1) The Internet is 40, see how this slideshow evolves from basic e-mail to global diffusion of Spam. (Link)

2) The man who smuggled himself INTO Auschwitz. Now that is what I call a journalist. (Link)

3) A guide to surviving Christmas…for the 1600s. (Link)

4) Theatre under the Athenian Acropolis to be renovated. Perhaps even fireproofed. (Link)

5) North Carolina archaeologists uncover a pre Civil War lighthouse. Not exactly the Great Pyramids but still… (Link)

ON THIS DAY IN 1823: US President James Monroe elaborates his “Monroe Doctrine” that would plunge the Nation into a century of stubborn isolation. This was finally broken in 1917 when Americans realized the ongoings of the outside world could eventually affect their interests. (Link)

THE LIGHTER SIDE: Cracked.com’s “6 Reasons The Irish Aren’t So Lucky” – They had more than their lucky charms taken away… (Link)

End.

Where would we be without the wonders of the Interweb?

1) Can we learn any Soviet lessons from their own occupation of Afghanistan in the 70s-80s? Probably not… (Link)

2) 10 most memorable Internet moments of the past decade. The invention of Facebook poking isn’t there? (Link)

3) A disgruntled lover’s diary reveals that Mussolini wanted the Jews dead every bit as much as Adolf. (Link)

4) National Geographic is on the prowl trying to find the South American traces of Dr. Joseph Mengele, Nazi physician and torture-master. (Link)

5) If you have $130,000 to spend then this XIIIth century castle in Wales can be yours. You will need to install some serious insulation for winter… (Link)

ON THIS DAY IN 1945: Top-ranking Nazi officials are brought to court in what is called the “Nuremburg Trials”. Unfortunately, no Hitler, no Goebbels and Goering committed suicide by cyanide before we could hang him. (Link)

AND AS FOR THE LIGHTER SIDE: Cracked.com’s “6 inventors who got Jack S*** for Changing the Modern World” – I’m not sure if the inventor of Tetris fits in this category… (Link)

End.

Happy birthday Internet!

1) 40 years of the Internet – what technological marvels (meaning lolcats, twitter apps and youtube vids) await us in the future? (Link)

2) Time Magazine offers a brief History of medical marijuana. Thank goodness someone wrote it down… (Link)

3) The Empress of Japan speaks out against the nuclear stockpiles of the United States and Russia. Having been 10 years old during the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, she may have quite a unique take on the matter. (Link)

4) A new Temple dedicated to the Roman goddess Diana has been discovered in Italy’s Tuscan region. Unfortunately, no loot but lots of good times ahead for archaeologists. (Link)

5) 400 years ago, Galileo’s new invention, the spyglass (telescope), would usher in a new era of space observation and eventually of space exploration. (Link)

ON THIS DAY IN 312 AD: Emperor Constantine wins the Battle of the Milvian Bridge when Jesus appeared to cheer him on. These events just may have been exaggerated posthumously. (Link)

AND AS FOR THE LIGHTER SIDE: Cracked.com’s “The 8 Most Bizarre Patron Saints” – Of fireworks? Really? (Link)

End.

The winner takes Poland!

Idle hands are the Devil’s plaything… -Switzerland

1) Internet History may be short but the technology evolves so fast that we forget about it’s humble origins. Here are a list of 11 Internet “firsts”. (Link)

2) Maybe it’s because I am cynical but I have a hard time believing that this picture of Hitler and Lenin playing chess in 1910 is real… (Link)

3) Secret documents have been declassified that reveal Taiwan’s 1949 plan to takeover mainland China. This definitely sounds realistic: “so if everyone fights and captures 1 million china-men, we have China by Sunday!”  (Links)

ON THIS DAY IN 1850: California, that cloud of smoke on the horizon, enters the union as thirty-first state. (Link)

AND AS FOR THE LIGHTER SIDE: Cracked.com’s “6 Historical Villains Who Were Actually Okay Guys” – Genghis Khan was just a poor misunderstood tyrant. (Link)

End.