The shadowy figure sailed toward the unsuspecting craft. What was it? A sea monster? Maybe a ship? It was a ship. The Merrimack opened up its cannons and in short order obliterated the wooden Union vessel.
The Merrimack then continued on its journey taking out any Union vessel it came across. The Civil War had been raging for a year and now the Confederates had a vessel which seemed to be invincible.
But how did the Merrimack come into existence? Earlier in the war, the Confederates had sunk a wooden Union vessel. After some time, the Confederates decided to try to salvage the sunken enemy vessel.
After bringing it to the surface, they discovered that the hull was in pretty good shape. They decided to cover it with iron. They placed slanted sheets of iron at the top making a metal shield that would repel cannon balls like rain to an umbrella. The Merrimack had vengeance in it’s iron heart and was ready to ravage the Union forces.
After a day of glorious victory after victory, the Merrimack and its crew settled in for a well deserved night’s sleep dreaming of a similar adventure for the next day. But, they would soon find out that they were in for a surprise of their own.
The next day, the Merrimack set sail on its course again, but in the near distance they saw a very odd looking vessel. It sat very low in the water and had a very flat, dark deck. In the middle of the craft was a little rounded box that butted up a few feet from the deck. What on earth was that? Oh well, the Merrimack would take care of it too.
The odd looking craft sailed directly towards the Merrimack like an alligator sneaking up on its prey. It was the Monitor. The Union’s own iron fortress of the sea. The Merrimack soon found out what that box was on the top. It was a gun turret that could swivel in any direction. No matter what invasive maneuver the Merrimack would attempt, the Monitor could aim its humongous guns upon her.
The battle waged on and on with both iron vessels holding their own. Finally, the Merrimack gave up and sailed away. With the Monitor on patrol, the Confederate Merrimack would think twice before venturing back up through the Union forces again.
Ingenuity and inventiveness are two of the human beings most admirable traits. Wake yours up today and go to battle against your most pressing challenges.
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This video is a compliment to my recent article. This is a behind the scenes look as I record the podcast “Let Me Tell You a Story with Mark Bowser” podcast. I hope you enjoy it!
Have a great day. Thanks for listening. God bless you!
Was George Washington really the first President of the United States? Are you sure?
George Washington became President of the United States in 1789, however, we won the War for Independence in 1781 to earn our freedom from Great Britain. So, what happened during all those intervening years? Were we leaderless? Did we have a functioning government in those years?
After we won the war at Yorktown, the Congress met and drafted a document called the Articles of Confederation. In essence, this was the first Constitution for the United States. And on March 1, 1781 it was ratified by all thirteen colonies making it the law and guiding principles for the infant nation.
At that time Congress elected unanimously a President of the United States. The official title was President of the United States in Congress Assembled. The man the Congress unanimously elected was John Hanson.
John Hanson served for only one year. During that pivotal year, Congress established the Treasury Department. Two other prominent establishments during the Hansen administration included the adoption of the Great Seal of the United State. This seal is still in use to this day. Another prominent accomplishment was that the fourth Thursday of every November would be a day of thanksgiving.
But, did this really make Hanson the first President of the United States? How come we didn’t learn about him in our history classes in school?
George Washington considered Hanson the first president. He addressed him in his correspondence by that title and he congratulated Hansen by saying, “I congratulate your Excellency on your appointment to fill the most important seat in the United States.”
After Hanson’s term was up, Congress elected another president. This went on until the Constitution was adopted in 1789. That is when George Washington was elected President of the United States. So, if we want to get technical about it, Washington was the eighth president, not the first.
But, it is very proper and fitting that George Washington is considered the father of our country and the first President of the United States. He is the first president under the Constitution of the United States. A document that is revered for its wisdom and rights to the people.
So, next year when we celebrate Presidents’ Day, let’s not forget Mr. Hanson and the other six forgotten presidents under the Articles of Confederation. And, let’s celebrate all of the presidents and future presidents that have helped lead the greatest nation in the history of the world. So, now you know. Thanks for reading today.
In 1903, Horatio Nelson Jackson was visiting the University Club of San Francisco. While he was there, someone wagered fifty dollars that it would be impossible to drive a horseless carriage, or automobile, from San Francisco to New York in less than ninety days.
Horatio immediately excepted the bet. Now, he had to figure out how to do it. Let’s take a look for a moment at the challenges that Horatio had in front of him.
• At that time, the United States only had about 150 miles of paved roads in the entire country. And, most of them were in the cities.
• It had never been done before.
• Horatio didn’t know that much about the mechanics of cars.
• And to top it off, he didn’t even own a car.
So as you can see, Horatio may have bit off a little more than he could chew. Or, did he?
The first item on the to do list was to get a car. So, he purchased a used, very small twenty horsepower car and commissioned it into his service as theVermont in honor of his home state.
The next challenge on the list was to overcome not being very mechanically minded. That is where Sewall Crocker comes into the story. Horatio hired this talented mechanic to go on the adventure with him.
Horatio and Sewall loaded up the Vermont with supplies and on May 23, 1903, they disembarked on their journey. Waving goodbye to San Francisco and an anticipated hello for the Big Apple.
