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  1. Super Bowl XIII.  Some consider this to be the greatest game ever played…both teams were at the top of their game and each had super stars at their peak.  January 21, 1979, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the Dallas Cowboys.  Pittsburgh won 35 – 31.  Others think Super Bowl XLIII (2008) was the greatest game played.     Return to Time page.

  2. The American Revolution.    The Americans of 1776 were pretty much fed up with being ruled by a king in another country.  When he started interfering with their right to  prosperity they decided enough is enough….and a revolution ensued.  200 years later and we still complain about the government interfering with our prosperity!    Return to Time page.

  3. The Fall of the Roman Empire.  Generally speaking the Roman Empire collapsed during the 4th and 5th Century, having survived nearly 500 years, more or less.   Return to Time page.

  4. The First Ancient Olympic Games were held in 776 BC.  Only one sport was featured….a race of 192 meters.  These games continued for 1,000 years, right through the time of Jesus Christ.  Wars were stopped to allow the Games to proceed (…and we think we are the civilized people?).  The Games were eventually abolished by the Byzantine Emperor in 394 AD.   The Games were revived in 1896 in Athens to promote understanding and friendship among nations.   The Games in Beijing 2008 featured 302 sports (as defined by the 302 Gold Medals to be awarded in 43 distinct categories of Sport). Today, wars continue during the Games, and sometimes even involve the Games.  …….Yes, Martha, we’ve come a long way.   Return to Time page.

  5. 1st Oil Well.  The first oil well was drilled by Edward Drake in Titusville, Pennsylvania.  How much did it fetch?  In 2007 dollars, oil sold for about $81/barrel….that’s in 2007 dollars – adjusted for inflation.  Of course the price of oil quickly fell to less than $20/barrel (again in 2007 dollars) as everyone was in on the “Oil Rush” and production increased.  This lasted for much of the of the 20th Century, until 1973 to be exact….the Yom Kippur War, then the Iran-Iraq Conflict, then the Iranian Revolution.  Surprisingly, the Gulf War did not cause a big spike in Oil price.  However, from 2004 to 2008, the cost of oil has steadily increased from $25 to $140/barrel…all as a result of three major issues: the Iraq War, Asian demand, and the weaker dollar.  In early 2014 oil was around $100/barrel  and the above 3 issues were 180 degrees opposite….the Iraq War  on the downturn, Asian demand and the world economy in general  headed south, the dollar stronger.  One year later and oil is down to around $70 a barrel.  Why?  I would suggest the OPEC countries want Iran to lose their oil income so that their nuclear ambitions are stymied. The take-away here is that the price of oil can, and will be, manipulated by the OPEC countries to meet their goals to support their strategies.  Return to Time page.

  6. The Magna Carta.  This document was written in 1215 and consisted of 63 clauses dealing with the basic concerns of the individual at that time.  Each one was very important at the time but today many would be irrelevant.  However, two of those clauses have come to form the cornerstone of modern freedom the world over……the right to a trial by our peers, and the right to a speedy trial.   Return to Time page.

  7. …very few people…  Ok….I suppose AIG, General Motors, and a host of Banks and Investment Firms can now relate to billions…    Return to Time page.

  8. Intelligent Life.  Mike Griffin,  ex-Director of NASA once noted in response to a question about finding Intelligent life on other planets that he wasn’t even sure there was intelligent life on this planet!  I like to think that he was voicing a commonly held opinion about politicians.  Return to Time page.