Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s video from Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos. Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for the Daily Signal.   The midterm elections are about five months away, and we’re having here in California a hotly contested governor’s race. And of course, everybody’s heard about the mayor’s race. They all have something in common if we examine them. There is no Democratic agenda.  There’s no antithetical agenda to the Republicans.   What I’m getting at is if you watch the debates between Spencer Pratt, Karen Bass, and Councilman [Nithya] Raman, none of them run on their records as incumbents. Karen Bass does not say, “I solved the homeless problem, and here’s how I did it.” She’s not saying, “I’ve stopped crime, and here’s how I did it. I have solved and rebuilt Pacific Palisades after the fire, and here’s how I did it. And here’s my new fire prevention plan. Here’s my new water plan, so we don’t have empty…” None of it.   And when you see Councilman Raman, she doesn’t either. She doesn’t offer—all it is, is personal invective against Spencer Pratt.  When you look at the governor’s race in California, you have two Republicans in this jungle primary: Chad Bianco, the sheriff from Southern California, and Steve Hilton, Northern California entrepreneur who’s running. They’re both conservative, but they’re up against a whole array of Democratic candidates.  So if you look at what Xavier Becerra says, Kathleen Porter says, Tom Steyer says, there’s no agenda. They don’t say, “I want to continue Gavin Newsom’s program. High-speed rail has been a great success. I know we’ve had some controversies, but I want to finish it, and I can come up with the $250 billion to do it. We should be proud that we have the most illegal aliens in the country. Gavin Newsom allotted $500 million to illegal alien medical care. I’d like to boost that and improve on it. We have a very sophisticated penal system. I know crime is high, but when you treat criminals humanitarily, in a humane way, crime goes down.   “So when Governor Newsom, which I second, allowed iPads for people in prisons to use, and maybe some of them abused them a little bit, that’s a good idea and I’ll build on it. And we have the homeless, half the homeless people in the country because they like our weather and we’re a humane people. We’ve got to improve on that. We have the highest gas prices, but that means less pollution. And we have the highest taxes, that’s share the wealth. And we’re going to tax accumulated wealth of billionaires. Why not? They can pay their fair share.”  But they, they don’t defend the record in any specificity. None of them do. And none of them do in the Democratic Party on these congressional elections. They never say that we had a president. What happened?   We had Joe Biden, and we had a very orderly withdrawal from Afghanistan. It was a model operation. Or why do we need a border? Joe Biden showed you that we could let in ten thousand people a day, ten million over four years. Nothing was wrong with that.   We had a few criminals here and there, but it was a very humane policy. And we want to open that border, tear down that wall, and resume the Biden immigration policy.  Now, as far as crime, why would we want to be punitive? Some people, you know, they commit violent crimes, but they have to come up with cash to get out of jail. We got rid of cash bail because society, society is guilty, not the criminal. We should understand that by now.   And, you know, before Trump came in, we had DEI, diversity, equity, inclusion. And what it was is that we took into account, in a preferential manner your race, superficial appearance, your ethnic background, your sexuality, your gender, etc.   And that was a wonderful thing because the country had been founded by white males. The Founding Fathers were all white males. And ninety-five percent were white males. And you know how bad the country is now. So why don’t we, kind of, reverse the process. And let other people have preferences to make up for systemic bias and racism? So we want more DEI. That’s what we’re going to do if you elect us.  Now, there’s been a lot of attack on government, DOGE, etc. But whatever you say about the fraud in Minnesota or the fraud in California or the fraud in Chicago, notice that a lot of the people who are allegedly committing it are people of color.   So this is a Right-wing racist campaign.   But more importantly, even if it wasn’t DEI, what is so wrong with taking government money from wealthy people, taxing it, and then spreading it around? Do we really care if somebody is on electronic banking transfer or food stamp card and he has two or three of them? He’s in need. He’s not a billionaire like Ken Griffin.  Here’s what I’m getting at. They don’t take the Biden record or the Obama record and defend it. They don’t give specific anecdotes to the Republicans, so that they can win.   So what do they do? When you listen to these debates, you look at these congressional races, they say the following. Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Donald Trump. We are not Donald Trump. Donald Trump is a Nazi. No, he’s a fascist. No, he’s an Epstein molester. No, he’s a pedophile. No, he’s a rapist. No, he’s a terrorist. That’s about all they have. And to the degree they do get specific, they call people fascists and Nazis.  