Saying this coast to coast journey was hard would be an understatement. What roads there were weren’t more than a couple of worn patches on the ground. Horatio and Sewall got stuck in mud more times than Pinocchio told lies. They blew tires, broke springs, and had more sounds coming from the engine block that would have even made A.J. Foyt nervous. But, they kept the car together and continued to forge forth towards New York. At one point, they received bad directions and got lost hundreds of miles off course. But not even that could keep them discouraged.
In Idaho they took on another passenger. His name was Bud and he was a bulldog. They fitted the dog with driving goggles and the journey continued. On July 26, our trio sped into New York City. Despite all the setbacks, they had completed the journey in only sixty-three days.
So, the next time you go on a road trip, think about Horatio, Sewall, and Bud. Because without them, your adventure wouldn’t be possible. Who’s ready to hit the road?
ANNOUNCING! A New Podcast Gaining Attention — Let Me Tell You A Story with Mark Bowser
Stories are everywhere! We all love them! We love them in books, at the movies, and in our favorite podcasts. But, what if a story could be — more? What if a story could change your life in a substantial, positive way? What if a story could take you to the pinnacles of success and show you how to scale life’s mountains too?
Well, that is what Let Me Tell You a Story podcast with Mark Bowser is all about. Professional Speaker & Author Mark Bowser will take you behind the scenes of some of history’s greatest feats and unknown achievements so that their stories can be a city on a hill shining like a beacon in the night inspiring us to live our best! Come join us every Monday and Thursday! Please subscribe now so that you won’t miss one exciting episode. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, etc….
It was around 7 AM on a mid summer morning on the Gulf shores of America. An eight-year-old boy walked out of the beach house that his family had rented for a summer vacation, and walked briskly to the beach that was right in front of their cottage.
The sand felt warm as the young boy twiddled it in between his toes. A smile of wonderment creased the corners of the young boy’s mouth like a butterfly spreading it’s wings for the first time. For you see, this was the young boy’s first visit to the beach.
The boy immediately began searching for seashells. He gathered them up in his shirt tale until it couldn’t hold any more. He knelt on his knees and dumped his small treasure on the sand in front of him.
As he was investigating and even scrutinizing his treasure, he noticed an old man walking towards him carrying a basket in his left arm. As the old man got closer, he smiled at the young boy and said, “Good morning young man. Beautiful day, isn’t it?”
The young boy looked up at the old man and simply said, “Yeah.”
“I see that you are gathering up some seashells.” said the old man.
“Yeah, they’re great. Look how many I have found.”
“That is a lot. You certainly are a good finder. This is a great beach for finding seashells,” said the old man. He noticed that the young boy was staring at his basket. “Do you want to have a look?”
The young boy nodded and stood up so he could peer into the basket. Inside the basket were twelve crabs. The crabs were milling around pulling on each other and tugging this way and that.
The young boy looked up at the old man and asked, “Don’t you need a top on that basket so they don’t get out?”
“Nay.” said the old man. “As long as you have more than one, you never need to put a top on the basket.”
Why?” Asked the bewildered boy.
“Well,” said the old man. “If you only have one crab in the basket then you do need to have a top on it because it will climb right out. But, as long as you have more than one crab you never need a top of the basket because as soon as one tries to jump out or climb out, the rest of them will reach up and yank it back down in the basket.”
“Really? Why do they do that?”
“Well, you see, crabs are losers.” The old man looked up thoughtfully and then said, “You know, young man, some people are like crabs to. Have you ever heard the saying that that person is a little crabby today? It means that they are in a bad mood or being rude. Do you like being around a person like that?”
With his eyes as big a snowballs, the young boy shook his head. “Me either,” said the old man. “So what if you and I make a pact — let’s you and me decide to never be like these here crabs in the basket. Alright?”
The boy nodded his head and smiled up at the old man. With that, the old man picked up his basket, said goodbye, and went on his way.
The young boy — now all grown up — held the seashell which he kept on his family room mantel. His wrinkled, weathered hand held it as if it were a cherished gem. He nodded to no one in particular and then turned around and handed the shell to a little eight year old girl.
The girl with red hair and freckles looked up at the boy — now an old man — and asked, “Grandpa, is this one of the shells you found on that beach sixty years ago?”
“It sure is Susan.”
“It kind of looks like a crab, doesn’t it Grandpa?” Said the girl.
“It certainly does. Susan, let me tell you a little story about crabs….”
ANNOUNCING! A New Podcast Gaining Attention — Let Me Tell You A Story with Mark Bowser
Stories are everywhere! We all love them! We love them in books, at the movies, and in our favorite podcasts. But, what if a story could be — more? What if a story could change your life in a substantial, positive way? What if a story could take you to the pinnacles of success and show you how to scale life’s mountains too?
Well, that is what Let Me Tell You a Story podcast with Mark Bowser is all about. Professional Speaker & Author Mark Bowser will take you behind the scenes of some of history’s greatest feats and unknown achievements so that their stories can be a city on a hill shining like a beacon in the night inspiring us to live our best! Come join us every Monday and Thursday! Please subscribe now so that you won’t miss one exciting episode.
Welcome to my blog. As an author, I love to share ideas. But , I also love to hear ideas. This is a place where I can share my thoughts on success and life with you. It is also a place where you can share your ideas with me. It is a place where you can experience my writing style and hopefully be inspired by what you read. It is a place where we can experience the road of success...together. I look forward to the journey.
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