Random Patterns: Flipper Suicide, The Bronx is Misspelled, Great Emu War

The Bronx is Misspelled

Ever wonder why The Bronx is called "The Bronx" while Manhattan and Queens are not called "The Manhattan" or "The Queens"?

So did I.

It turns out The Bronx is not only short for The Bronx River, but it's also a misspelling of the first resident of the area. Jonas Bronck moved to NY from Holland in 1638.  The local river was named after Bronck, but the English map makers were unsure how to spell Bronck. The river was named The Bronck's River, but eventually misspelled "Bronx".

Eventually the entire area was called Broncksland (or Bronxland), and at some point the name of the area merged with The Bronx River, making not only a misspelled tribute to the first resident, but also kept "The" from the The Bronx River with it, hence, "The Bronx".

Baseball Opening Day

Despite all the problems in the world, there's still nothing like a beautiful opening day in baseball when everything seems perfect for a few hours. Baseball is still the best sport, even when my beloved Cubs are going to stink yet again.

Panic Button May Wipe Cell Phone Data for Protestors

The U.S. State Department is working to create a panic button or app for cell phones so protestors can wipe out their entire data when captured by government forces.

Flipper Committed Suicide

"Dolphin trainer-turned-marine activist Ric O'Barry decided to dedicate his life to saving porpoises and whales after watching the star of 1960s TV show "Flipper" take her own life."

The Great Emu War

In 1932 Australia launched The Great Emu War, sending soldiers armed with automatic machine guns to kill migrating Emu's who were wrecking havoc on farmland. As many as 20,000 Emu's were migrating across the country, and were stopping to forage for food and water at newly founded farms. The farmers complained to the government, who in turn sent the military to slaughter the large birds using machine guns.