Why do they do that? They do that because they know the agenda was not popular with the American people. And so their agenda is not going to be defended. And they know that Donald Trump is a counterrevolutionary. He’s doing things that are shaking up the United States that we haven’t seen in 100 years. And that offends a lot of entrenched interests. And so they think by just saying Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Donald Trump, fascist, fascist, Nazi, they can get that message across.  More importantly, they do one other thing, one other thing in these elections. They talk about changing the system. Not working within it when they’re out of power.   When they lose power, the Left, they say, the system, not us, lost our power. So if we get back in power, we’re gonna start lawfare again, just like the five civil and criminal cases that went after Donald Trump.   You know what else we’re gonna do? We’re gonna pack the court. We’re gonna get 15 justices to nullify the, since 1869, nine-justice court.   We’re gonna get rid of the Electoral College through the National Popular Vote Compact. We’re gonna let in Puerto Rico. We’re gonna let in D.C. as states. We’re gonna get four senators, as well. We’re gonna get rid of the 180-200-year Senate filibuster. That’s what they talk about.  They talk about changing the system because within the system they’re not successful.   So we have not heard agendas that are positive, that counter the Republican agenda. This is not the party of JFK or Bill Clinton. This is something very different. This is a revolutionary socialist agenda that wants to change fundamentally the United States. It’s what Barack Obama said he wanted to do. But he didn’t, yet, have the power to do so. And now they want to reify that radical socialist agenda.  And the only way they can do it is by demonizing other people and calling them names or changing the system. Otherwise, they’d have to have a positive agenda, and that would be equivalent with defeat.   We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of the Daily Signal.

A federal judge ruled in favor of a Salvadoran illegal alien and dismissed smuggling charges after accusing the Trump administration of unfairly retaliating against him.Kilmar Abrego Garcia has become a cause célèbre of the left after he was scooped up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to be deported after living in Maryland for more than a decade.'Only after Abrego succeeded in vindicating his rights did the Executive Branch reopen that investigation.'The Trump administration was forced by a federal judge to bring Garcia back to the U.S. in April 2025, but then immediately turned around and charged him with smuggling crimes related to an arrest incident in 2022.On Friday, U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw agreed with Garcia's defense that the Trump administration's prosecution was acting out of vindictiveness against him.Crenshaw gave the government attorneys space to argue against the finding but concluded eventually that "the evidence before this Court sadly reflects an abuse of prosecuting power."While the judge said there was not enough evidence to prove actual vindictiveness, he said the government did not argue well enough against the "retaliatory taint" alleged by the defense."The Court does not reach its conclusion lightly," the judge wrote. "The objective evidence here shows that, absent Abrego's successful lawsuit challenging his removal to El Salvador, the Government would not have brought this prosecution. The Executive Branch closed its investigation on the November 2022 traffic stop. Only after Abrego succeeded in vindicating his rights did the Executive Branch reopen that investigation."A spokesperson for the Justice Department said the department would appeal the decision.The media had come to the defense of Garcia from the beginning and was mocked for identifying him as a "Maryland man" in headlines in order to garner sympathy for his plight.His family pleaded in the media that he was not a violent criminal and was a good husband and father, before it was revealed that he was reported for domestic violence.RELATED: VIDEO: Democrat melts down during hearing over evidence that Kilmar Garcia is an MS-13 gang member During a hearing about the case, a Justice Department attorney admitted in court that Garcia had been deported to El Salvador due to a clerical mistake. That attorney was later suspended and has since become a vocal critic of the administration's legal policies.Garcia has been accused by the Trump administration of being an MS-13 criminal gang member, but he has denied the allegations.Judge Crenshaw was nominated to the court by former President Barack Obama in 2015. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A retired police officer said he missed his wedding anniversary and the birth of his granddaughter because he was in jail for refusing to take down a meme from Facebook about the death of Charlie Kirk.Larry Bushart, 61, received $835,000 in a settlement on Wednesday after suing Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems over the incident.'Respect the First Amendment today, or be prepared to pay the price tomorrow.' Bushart posted several memes after Kirk was shot and killed in Sept. 2025. One of the memes quoted President Donald Trump on a separate shooting case where he said, "We have to get over it."While Weems admitted that some of Bushart's posts were protected by free speech rights, he claimed that this particular post had caused people to fear the possibility of political violence.The meme referenced the president's comments about a shooting at Perry High School in Iowa, but the sheriff said it made people believe Weems was calling for a shooting at Perry County High School in Tennessee."This has everything to do with a guy coming onto a Perry County page posting this picture leading people in our community to believe that there was a hypothetical Perry County High School shooting that caused fear in our community — and we done something about it," Weems said to WTVF-TV in Oct. 2025.When Bushart was arrested, he was informed about the threat to a school."At a school?" Bushart responded. "I play on Facebook. I threatened no one."The sheriff admitted that the police knew Bushart was referring to a different school but added that the public did not know that.Weems put Bushart in jail, and a local judge set his bail at $2 million.After 37 days, the felony charge was dropped and Bushart was set free.Bushart also said he lost his post-retirement job while in jail."I am pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated," Bushart said after the settlement was reached. "The people's freedom to participate in civil discourse is crucial to a healthy democracy. I am looking forward to moving on and spending time with my family."RELATED: Beto O'Rourke blames 'powerful memes' and Democratic incompetence for 'incredible performance' of Trump among Mexican-Americans Cary Davis, an attorney for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, praised the ruling as a warning to other government officials. FIRE represented Bushart in the case."It's in times of turmoil and heightened tensions that our national commitment to free speech is tested the most," Davis said."When government officials fail that test, the Constitution exists to hold them accountable," Davis added. "Our hope is that Larry's settlement sends a message to law enforcement across the country: Respect the First Amendment today, or be prepared to pay the price tomorrow."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

John McDonnell/Getty ImagesSean Taylor was killed in his home, where he was resting while recovering from a knee injury. On Nov. 26, 2007, a group of intruders broke into the Florida home of Washington Redskins player Sean Taylor while he, his girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, and their 18-month-old infant slept. The noise startled them awake; Taylor told Garcia to hide and grabbed a machete to ward off the intruders. Unfortunately, one of them shot him and fled. Taylor was rushed to the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. The bullet had severed a femoral artery, and he was losing blood fast. After hours of surgery while Taylor was comatose, he died before he could speak to detectives and help catch his killer. Police soon arrested the four men involved in the home invasion, but it would take another seven years before his killer, Eric Rivera, received his sentence. Sean Taylor’s Early Life And Career Sean Michael Maurice Taylor was born on April 1, 1983, in Florida City, Florida, to Pedro Taylor and Donna Junor. As a kid, he gravitated towards football, eventually playing for Miami Killian Senior High School before transferring to Gulliver Prep School and playing for the Gulliver Prep Raiders. He also ran track and played for the school’s basketball team. Sean Taylor as a child. By the time he left prep school, numerous colleges had their eyes on him. He was a star athlete and honors student who, according to Pro Football History, was named the seventh-ranked prospect in Dade County. Taylor ended up choosing the University of Miami, becoming one of a small group of freshmen who actually got to play for the Hurricanes. His sophomore year saw him spending more time on the field, and soon enough he was a household name among college football fans. His junior year was even better — so much so that he didn’t even bother moving on to his senior year and entered the NFL draft instead. John McDonnell/Getty ImagesOct. 14, 2007: Sean Taylor catches an interception one month before he was shot. Evidently, that bet paid off. In 2004, the Washington Redskins drafted Taylor fifth in the draft overall, offering him a six-year contract. And despite a few minor incidents early on — being summoned by police for an investigation into shots fired at a stolen vehicle, and a uniform violation — Taylor’s career was off to a strong start. Unfortunately, his career didn’t last long. The Botched Home Burglary That Killed Sean Taylor As Taylor was entering his fourth season with the Redskins, he sustained a knee injury that left him temporarily unable to play. Of course, he still traveled with the team, so he was away from Florida on Nov. 18, 2007 — the first time his home was broken into. The Miami Herald reported that in this first instance, the intruder entered the home, rifled through some drawers and a safe, and left a kitchen knife on the bed. Other than that, the incident passed without much fanfare or notice. A week later, however, the team’s schedule brought them to Tampa, and Taylor, still unable to play, decided to spend some time at his Palmetto Bay home with his girlfriend and child while waiting to get a second opinion on his knee. Unfortunately, the group of burglars who decided to hit Taylor’s home didn’t get the memo that he was going to be at his home that night. Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesThe crime scene at Sean Taylor’s Palmetto Bay, Florida residence the day after he was shot. Around 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 26, Taylor and Garcia heard loud noises in their home that jolted them awake. As Taylor’s attorney Richard Sharpstein later explained, Taylor told her to get under the covers while he shut their bedroom door and grabbed the machete he kept under the bed. Sharpstein said that Garcia had told him she couldn’t hear any voices, but “she heard a lot of noise that she related to more than one person. There seemed to be a lot of commotion.” Before they could even figure out what was going on, their bedroom door opened, shots were fired, and Taylor fell backwards bleeding from his groin. The gunman never entered the room, but turned and fled after they fired off two shots, one hitting Taylor, the other hitting the wall. “Nothing was stolen,” Sharpstein said. “My instincts tell me this was not a murder or a hit. It was certainly not professionally done in that two random shots were fired.” Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesSean Taylor’s father, Pedro Taylor, sitting in a car outside his son’s home as the police investigation was underway. Sean Taylor’s Tragic Death By the time Taylor arrived at the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, he had lost a great deal of blood. He clung to life for 24 hours, but in the end succumbed to his wound and died at 3:30 a.m. on Nov. 27, 2007. “It is with deep regret that a young man had to come to his end so soon. Many of his fans loved him because of the way he played football. Many of his opponents feared him, the way he approached the game. Others misunderstood him, many appreciated him, and his family loved him. I can only hope and pray that Sean’s life was not in vain, that it might touch others in a special way.”Pedro Taylor Three days later, police arrested four men for the home invasion and shooting: Eric Rivera, Charles Wardlow, Venjah Hunte, and Jason Mitchell. Rivera, 17 at the time, was the one accused of shooting Sean Taylor. And after several delays, he finally stood trial in 2013. Eric Rivera’s Trial For The Murder Of Sean Taylor By the time Eric Rivera went to trial, he was 23 years old — but because he was 17 on the night of the shooting, it complicated his case. Initially, ESPN reported, Rivera was charged with first-degree murder, but because he had been a minor when the incident took place, he was ineligible for the death penalty. Instead, a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder and armed burglary. The evidence against him was significant; police even had a videotaped confession in which Rivera admitted to shooting Taylor after the football player confronted them at his bedroom door. Eric Rivera, the man who killed Sean Taylor, in court. Rivera also said that he and his fellow burglars didn’t know Taylor would be home at the time with a knee injury. Rather, they expected him to be in Tampa, playing with his team. However, Rivera also later recanted his confession, saying it had been coerced out of him and that another member of the group had been the one to shoot Taylor. The gun was never found. Police said it was wrapped in a sock and discarded in the Florida Everglades. Several witnesses at the trial also offered insight as to the motive. Taylor reportedly kept large sums of cash at his home. In fact, a few weeks earlier Jason Mitchell had gone to a birthday party for Taylor’s half-sister and noticed that Taylor gifted her a $10,000 purse. If the young men were going to rob any house, Taylor’s seemed like the perfect target. Rivera said the group felt they could get anywhere between $100,000 and $200,000 in cash by burglarizing the home. But murder hadn’t been part of the plan. The Aftermath Of Sean Taylor’s Death In a brief statement to Sean Taylor’s family, Rivera apologized for the killing, saying that Taylor was “a good man.” Win McNamee/Getty ImagesRedskins fans standing beside a makeshift memorial for Sean Taylor. “I live with his death every day. I’m going to have to deal with the consequences,” Rivera said. Members of his family, meanwhile, pleaded for a lenient sentence for him. In the end, he got 57 years in prison. Assistant State Attorney Reid Rubin, on the other hand, didn’t share the family’s sentiment, calling Rivera a “sophisticated, manipulative criminal. There’s no good reason to believe he will change.” Sean Taylor “lost his life defending and protecting his family,” Rubin said. “They kicked the door in and they shot him and killed him, for no good reason.” After learning the story of Sean Taylor’s tragic death, learn about the death of Odin Lloyd, the man killed by Aaron Hernandez. Then, read about Randall Woodfield, the football player who became a serial killer. The post Inside The Tragic Death Of Sean Taylor, The Rising NFL Star Killed At The Age Of Just 24 appeared first on All That's Interesting.

