Chris Carosa

The Eclipse That Changed History

By Chris Carosa on October 10, 2023

As you read this, assuming the post office delivers the paper on time, a partial eclipse of the sun looms. This isn’t the big one. That’s coming on Monday, April 8, 2024. It’s a total eclipse of the sun that begins roughly at 3:18 PM and lasts for almost 4 minutes. The center line of that eclipse goes through Batavia, so that’s about as close as you can get.

Assuming it’s not cloudy.

The eclipse I’m talking about now is a partial eclipse of the sun. This is an annular eclipse. That’s the one where the moon doesn’t quite cover the entire sun. It leaves a bright ring. Pretty impressive looking. Pretty scary looking. It’s scheduled to happen on Saturday, October 14 right around 1:13 PM as a partial eclipse.

Assuming it’s not cloudy.

But let’s go back to the scary part for a moment. In history, cultures that didn’t understand Continue Reading “The Eclipse That Changed History”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court, Age of Discovery, Age of Reason, annular eclipse, Christopher Columbus, Columbus Day, Ferdinand Columbus, Francisco de Bobadilla, Hank Morgan, Jamaica, John Noble Wilford, King Ferdinand, lunar eclipse, Mark Twain, Queen Isabella, Santo Domingo, Solar Eclipse, Spain, The Enlightment, Washington Irving, Wilson Quarterly

The Day Lafayette Touched Mendon

By Chris Carosa on October 3, 2023

His full name was Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette. For short, he’s called the Marquis de La Fayette. If that doesn’t speak “wealth,” then what doesn’t? At least in his native France.

In traditionally egalitarian America, we know him simply as “Lafayette.” Coming from a family with a strong military tradition, he came to the New World in 1777 at the age of 19. Seeing the American Revolution as a noble cause, he joined the patriots and was immediately commissioned as a major general.

The title reflected more a sign of respect than of actual duty, for he was given no troops to command. Lafayette understood in America, one isn’t born to status, one must earn it.

And earn it, he did. He received his red badge of courage at the Battle of Brandywine. There, though wounded, he led an orderly retreat. His brave actions in the Battle of Rhode Island Continue Reading “The Day Lafayette Touched Mendon”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged American Revolution, Amo Kreiger, Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Rhode Island, Ben Franklin, Buffalo, Canandaigua, Continental Army, Cornwallis, Daniel Barnard, Erie Canal, Freemason, Geneva, George Washington, Judge Timothy Barnard, Lafayette, Marian Powell, mason, Mendon, Mendon Hotel, Monroe County, Rochester, Yorktown

Where Does The Term ‘Fallen Flags’ Come From?

By Chris Carosa on September 26, 2023

Are you a fan of The Big Bang Theory? Do you remember Sheldon Cooper’s hilarious “Fun With Flags” podcast? It’s a comedically inane spoof of those mindless YouTube shows. It’s all about vexillology.

You say you have never heard of the term?

Vexillology, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, means “the study of flags.” It comes from the Latin word vexillum, which translates to drape or flag. Vexillum itself derives from the Latin velum, meaning “sail.” At some point in the 1950s, someone attached “ology” to vexillum and—voilà!—vexillology.

It’s not clear where and when the word was first used. A 1968 UPI article that ran in several papers, quotes Nathaniel Abelson, then head of the United Nations’ library map department. Abelson claimed the UN’s terminology unit invented the term, but Continue Reading “Where Does The Term ‘Fallen Flags’ Come From?”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged American Revolution, fallen flag, Francis Scott Key, Greek, Harvard, Latin, Nathaniel Abelson, Robert E. Lee, Roman, Sophie Lee Foster, The Big Bang Theory, United Nations, velum, vexillology, vexillum, Whitney Smith, Yale, Yann Le Bohec

Jack Kemp: All American

By Chris Carosa on September 19, 2023

A lot of people were much closer to Jack Kemp than I, but a lot more people did not know him as well as I did. Only a few remaining Americans can say what I can: “I was there at the beginning.”

