The San Diego Tank Rampage Part 1

It started out like any other Wednesday in San Diego, business as usual for local merchants and residents, but May 17, 1995 is a day that would go down in history and forever be known as the day of the San Diego Tank Rampage.

Shawn Nelson was a plumber and former U.S. Army veteran from Utah who had been going through a difficult time. He was hospitalized in 1990 for neck and back injuries resulting from a motorcycle accident, but sued the hospital for $1.6 million, citing negligence, assault, battery, and false imprisonment, claiming that he had been treated without consent. A superior court judge threw out the case, opening the door for the hospital to contersue. In 1991 his wife of six years filed for divorce, and in 1992 both of his parents died of cancer. According to his brother, Shawn became addicted to methamphetamines during what was already a trying time, and neighbors began complaining of unusual behavior. His health problems, combined with the theft of plumbing equipment from his truck left him with no income and a house that was in foreclosure. The final straw may have been the death of his live in girlfriend in April of 1995. Nelson was ready to snap. His brother, Scott, said of him, “My brother was a good man. He'd help anybody. He just couldn't help himself.”

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Tracking Lewis and Clark… Straight to the Latrines

Spanning from St. Louis all the way to present day Seaside, Oregan, the Lewis and Clark expedition was the first American expedition to cross the western portion of the United States, and is undoubtedly one of the most famous. Lasting 28 months, the expedition made stops in over 600 sites, and despite extensive journals and maps, historians and hobbyists alike have had a hard time locating all of them. That is, until a group of archeologists found an interesting way to identify one particular campsite in Montana: latrine analysis.

The supplies were plentiful for the Lewis and Clark expedition, and among those supplies were a considerable quantity of very potent laxatives called “Dr. Rush’s Bilious Pill.” These pills were so effective that they were commonly referred to as “thunderclappers” or “thunderbolts.” The laxatives, however, served a second purpose: They were a treatment for syphilis, which according to records was widespread among the expedition’s men.

The use of the pills aside, they’re particularly notable for their content. Each pill contained 10 grains of calomel, also known as mercurous chloride. The mercury would pass through the body, and as the men moved on they left behind particularly high mercury levels in the latrines. So far a handful of campsites have been discovered this way, with likely plenty more to come.

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James Connolly, the man who inspired the Easter Rising

History buffs will thoroughly enjoy reading Donal Levin’s, James Connolly – A Full Life, a captivating biography of one of the founders of the Irish Republican Socialist Party. It takes readers through a historic period in Irish history set amidst tumultuous times, which later helped the Republic of Ireland to gain its freedom.

One of the most significant chapters in Irish history was the Easter Uprising that galvanized the Irish people to overthrow the yoke of the British and finally gain independent status as the Republic of Ireland. It details his life as the son of an Irish immigrant family having been born and spent his formative years in Edinburgh. Later he moved to Ireland and served in the King’s Liverpool Regiment.

The time he spent in America (1903-1910) had a profound impact on his political views and aspirations for the people of Ireland. From the time he was appointed as organiser of the Socialist Party to becoming Vice-President of the Provisional Government of the Irish Republic, and finally helping to organise the infamous Easter Rising in 1916, it is an engaging narrative of one of the most iconic figures in Irish political history.

As the last of the Irish revolutionaries to be executed by the British, his place in Ireland’s history was immortalised for posterity. The biography showcases the many talents of this multifaceted political entity. The content is based mainly upon the prodigious writings of Connolly and is without a doubt the finest of the many books written about James Connolly.

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Rumors and Hearsay from American History

They can’t always be confirmed, but sometimes they’re a lot of fun to hear! American history is filled with accounts that may or may not be true, or may only be loosely based in fact. Some of these accounts are easily debunked, some not so much. Here are two rumors from the history pages that may just put a smile on your face.

Ben Franklin, Professional Prankster. Benjamin Franklin was as sharp with his tongue as he was with his pen, which in part led to his reputation as somewhat of a prankster. As legend has it, the founding fathers were so worried he would slip a joke into the Declaration of Independence that they tried to stop him from taking part in its writing. This, of course, remains a rumor and has yet to be verified.

Thomas Jefferson, The Hound Dog. Speaking of the founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson was known as somewhat of a ladies man, and rumor has it he would stop at no end to impress them. As the story goes, while living in Paris Jefferson once tried to impress a woman by jumping over a fence, but by doing so he broke his wrist and suffered from wrist pain the rest of his life. Supposedly this rumor has been confirmed true thank to surviving medical reports.

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