In 1960, John F. Kennedy made history as the youngest elected president in U.S. history. Just three years later, he became the youngest president to die in office — and the JFK assassination stands as one of the defining moments of the 20th century. But there was much more to Jack Kennedy than the circumstances of his election or his death. A scion of the powerful Kennedy family, Jack Kennedy hadn’t planned on a career in politics. His father, Joseph Kennedy had long hoped that Jack’s older brother, Joe Jr., would ascend to the White House. But when Joe Jr. died during World War II, their father’s hopes and dreams fell upon Jack. Intelligent, handsome, and charismatic, Jack Kennedy’s political rise was swift. After serving in Congress and the Senate, Kennedy was elected as the first Catholic president in the nation’s history in 1960. He, his glamorous wife Jackie, and their children, became symbols of optimism, youth, and glamor. But John F. Kennedy’s presidency had its challenges. He stumbled early on during the Bay of Pigs, and brought the world to the brink of nuclear war during the Cuban missile crisis. Meanwhile, the Vietnam War began to expand in scope, and Kennedy faced a number of challenges at home as the civil rights movement began to gain steam. That said, Kennedy remained popular at home. And he had begun to lay the foundation for civil rights legislation when he was assassinated in 1963. Below, look through these photos of the life of John F. Kennedy. And read on to learn about his childhood, entrance into politics, presidency, and death. Click here to view slideshow John F. Kennedy's Privileged Early Life John F. "Jack" Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917, to Joseph and Rose Kennedy, the second of their nine children. The Kennedy family was wealthy, and Jack enjoyed a privileged childhood of private schools, summer homes, and luxurious vacations. According to the Miller Center, he once claimed that all he knew of the Great Depression came from books. But Kennedy also faced hardship early on — he was frequently ill during his childhood with everything from the common cold to scarlet fever, and he was later diagnosed with an endocrine disorder known as Addison's disease. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and MuseumThe Kennedy family at Hyannis Port, Massachusetts in 1931. Though his bouts of illness meant that Kennedy frequently missed school, he nevertheless enrolled at Harvard University in 1936. While there, his father was appointed as the ambassador to Great Britain, and Kennedy later wrote his senior thesis on why Britain had been unprepared for the start of World War II. It was later published as a successful book, Why England Slept. Then, like many young men of his generation, Jack Kennedy enlisted to fight in the war. And here his fate was decided. During the war, Jack's older brother, Joe Jr., whom their father had always wanted to be president, was killed. Meanwhile, Jack not only survived the war, but emerged as a war hero. When Jack Kennedy returned home, he inherited his father's ambition. And over the next decade, he'd enjoy a meteoric political rise to the presidency. The Highs And Lows Of John F. Kennedy's 'Camelot' Presidency In 1946, bolstered by his youth, good looks, and his father's fortune, John F. Kennedy won a seat in Congress. After serving three terms, he ran for the U.S. Senate in 1956 and won. Then, in 1960, he successfully challenged Richard Nixon, the sitting vice president — and was elected that November as the nation's first Catholic president. Kennedy was just 43 years old. But his presidency had a rocky start. In April 1961, Kennedy authorized a mission to overthrow Cuban leader Fidel Castro, but the subsequent Bay of Pigs invasion was a complete failure. Then, during the Cuban Missile crisis in October 1962, it seemed that tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union might tip into nuclear war before the two nations came to an agreement. Meanwhile, many of John F. Kennedy's domestic policies died in Congress, and the conflict in Vietnam had begun to intensify. National Archives and Records AdministrationJohn F. Kennedy greeting Peace Corps volunteers. The creation of the Peace Corps was one of his major accomplishments. That said, Kennedy was a hugely inspirational figure in the United States — and abroad. During Kennedy's inauguration, he had famously asked Americans to "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." He created the Peace Corps, called for man to go to the moon, and, though slow to react to the growing anger of the civil rights movement, declared his intention to pass a nation-changing civil rights bill. Meanwhile, his wife, Jackie, and their children, Caroline and John Jr., brought a feeling of youth, glamour, and modernity to the White House. Jackie Kennedy would famously call the Kennedy years "Camelot." Sadly, Camelot would come to a tragic end. The Assassination Of John F. Kennedy — And His Legacy Today By Nov. 