Greatest American Bracketology Round 2

Round 2

Early America
1. George Washington- 8. Lewis and Clark (Washington wins)
2. Thomas Jefferson- 7. John Adams (TJ wins)
3. Alexander Hamilton - 6. Thomas Paine (Hamilton wins)
4. Ben Franklin - 5. James Madison (Madison wins)

Antebellum through Civil War
1. Abraham Lincoln- 9. William Lloyd Garrison (Lincoln wins)
2. John Marshall-10. Frederick Douglass (Marshall wins)
3. Andrew Jackson - 6. Henry Clay (Jackson wins)
13. JQ Adams - 12. Joseph Smith (Adams wins)

Recon through WW2
1. FDR- 9. Andrew Carnegie (FDR wins)
2. Thomas Edison - 7. TR (TR wins)
14. JP Morgan - 6. Henry Ford (Ford wins)
4. JD Rockefeller - 12. Albert Einstein (Einstein wins)

Modern
1. MLK - 9. LBJ (King wins)
2. Ronald Reagan- 10. Robert Oppenheimer (Reagan wins)
14. Richard Nixon - 6. Jonas Salk (Nixon wins)
4. Dwight Eisenhower - 12. George Marshall (Ike wins)

History Bracketology

I placed these matchups on some message boards because I was curious and had nothing better to do. The names were taken from an Atlantic Monthly Article from 2006. I ranked them according to the article and split them into the four brackets.

Here are the results to Round 1:


Early American 1607-1815
1. George Washington - 16. Greene (Washington wins)
2. Thomas Jefferson - 15. John Jay (Jefferson wins)
3. Alexander Hamilton - 14. Eli Whitney (Hamilton wins)
4. Ben Franklin - 13. Daniel Shays (Franklin wins)
5. James Madison - 12. Abigail Adams (Madison wins)
6. Thomas Paine - 11. Sam Adams (Paine wins)
7. John Adams - 10. Jonathan Edwards (Adams wins)
8. Lewis and Clark - 9 Noah Webster (Lewis and Clark win)

Antebellum to 1815-1865
1. Abraham Lincoln - 16. John C Calhoun (Abe wins)
2. John Marshall -15. Robert E. Lee (Marshall wins)
3. Andrew Jackson - 14. Horace Mann (Jackson wins)
4. Walt Whitman - 13. JQ Adams (Adams wins)
5. Elizabeth Cady Stanton - 12. Joseph Smith (Smith wins)
6. Henry Clay - James K Polk (Clay wins)
7. Ralph Waldo Emerson - 10. Frederick Douglass (Douglass wins)
8. Samuel Morse - 9. William Lloyd Garrison (Garrison wins)

Reconstruction Through World War II (1865-1945)
1. FDR - 16. Eleanor Roosevelt (FDR wins)
2. Thomas Edison - 15. Susan B. Anthony (Edison wins)
3. Woodrow Wilson - 14. JP Morgan (Morgan wins)
4. John D Rockefeller - 13. William Jennings Bryan (Rockefeller wins)
5. US Grant - 12. Albert Einstein (Einstein wins)
6. Henry Ford - 11. Alexander Graham Bell (Ford wins)
7. TR - 10. The Wright Brothers (TR wins)
8. Mark Twain - 9. Andrew Carnegie (Carnegie wins)

Modern Era (1945-2009)
1. MLK - 16. Betty Friedan (MLK wins)
2. Ronald Reagan - 15. Elvis (Reagan wins)
3. Harry Truman - 14. Richard Nixon (Nixon wins)
4. Ike - 13. Sam Walton (Ike wins)
5. Earl Warren - 12. George Marshall (Marshall wins)
6. Jonas Salk - 11. Bill Gates (Salk wins)
7. Jackie Robinson - 10. Robert Oppenheimer (Oppenheimer wins)
8. Rachel Carson - 9. LBJ (LBJ wins)

Ten Plagues of Egypt

Could the ten Plagues of Egypt have occurred? Of course. The question is whether or not they could have occurred in a short period. Some think they never happened. Some think they did happen, but occurred over a long period of time. Could they have happened in quick succession? It is possible.

Let’s assume there was a volcanic eruption (yes back to volcanoes). Here is how an eruption could have pulled off the ten plagues:

1. Water turned to blood. Pollution from an eruption turns the Nile Red. This kills the fish.

2. Frogs. The frogs left the polluted river. Kermit is not dumb.

3 and 4. Biting Bugs/flies. Frog population is depleted leading to a bug invasion.

5. Disease. Bad water, dead animals, lots of insects=disease.

6. Boils. Same explanation as 5.

7. Fire hail. Volcano-duh!

8. Locusts. Locust swarms are common today, so this is nothing unusual for this area with or without a plague. However, dead predators and dead crops means more locusts.

9. Darkness. Volcanic Ash.

10. Death of the firstborn. OK, this one is tougher. However, if the food supply was cut because of the volcano and volcanic ash contamination, then the first born would have received most or all of the rations. The end result was illness from poisoning. Another explanation is sleeping arrangements. Sleeping closer to the ground was a privilege as it was cooler. The first born usually received this privilege. When gasses were released due to geologic activity, they were poisoned.

