A Visit to Auschwitz
What we instantly picture when we hear the word Auschwitz is black and white images of emancipated prisoners starving in the cold, being murdered, and piled in mass graves. Not quite the same experience to visit the historic site today. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable…
History of The Norton Motorcycle Company
Norton is an iconic brand of the classic café racer styled motorcycles made famous in the ’50s and ’60s. Like many British companies that were big around that time, they were hit hard in the U.S. market by the Japanese manufactures and bad management, eventually…
History of the Royal Enfield Motorcycle Company
The Royal Enfield Motorcycle Company can brag about being one of the oldest motorcycle brands in production. This is thanks to the company being in near-continuous operations since it was founded. The company’s lengthy history beginning with bicycles has gone through many iterations, owners, locations,…
History of Triumph Motorcycles
Besides Norton and BSA, Triumph is probably one of the most recognized names when it comes to British motorcycle manufacturers. Popular among the café racers of the 50’s and 60’s, the company is also well knows for oil leaks, vibrations, and electronic problems with its…
A Brief History of Ariel Motorcycles
Founded by James Starley and William Hillman in 1870, Ariel was a British motorcycle manufacturer based in Bournbrook, Birmingham. The companies name came from the character Ariel, “spirit of the air” from William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Ariel was eventually sold to The BSA Motorcycle Company…
A Brief History of Scotch Whisky
It is estimated that Scotland has been making whisky since the 5th century, and is often regarded as the home of whisky, although it is believed to have been introduced to Scotland by the Irish. Throughout the world whisky or whiskey is made in many…
Who Was Mary Shelley?
Mary Shelly is most famous for her novel Frankenstein, a novel she wrote after a discussion with some friends, on a camping trip, about ghost stories. Yet most of her fame didn’t come until after her death, with her life primarily being overshadowed by that…
History of the BSA Motorcycle Company
Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) started in 1861, originally produced guns and bicycles before manufacturing its first bike with an engine in 1905 and its first official motorcycle in 1910. With motorcycles like the Gold Star and Rocket Three, the companies’ bikes were popular among…
Who Was Frank Buckles?
Frank Buckles was born on a Missouri farm in 1901, and at the age of 16 he enlisted in the Army to drive an ambulance in France during World War One. He spent the majority of the Second World War in a Japanese prison camp,…
Who Was Pádraic Ó Conaire
After a visit to Galway and seeing the references to Pádraic Ó Conaire and visiting his gravesite, I decided to do a little research on him and learn a little about this Irish writer. Pádraic is considered to be one of the most important Irish…