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy had begun to lay the groundwork for his second term in office. Though he had not yet announced his intention to run again, he had spent the autumn speaking around the country, and the John F. Kennedy Library writes that he went to Dallas to both ease interparty tensions and to bolster his upcoming reelection. But things would go terribly wrong. After arriving in Dallas that morning, Jack and Jackie Kennedy joined Texas Governor John Connally and his wife, Nellie, for a drive from the airport to the Dallas Trade Mart, where the president was supposed to speak. At 12:30 p.m., however, as the car turned onto Dealey Plaza, three shots rang out. John F. Kennedy was hit twice; John Connally was shot once. The governor was badly wounded, but Kennedy was fatally injured after being shot in the neck and the head. Though he was rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital, the president was declared dead at 1 p.m., at the age of 46. National Archives and Records AdministrationPresident Kennedy, in the moments before his assassination on Nov. 22, 1963. In the aftermath, a 24-year-old man named Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested and accused of killing the president. Though some believe that Oswald had help — or that he was unfairly framed — the Warren Commission later found that Oswald had acted alone. However, Oswald was shot and killed two days later by nightclub owner Jack Ruby, so many questions about Oswald and his possible motives remain to this day. More than 50 years later, John F. Kennedy is primarily known for the manner of his death. His assassination marked the end of Camelot, and the years that followed would be defined by assassinations, war, and violence. But Kennedy was more than just his death. In the gallery above, look through photos of John F. Kennedy's life, from his privileged upbringing, to his political rise, to the glamorous days of the Kennedy White House. After looking through these photos of John F. Kennedy, discover the tragic story of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, JFK's brother. Or learn about Dorothy Kilgallen, the journalist who mysteriously died while investigating the JFK assassination. The post 44 Illuminating Photos Of John F. Kennedy, From His World War II Heroism To His Marriage And Family appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Titanic Archive/YouTubeRuth Becker speaks about the Titanic during an interview in the 1980s. In 1982, Ruth Becker — one of the last living RMS Titanic survivors — described watching the ship break apart as it sank. Her account was doubted at the time, but she lived to see her testimony vindicated when the wreck was discovered in two pieces in 1985. A viral TikTok by @history.on.loop with more than 1.7 million views shows two images of Ruth Becker describing the final moments of the Titanic. The text overlay of the video claims the following: “In 1982 Titanic survivor Ruth Becker was giving an interview where she stated the ship broke in two. The treasurer of the Titanic Historical Society actually took the microphone away from her and said she had been mistaken. Three years later they found the wreck broken in two.” The story struck a nerve, with viewers criticizing officials for doubting a first-hand account and others saying that she deserves a public apology. But did she ever get one? Ruth Becker’s Experience On The Titanic Ruth Elizabeth Becker was born in India to American missionaries in 1899. In early 1912, her younger brother Richard fell ill, and at the advice of physicians, her mother Nellie took Ruth, Richard, and their sister Marion back to the U.S. for treatment so he’d have a better chance of surviving. They left Ruth’s father behind in India. The family boarded the Titanic in Southampton on April 10, 1912, as second-class passengers. Ruth recalled her mother having doubts about the voyage and asking a crew member about