Also, the parting of the Sea of Reeds (not the Red Sea) could have been achieved by a Tsunami caused by an eruption. This is not to say a volcanic eruption caused these events or that they even happened. However, it is an explanation based on science.

The Greatest American #1s vs. #16s

It's the time of year where brackets reign, so I thought we could do some bracketology history style. A few years back, Atlantic Monthly listed their 100 greatest Americans. I took the list, broke it into 4 brackets and ranked people according to the Atlantic Monthly rankings. So, the people and the rankings come from that mag.

I have 64 Americans, broken into 4 brackets, each bracket with Americans seeded 1-16.

Here are the 1s vs. 16s. I have placed this on some message boards and will tabulate the votes at the end of the week. Feel free to vote (or not)...

Early American Bracket
1. George Washington vs. 16. Nathaniel Greene

Well, there would be no USA without George. He won the Revolutionary War, was the first president, set many precedents, established American neutrality, the national bank, first census, etc etc etc.

Greene was a Revolutionary General. He fought Cornwallis and drove the British nuts. He played cat and mouse with Cornwallis all the way to Yorktown.

Antebellum and Civil War
1. Abraham Lincoln vs. 16. John C Calhoun

Lincoln won the Civil War, freed the slaves, kept the union together.

Calhoun threatened secession and was a staunch states' rights activist and slaveholder.

Reconstruction through WWII
1. FDR vs. 16. Eleanor Roosevelt (no I did not plan this)

FDR gave us the New Deal, saved capitalism, modernized government, and won WWII saving Western Civilization.

Eleanor Roosevelt was a well respected activist for the rights of the downtrodden, leader at the UN, and First Lady.

Modern Era
1. Martin Luther King Jr. vs. 16. Betty Friedan

MLK led the Civil Rights Movement and made white America look in the mirror.

Betty Friedan analyzed domestic America and argued that housewives did not like their lot in life.

61. The Sex Pistols

After Blondie hit #1, record companies rushed to sign punk bands. Out of this bum rush came the most irreverent band of all time. What could be more rock n roll than screaming out, “I am the Anti-Christ?” The band attacked corporations, record companies, society, and even Queen Elizabeth II herself. Guitarist Steve Jones admitted their goal was chaos. The more negative publicity they received, the more popular they became. When they realized they were rock stars, they quit. As a result, they were probably the most honest band in music history.

Rock n Roll Moment: During the Queen’s Jubilee, the band attempted to play “God Save The Queen” on the Thames and just outside the Westminster Palace. The band was arrested.

Essential Sex Pistols: Never Mind The Bullocks (1977)

Exodus

Did the Exodus occur? Let's take a look at the evidence...

The traditional date for Exodus used to be around 1450 BC or so. There is no evidence for this other than the Bible. Since that has to be taken with a grain of salt, 1450 BC is not a likely date.

There is some archaeological evidence for a migration of people around 1250 BC. However, history is full of mass migrations of people for various reasons. There is some evidence of the destruction of ancient cities around this time as well. That would fit. However, some cities, Jericho in particular, do not seem to have been destroyed during the correct time frame based on a 1250 BC Exodus.

The best case for Exodus as described in the Bible is about 1600 BC. The Thera Volcanic Eruption on Santorini could create conditions that could cause the plagues described in the Bible. However, the date of the eruption is debated. There is also an Egyptian Stele that describes a plague from an unknown god.

So, did Exodus happen?

Considering history is full of mass migrations, there is probably some truth in the Bible story. However, this is probably how it went down: A group of slaves left Egypt led by Moses. They were monotheistic. They ran into a group of nomads from Canaan. The two groups merged and became rather large. They eventually wandered into the promised land.

Why is this important? Modern Israel claims descent from the Ancient Israelites. A 5000 year claim legitimizes Modern Israel's claims to Palestine. So, what happened 4000 years ago matters!!!

#62 Aerosmith

Aerosmith broke in the early 70s. Their sound was classic blues rock based and from the time of their debut they pumped out a string of multi-platinum albums. They lived up to their bad boy rock star image and fell into addiction. The band nearly disintegrated.

Then Run DMC came calling. The rap group’s cover of “Walk This Way,” with Steven Tyler doing backups and Joe Perry on guitar, re energized the band. In 1987, the comeback began with “Permanent Vacation.” They continued to release hits into the early 90s culminating with 1993’s “Get A Grip.”

Aerosmith continued to release rock albums but included the perfunctory radio friendly ballad. The best example of an Aeroballad is “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing.” That was their only #1. Recently, they have had some health issues, but continue to record. In 2008, Rock Band Aerosmith was released.

Rock n Roll Moment: Love In An Elevator is based on a real event starring Steven Tyler.

Essential Aerosmith:
Aerosmith (1973)
Get Your Wings (1974)
Toys in the Attic (1975)
Permanent Vacation (1987)
Pump (1989)
Get A Grip (1993)

Aerosmith’s Top 10:
Sweet Emotion
Dream On
Walk This Way
Back In The Saddle
Rag Doll
Love In An Elevator
Toys in the Attic
Cryin’
Mama Kin
Seasons of Wither