Jack Kemp, who passed away in 2009, emerged on the national scene not in the political arena passing historic legislation, but on the gridiron field and into passing history. He was forged in a time when most Americans believed in and followed the Boy Scout Law. He played among those people, he lived among those people, and, eventually, he came to represent those people. I know. I was one of them.

Friends, conservatives, liberals, and countrymen, I write not to rebury Jack Kemp, but to Continue Reading “Jack Kemp: All American”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged 1964 Topps Football, Allentown, Bethlehem Steel Plant, Billy Joel, Buffalo Bills, Chubb Fellow, E Pluribus Unum, Jack Kemp, New Haven, Ronald Reagan, Shining City on a hill, Woodlawn Elementary, Woodlawn Intermediate, Yale

The History Of Local Historians

By Chris Carosa on September 12, 2023

James Sullivan, New York State Historian (1916-1922), source: New York State Archives

“The love of one’s locality and a commendable pride in its achievements lie at the basis of true patriotism. It is difficult, nevertheless, to love something about which you know nothing. One who knows the history of the place in which he is living is far more likely to venerate it than he who is entirely ignorant of its story. To preserve this history is the function of the local historian.”

Those words belong to James Sullivan, New York State Historian. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle published them (as part of a bigger article penned by Sullivan) on page 17 of the Sunday, March 26, 1922 edition of the paper.

Sullivan used the piece to explain the nature and purpose of a relatively new law. It was passed by the State Legislature and signed into law by New York Governor Al Smith on April 11, 1919. Technically Section 57.07 of the New York State Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, it’s known more familiarly as “Local Government Historian Law” or simply the “Local Historian” Law.

The first paragraph of the law states “A local historian shall be appointed, as provided in Continue Reading “The History Of Local Historians”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Amo T. Kreiger, David K. Maloney, Honeoye Falls, James Sullivan, Local Historian, Marian Powell, Mendon, Mendon Historical Society, New York State, The Anaconda Standard, World War I

Bring Back Dodgeball! Why ‘Too Big To Fail’ Failed

By Chris Carosa on September 5, 2023

“Whatza matter you, big toe?” Danny incomprehensibly teased, egging me to wing the ball at him. His flaming red hair and daring blue eyes proved a compelling target. Danny wasn’t stupid—but neither was I. As all fourth graders knew, Danny caught every ball thrown his way. And in Dodgeball, that means you’re out, he wins. The cool lake breeze evaporated the sweat from my forehead as the sun beat abnormally hot that spring day on the elementary school playground. With the recess bell moments away, I made my decision quickly.

Using the deft eye of a future quarterback, my face feigned throwing the ball into Danny’s broad chest and stocky arms. He bought the ruse and, as I cocked my arm back, I could see his biceps tense. Kids usually thought if they threw the ball hard enough right at him, Danny wouldn’t catch it. Danny always caught it. With a snap release, I flicked the ball directly at… his feet!

Stymied by the misdirection, Danny froze. The ball bounced harmlessly off his shoe. The bell rang. I had won.

* * * * *

Six years later, on the hardwood deck of the high school gym, I found myself in Danny’s Continue Reading “Bring Back Dodgeball! Why ‘Too Big To Fail’ Failed”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged 2008/2009 recession, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Danny, defining deviancy down, Dodgeball, dumbing down of America, fourth grade, Gates-Chili High School, great recession, Madoff, participation trophy, Ponzi Scheme, self-esteem, success, tenth grade, too big to fail, winning, Woodlawn Intermediate

What Did You Learn From Oppenheimer?

By Chris Carosa on August 29, 2023

When you’re a hammer, everything looks like a nail. When you’re a physics and astronomy major swimming in a sea of humanities majors, everything looks like an atom.

Or, quite possibly, a planet.

I guess it depends if you’re talking to someone who just got out of a micro-economics course or a macro-economics course.