the ship’s safety. Public DomainRuth Becker in 1912, the year of her ill-fated voyage on the Titanic. On the night of the sinking, a steward told Nellie, who had noticed that the ship had stopped moving in the middle of the ocean, that there had been “a little accident” but that they were going to fix it and would be on their way shortly, Becker recalled in an interview preserved by the Titanic Archive. Nellie Becker wasn’t convinced. She gathered the children and headed to the upper decks. It was cold, so she sent Ruth back down to get blankets, but by the time Ruth returned, her two siblings had already been loaded into Lifeboat 11. When the crew said that the boat was full, Ruth later recalled, her mother screamed, “Please let me in that boat! Those are my children!” They let Nellie in, but Ruth was still left on the ship. Nellie screamed down to her to get in another boat. Ruth went up to the crew member loading the next lifeboat. “I asked him if I could get in the boat,” she recalled, “and he says, ‘Sure.’ And he picked me up and dumped me in. I evidently was the last one put in that boat because they started lowering right away.” Public DomainThe Titanic leaving Southampton, England, on April 10, 1912. From the lifeboat, Ruth said she watched the Titanic go down. “The Titanic was going down very slowly,” she recalled. “These people were standing there at the decks, at the railing, wishing somebody, I suppose, would come and rescue them. But finally, it did go down, and all the people who were standing at the decks at the railing jumped. They jumped out, and they screamed and they yelled for help… I can still hear them jumping from the deck and screaming and yelling for help, and the boat finally went under the water. There was nothing left.” She and the other survivors rowed from 1:00 to 4:30 in the morning, when they spotted the lights of the rescue ship Carpathia. Ruth was so numb with cold that she couldn’t hold on to the rescue swing, so they tied her in and pulled her up. She was reunited with her mother and siblings on board. Public DomainGerman artist Willy Stöwer’s 1912 depiction of the Titanic sinking. Ruth went on to graduate from Wooster College, become a teacher, marry, and raise three children. For decades, she refused to speak about her time on the Titanic. Even her own children didn’t know she had been on board. It was only after her retirement and her move to Santa Barbara in 1971 that she began to open up. The Debate About The Sinking Of The Titanic In 1982, Becker spoke at a Titanic Historical Society convention and described how the ship broke in two before it went under. According to the caption of the TikTok video, an officer of the society took the microphone from her and told the audience she had been mistaken, though there is no video footage of this incident. However, other survivors had certainly been dismissed over the decades after claiming that the Titanic split in two. The conventional view was that the Titanic sank in one piece. This was largely due to the testimony of Second Officer Charles Lightoller, which was believed over the word of other survivors. Lightoller was the most senior officer to survive the disaster, and passengers had given conflicting reports due to the chaos and darkness of the night. NOAA/Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode IslandThe bow of the Titanic sits more than 2,000 feet from the ship’s stern on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. Then, in September 1985, oceanographer Robert Ballard located the Titanic on the floor of the North Atlantic Ocean. When his crew found the wreckage, it was in fact in two pieces, just as survivors had described. While Becker couldn’t receive an apology for an incident that isn’t credibly documented, she did live to see her testimony vindicated. She died on July 6, 1990, at age 90. Her ashes were scattered at sea over the spot where the Titanic lies. All That’s Interesting reached out to @history.on.loop for comment via TikTok direct message and comment. After reading about Ruth Becker and her testimony about the Titanic, go inside the stories of 12 other survivors of the disaster. Then, read about the iceberg that sank the ship The post <em>Titanic</em> Survivor Ruth Becker Claimed The Ship Broke In Two Before It Sank — But Nobody Believed Her appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Archaeological Museum of the Dubrovnik MuseumsThe Greek theater mask found in Croatia’s Crno Jezero