If not for Farmer Fleming … the history of the world would be different. Find out what the good farmer did that impacted history in such a dramatic way.
Mark Bowser is the author of several books including Sales Success with Zig Ziglar, Jesus Take the Wheel, Nehemiah on Leadership, and Some Gave It All with Danny Lane which was endorsed by Chuck Norris.
Mark Bowser is one of the best Professional Business Speakers in the United States. He has presented seminars to Southwest Airlines, Ford Motor Company, Sony Music, United States Marine Corp., FedEx Logistics, Purdue University, Delta Faucet, and many, many more. For more information or to inquire about booking Mark for your next conference or event, then please visit http://www.MarkBowser.com.
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As we are coming out of the pandemic COVID-19, I’m reminded of another killer that was far worse. It is estimated that the deadly smallpox disease killed between 300 million and 500 million people in history. It wasn’t quite a death sentence if you caught smallpox, but it was pretty close.
In 1763, Edward Jenner was a young apprentice to a doctor in England as he prepared for a medical career himself. One day, as the doctor was examining a young milkmaid, Jenner overheard the milkmaid contradict the doctor. The doctor told the milkmaid that she may have smallpox. The milkmaid expressed that it was impossible for her to have smallpox because she had had cowpox. She then told the doctor that everyone knows that once you have had cowpox that you never catch smallpox.
Before we go on, let me make clear a couple of terms that contemporary readers may not be familiar with. First of all, what was a milkmaid? Milkmaids were young girls who were hired by dairy farmers to milk their cows.
Another term you may be unfamiliar with is cowpox. Cowpox was a mild version of smallpox that the cows could contract and then pass it on to people in the form of sores, usually on their hands.
Edward Jenner never forgot that conversation he overheard between the doctor and the milkmaid. For the next 30 years he pondered it in his mind and in his heart. In his spare time, he would go to the dairy farms and just watch the milkmaids do their work. Was there any truth in the milkmaid’s claim?
On May 14, 1796, Sarah Nelmes who was a milkmaid came to Dr. Jenner complaining of a cowpox sore. Dr. Jenner had an idea and he decided to take a great risk. He took a tissue sample from the sore on Sarah’s hand and inoculated a healthy eight-year-old boy James Phelps with it.
As expected, James became ill with the disease but it was very mild. That is when Dr. Jenner took his greatest risk. After James recovered from the cowpox, Dr. Jenner inoculated him with straight smallpox. What was the result? James never caught smallpox.
Because of the wisdom of the milkmaid and the courage of Dr. Edward Jenner, today we have vaccines for all sorts of diseases and viruses. Even though we may not agree with the risk that Dr. Jenner took, aren’t we glad that we have the vaccines that his risk made possible?
There is no success without risk. As COVID vaccines are made available worldwide, we have not only Operation Warp Speed to thank, we have the milkmaids to thank as well. Oh, and let’s not forget Dr. Jenner. Thanks doc.
*Mark Bowser is the author of several books including “Sales Success” with Zig Ziglar, “Nehemiah on Leadership,” and “Some Gave It All” with Danny Lane (endorsed by Chuck Norris.)
*Mark Bowser is the host of the popular podcast “Let Me Tell You A Story with Mark Bowser.” Subscribe today at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, and other popular podcast platforms.
“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” The words are famous and they made history. But, those words were almost never spoken. In his wonderful history book, Rick Beyer shares how that line stayed in the speech and impacted the world.
So, how did it come about that President Ronald Reagan on June 12, 1987 said those historic words at the Berlin wall?
It all started at a dinner party. Ingeborg Elz from Berlin hosted a dinner party for White House speechwriter Peter Robinson. At the time, Robinson was researching the speech that he was assigned to write for President Reagan’s address in Berlin.
In the midst of the conversation that evening, Ingeborg mentioned to Robinson that if Gorbachev really wanted to show that he cared about perestroika than he should just get rid of the wall separating East Berlin from West Berlin.
Perestroika is a term that literally means “restructuring” but usually refers to political reform that was taking place in the Soviet Union during the 1980’s.
Ingeborg’s words gave Robinson some ideas. But all the words that he put together as he wrote President Reagan’s speech didn’t seem to fit. He had writer’s block. After trying different word combinations, it finally came to him. He decided to be straightforward, blunt, and to the point. The result was the immortal words, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”
Robinson had felt that he had hit the right tone for the speech. Unfortunately, he was about the only one in the West Wing who felt that way. Secretary of State George Schultz hated the line and National Security Advisor, General Colin Powell felt that the line had too much of an edge to it. Powell’s fear was that it could provoke the Soviets into making a rash decision. But, there was one other person in the West Wing who loved the line. That person was Ronald Reagan.
