduced the plans in their entirety from his photographic memory, saving the U.S. government the effort and expense of having someone else design the capital. Washington, DC, with its grand avenues and buildings, was completed and stands today as a monument to Banneker’s genius. Banneker was a mathematician and astronomer.

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