Written By: Anthony De Vere PhillipsWoodville K. MarshallChristopher Stewart Jackson
Last Updated: Oct 3, 2019 See Article History

Barbados, an island nation in the Caribbean situated about 100 miles (160 km) east of the Windward Islands, had gained internal self-rule in 1961 and achieved its full independence from Britain on this day in 1966.

The geographic position of Barbados has profoundly influenced the island’s history and culture and aspects of its economic life. Barbados is not part of the nearby archipelago of the Lesser Antilles, although it is usually grouped with it. The island is of different geologic formation; it is less mountainous and has less variety in plant and animal life. As the first Caribbean landfall from Europe and Africa, Barbados has functioned since the late 17th century as a major link between western Europe (mainly Great Britain), eastern Caribbean territories, and parts of the South American mainland. The island was a British possession without interruption from the 17th century to 1966, when it attained independence. Because of its long association with Britain, the culture of Barbados is probably more British than is that of any other Caribbean island, though elements of the African culture of the majority population have been prominent. Since independence, cultural nationalism has been fostered as part of the process of nation-building.

for more info … britannica.com

the idea that Barbados and other Caribbean locations are great for travellers yet, those going back and forth probably don’t think about the Caribbean other than grabbing land or a vacay … It just seems like those who visit frequently land grab should pay a little extra for upkeep ..yes, the government needs a whole lot of guidance

“Mr. Sessions has used the awesome powers of this office in a shabby attempt to intimidate and frighten elderly black voters.

 – Coretta Scott King

The below information was posted April 2011

The Union of Concerned Scientists and the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania announced today that Groundhog Day will be pushed forward eight days to January 25 in 2012 in recognition of the impact climate change has had in the region.

Spring Comes Eight Days Earlier

Groundhog Day will be pushed forward eight days in recognition of the impact climate change has had on the region.

The change is based on analysis by UCS scientists who found that, since 1997, spring has come an average of eight days earlier to western Pennsylvania.

On February 2, 1897, Black inventor and businessman Alfred Cralle patents the first ice cream scoop. His popular creation is part of a surge in patents by Black inventors after the end of the Civil War.

While working as a porter at the Markell Brothers drugstore in Pittsburgh, Alfred Cralle noticed his fellow employees struggling to scoop ice cream cones for customers. Cralle decided to design a contraption to scoop ice cream easily with one hand. His invention, which he called the “ice-cream mold and disher,” received a federal patent on February 2, 1897. According to his patent application, the disher  “will be extremely simple in its construction, strong, durable, effectual in its operation and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.” The Pittsburgh Press reported that Cralle’s ice cream disher could scoop “40 to 50 dishes of ice cream in a minute,” while avoiding “the soiling of the hands.” Cralle’s invention spread rapidly, helping to satisfy the nation’s craving for ice cream.

Alfred Cralle was born in Kenbridge, Virginia, in 1866, shortly after the end of the Civil War. As a boy, Cralle learned the carpentry trade from his father. He moved to Washington, D.C. as a young man to enroll in the Wayland Theological Seminary, an institution founded to educate the free Black community after the Civil War. Eventually, Cralle moved to Pittsburgh, where he worked as a porter at the St. Charles Hotel and Markell Brothers drugstore. He also served as assistant manager of the city’s Afro-American Financial, Accumulating, Merchandise and Business Association. He died in a car accident in 1920, at the age of 54. He was the first Black man in the city of Pittsburgh to receive his own patent.

Source: history.com