President Reagan’s inner circle began to work on him to change his mind. They told the President that it could cause tensions and hurt relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. But, President Reagan understood that change usually won’t happen without some form of tension. Tension doesn’t have to be a negative thing. He also understood that sometimes you have to take a hard stand.
The debate about that sentence went on for days. Finally, the president had an exchange with Deputy White House Chief of Staff Ken Duberstein.
The President said, “I’m the President, aren’t I?”
“Yes sir, Mr. President,” said Duberstein.” We’re clear about that.”
“So I get to decide whether the line about turning down the wall stays in?” said Reagan in more of a statement than a question.
“That’s right, sir. It’s your decision.”
“Then it stays in,” said Reagan.
So, the President stood firm for his beliefs and convictions. What does history show? That he was right. On November 9, 1989, the Berlin wall came down. And finally once again Germany began to unite West and East into peaceful unity. Thanks for reading today.
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In her wonderful volumes on American history, Mara Pratt shared a story about George Washington that we should all take to heart.
One day during the American Revolution, General George Washington rode upon a number of soldiers who were working to raise a beam up to the top of a military structure. The men somehow didn’t recognize Washington.
All the men were working except one. That one man continued to bark out orders. He yelled at the other men, “Now you have it! Already! Pull!”
Washington guided his horse a little closer to the order barking soldier. He quietly asked the soldier why he wasn’t helping the others. The young man looked up at Washington and angrily said, “Sir, don’t you know that I am the corporal?
Washington said, “I did not realize it. Beg pardon, Mr. Corporal.”
Washington then got off his horse, walked over to the soldiers and began helping them move the heavy beam. The General continued until the beam was put in place on top of the structure. Then, with sweat pouring down his face, he turned to the corporal and said, “If ever you need assistance like this again, call upon Washington, your commander- in-chief, and I will come.”
What is it that makes a great leader? Simply, a servant’s heart.
Thanks for reading today!
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In the waning days of the Roman empire’s rule, a young 16 year old boy was kidnapped and taken to a faraway land where he was tortured with hard labor for many years.
After five years, he fortunately was able to escape. He walked 200 miles to the shore where he was able to find passage on a ship. Finally, the boy arrived back home.
As you can imagine, his family was overjoyed and shocked to see their beloved son back home again.
Looking forward to the first peaceful night’s sleep in his own bed, The boy instead found a night of turmoil and unrest. His dreams were disturbing. Some might even call them visions.
The visions continued night after night. In his nightly visits, the boy was told to go back to the land of his tormentors and to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them. Finally, with great resolve, the boy left home on his quest and returned to the land of his tormentors — Ireland.
Would he have to face the Celtic tribesman who had kidnapped him those many years ago? Would he be kidnapped again? Would he ever seen his homeland again? The boy didn’t know. All he knew was that he was a servant of the Most High God and on a mission to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Was he successful in his mission? Yes. Almost the entire population of Ireland converted to Christianity. And who was the boy to become? None other than Saint Patrick, the honored saint of the island of Ireland. Thanks for reading today.
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Thomas Edison was one of the most prolific and influential inventors of all time. He changed all of our lives with inventions such as the incandescent light bulb, the phonograph, the movie camera and viewer, and the alkaline storage battery. Can you imagine what life would be like if we didn’t have these daily luxuries?
But, what does a genius like this do when tragedy strikes? Well, let’s find out. In December of 1914, a fire broke out at the Edison laboratories. Over $2 million in damages was done. The first tragedy was that there was only $238,000 of insurance on the labs. Why so little? Because the buildings were made of concrete and it was believed that the concrete made them fireproof. People also thought the Titanic was unsinkable. Now we know better.
But the biggest tragedy went beyond financial. All the projects and all the new inventions that he was working on went up in flames that night. All his notes, all is tinkering, all the projects – gone!
When Edison’s 24-year-old son Charles heard of the fire, panic struck his heart. He looked frantically for his father hoping that he was not in the laboratories when they went up in flames. He finally found his father standing quietly, calmly, and thoughtfully watching the flames engulf his dreams.
Edison looked at his son and asked if he knew where his mother was. He then said “… Bring her here. She will never see anything like this as long as she lives.”
The next morning, the 67-year-old Edison looked at the remains of his laboratories and said, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.”
So, how does a champion deal with tragedy? They look forward. They look for the opportunities. They look for the good. And, they thank God for fresh starts.
*Mark Bowser is Professional Business Speaker and Author of several books including “Nehemiah on Leadership,” “Sales Success” with Zig Ziglar and Scott McKain, “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” and “Some Gave It All” with Danny Lane (endorsed by Chuck Norris)
Mark Bowser is the host of the popular podcast “Let Me Tell You a Story with Mark Bowser.” Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, and other major podcast platforms.
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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