cave in Pelješac. While excavating the Crno Jezero cave in Pelješac, Croatia, archaeologists came across a 2,000-year-old figurine wearing a Greek theater mask. Small, scowling, and made of terracotta, it likely once hung on a wall — and may have been involved in ancient rituals. Archaeologists also found a number of wine vessels in the cave, and it’s possible that these and the figurine were related. After all, the Greek patron of theater was the god Dionysus, who was also the god of wine. Ceremonies in his honor may have been held inside this cave more than two millennia ago. The 2,000-Year-Old Greek Theater Mask Figurine Found In Croatia Archaeological Museum of the Dubrovnik MuseumsThe excavations took place at Crno Jezero cave, which has been used by humans since the Bronze Age. According to a statement from the Archaeological Museum of the Dubrovnik Museums, the Greek theater mask figurine was found during excavations at Crno Jezero cave in Pelješac, which took place between April and May. Dating to the 3rd or 4th century B.C.E., the theater mask figurine is hollow inside and has a hanging hole at the top. Archaeologists believe that it was likely hung on a wall, and that it was “undoubtedly associated with theater.” The figurine also likely has a connection to the Greek god Dionysus, the god of wine, theater, and festivity. This seems all the more likely since archaeologists have also found a number of high-quality Greek vessels, both for storing wine and drinking wine, within the cave. “Thanks to their location in a hidden, intact part of the cave, the finds have remained intact and almost completely preserved, almost like a frozen image more than two thousand years old,” said archaeologist Domagoj Perkić, head of the Archaeological Museum. Archaeological Museum of DubrovnikArchaeologists found vessels for storing and drinking wine in the cave, possibly a nod to ancient rituals worshipping the Greek god Dionysus. According to the museum, the wine vessels were not used in day-to-day life, but were “a symbol of the wealth and power of the local prehistoric community…who obviously had a need to use them in rituals unknown to us (possibly related to drinking wine).” However, the exact significance of the wine vessels is unclear. “We can only speculate whether we can connect Dionysus or his Illyrian counterpart with the wine vessels,” Perkić stated, “and at the same time with the aforementioned mask, and whether we can find in them the deity to whom the cave served as a sanctuary and what rituals were performed there.” Archaeological Museum of DubrovnikA small wine vessel found in Crno Jezero cave. But what is clear is that ancient humans used the Crno Jezero cave for a long, long time. The Ancient History Of The Crno Jezero Cave The Crno Jezero cave, located on the Pelješac peninsula in southern Croatia, was used by humans starting in the Bronze Age. Then, during the 2nd millennium B.C.E., it was used as a refuge. But starting in the Late Bronze Age and then into the Iron Age, it was used instead as necropolis. Archaeological Museum of DubrovnikExcavations in Crno Jezero cave have shown evidence of human occupation for thousands of years, starting in the Bronze Age. “According to the results of radiocarbon analyses of human bones, this is from the period between 1012 and 481 BC, so it served as a necropolis for a little over five hundred years,” Perkić explained. Starting around the 4th century B.C.E., it was used as sanctuary, with items like amphorae, bowls, an kantharos (a Greek drinking cup) left as votive offerings, likely for religious or ritualistic purposes. It was during this period that the Greek theater mask figurine was also left in the cave. Possibly — given the discovery of both the figurine and the wine vessels — rituals related to the Greek god Dionysus took place at Crno Jezero cave some 2,000 years ago. But many questions still remain. Regardless, the Greek theater mask figurine is an astounding discovery — a small but vital piece of Crno Jezero cave’s long, long history. After reading about the 2,000-year-old Greek theater mask figurine found in a cave in Croatia, discover the stories of some of the most fascinating gods from Greek mythology. Then, learn about the true history behind the Trojan War. The post Archaeologists Just Found A Greek Theater Mask Figurine At An Ancient Worship Site Inside A Croatian Cave appeared first on All That's Interesting.

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