Here’s the thing about majoring in physics in astronomy. Back when I did it, it was considered a double major. In reality, given the amount of required math courses, it was really a triple major. Only the folks in New Haven didn’t officially recognize triple majors.

The point, however, is that your schedule doesn’t have a lot of room for much of anything else.

Now, here comes the twist. On top of all those courses required for the physics and Continue Reading “What Did You Learn From Oppenheimer?”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, Movie Reviews, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged A-bomb, astronomy, atomic, Churchill, Liberal Arts, Los Alamos, Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer, Physics, Plato, Potsdam, Pythagoras, quadrivium, Richard Feynman, Scarecrow, Stalin, Truman, White Sands, Wizard of Oz

CONFIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM TO PRESIDENT TRUMAN – 17JULY 1945

By Chris Carosa on August 27, 2023

N.B.: In Spring of 1981, as part of an assignment for History 111B – The American Nation, 1865-Present, the following paper was submitted as though it was written by a scientific liaison to President Truman at the July 1945 Potsdam Conference. Naturally, to keep within the time frame, the preceding character had many limitations. Scientists, even important ones like Oppenheimer, had no inkling of the military situation and were not informed of the diplomatic situation.¹⁴ For this reason, the character does not discuss the political ramifications of outdoing the Soviets because he would not know of the oncoming break in relations. Every attempt was made to draft this hypothetical report in the manner which a science writer in July of 1945 would have written it. This was done by diving into various science-oriented and news-oriented periodicals during that period. Please remember, the language of this fictitious report may seem naïve, ignorant, or even offensive by today’s standards, but it reflects what was known and thought on July 17, 1945.

CONFIDENTIAL

* * * * * SECURITY 1 PRIORITY * * * * *

MEMORANDUM TO PRESIDENT TRUMAN

SUBJECT:Continue Reading “CONFIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM TO PRESIDENT TRUMAN – 17JULY 1945”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life Tagged atomic bomb, Byrnes, Einstein, Eisenhower, fission, Forrestal, Grew, Hans Bethe, History 111B, James Chadwick, League of Nations, Lesley Groves, Lewis Strauss, Manhattan Project, Niels Bohr, Oppenheimer, Potsdam, Truman, Yale

When I Learned I Was A Writer

By Chris Carosa on August 22, 2023

Yes, I hated English class. All the way from Middle School through College. That didn’t mean I didn’t like to write. As demonstrated by my 10^th grade novel, I treated writing as a form of teenage rebellion. Teenagers must rebel, and it’s a lot safer using a pen than some other tool.

Truth be told, I wrote constantly, especially when I wasn’t supposed to. I even used English class as an excuse to write. It’s called “free writing” or “stream of consciousness writing.” It’s the kind of nonsense writing that fills journals.

In December of my senior year in high school, my father gave me an appointment book. It wasn’t as fancy as the ones they have now. His company (Hartford Insurance) printed them up for their employees. My father must have had an Continue Reading “When I Learned I Was A Writer”

Posted in Great Writing Tips, Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries

Why I Started To Write

By Chris Carosa on August 15, 2023

I’ve seen this quote all over the news lately. Funny thing, but I remember the quote and not the news story that prompted its use. The quote is from Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises. In it, Bill asks how Mike went bankrupt. Mike responds with the now literary meme, “Two ways. Gradually and then suddenly.”

It turns out this “gradually then suddenly” concept applies to a lot more than bankruptcy. Think about how the Roman Empire fell. This applies both to the OG empire centered in Continue Reading “Why I Started To Write”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Armageddon, chain reaction, critical mass, English class, Erie County Fair Museum, Ernest Hemingway, first grade, freshman year, Herbie the Helicopter, high school, I think I can, Joseph Conrad, Kirk, Mary Lee, Miss Jackson, Mr. Clauss, Mr. Harvey, Mr. Polito, nuclear fission, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Spock, Star Trek, The Enemy Within, The Secret Sharer, The Sun Also Rises