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**Diamonds are Forever; Sans Doute!**

A hundred and seventeen years ago on this day an immodest piece of glinting rock caught the curious, restless and searching eyes of Frederick Wells, a surface Manager employed to supervise the mining of diamonds in Transvaal, South Africa. He was very sceptical of his find but the glint emanating from that half-kilogram of off-brightContinue reading “Diamonds are Forever; Sans Doute!“

Brilliant in Crime, Miserable in Death – the Life of ‘Scarface’

“Some call it bootlegging. Some call it racketeering. I call it a business.” Even the most trenchant anthropologists would admit that successful gangsters are both daring and cunning. What motivates such men to a life of crime? The love of a good life, a thirst for power, a desire to earn the respect of theirContinue reading “Brilliant in Crime, Miserable in Death – the Life of ‘Scarface’“

The First of the Forty-Niners

In December 1848, US President James K. Polk made a dramatic announcement, “the accounts of abundance of gold are of such an extraordinary character as would scarcely command belief were they not corroborated by the authentic reports of officers in the public service,” officially acknowledging for the first time the presence of gold in California.Continue reading “The First of the Forty-Niners“

A Haunting Testimony

In Greenbier County Cemetery, West Virginia, stands a 125-year old tombstone with a historical marker. It commemorates the death of one Elva Shue in January, 1897, with an unusual pronouncement, “only known case in which testimony from [a] ghost helped convict a murderer.” The murderer so exposed by the ghost was a local blacksmith calledContinue reading “A Haunting Testimony”

Where there is Smoke, there is Fire

Remembering Ms. Katie Mulcahey’s defiance of smoking laws 114 years ago on this day Smoking, whether you love or hate it, arouses strong sentiments. Its proponents and opponents are unequalled in passion and conviction and unrivalled in adherence and opposition. There remains little debate over the pernicious outcome of this overpowering vice, its health detrimentsContinue reading “Where there is Smoke, there is Fire“

Four Freedoms

81 years ago, on this day the 6th of January, arguably one of the best Presidents of the United States made a famous speech. Commemorated as the ‘Four Freedom’ speech, the freedoms that it enunciated became the core of universal human rights. Adopted by the UN just a few years later, it underlined the evolutionContinue reading “Four Freedoms”

A Gilded Edge Tycoon-The Commodore ‘Gilded Edge’, a novel carrying this revealing title, written by Mark Twain in 1873, portrays quintessentially the lives of greedy industrialists and corrupt politicians. The real-life Gilded Age was presided over by entrepreneurs known as “captains of industry” or “robber barons”.They grew extremely rich through the monopolies they created inContinue reading

A Diarist and His Passion for Silver On December 31 of the year 1666, Samuel Pepys recorded thus in his diary.“Thus ends this year of publick wonder and mischief to this nation, and, therefore, generally wished by all people to have an end. Myself and family well, having four mayds and one clerk, Tom, inContinue reading

Tokenization – Why such Reluctance?

Buckling under mounting pressure from the payment industry, and to some extent from banks, RBI last week deferred the date of adoption of ‘Tokenization’ to June 30, 2022. This transition was to be effective from January 1, 2022, embracing multiple players such as payment merchants, e-commerce websites, streaming platforms, payment aggregators, and of course, banks.Earlier,Continue reading “Tokenization – Why such Reluctance?”

The Original Femme Fatale: Scapegoat Not Spy

“…an independent woman, a divorcee, a citizen of a neutral country, a courtesan and a dancer, which made her a perfect scapegoat for the French, who were then losing the war. She was kind of held up as an example of what might happen if your morals were too loose.”Ð Julie Wheelwright, British HistorianDoes historyContinue reading “The Original Femme Fatale: Scapegoat Not Spy”