Carol's Massage Therapy

10/11/2025

Three Japanese sailors washed ashore in what is now Washington state in 1834, more than a year after their ship went missing.

Their vessel, the Hojunmaru, was a cargo ship carrying rice and porcelain. It departed from the coast of Japan in 1832 for a routine trip to Edo, which is now Tokyo.

A powerful storm struck, disabling the ship by breaking its mast and rudder. With no way to steer or sail, the Hojunmaru was left adrift.

For 14 long months, the ship and its crew of 14 drifted aimlessly across the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean.

Food and water ran out. One by one, the crew succumbed to scurvy and starvation until only three remained: Iwakichi, Kyukichi, and the young Otokichi. 🛳️

Their incredible and tragic journey finally ended when their battered ship ran aground near Cape Alava, Washington.

The three survivors were found by the local Makah people. They were the first Japanese people known to have set foot in the Western Hemisphere.

After a time with the tribe, they were taken into the custody of the Hudson's Bay Company. Efforts were made to return them to their home, but Japan's strict isolationist policy at the time forbade the return of citizens who had left. 🌊

They never saw their homeland again, but their story became a significant early chapter in the relationship between Japan and the Western world. 🇯🇵

Sources: Washington State Historical Society, Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Records of the Makah Nation

07/11/2025

On this date in history (November 7, 1885), a single hammer blow marked the completion of one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century.

For years, Canada had pursued a dream of uniting its vast territory, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

The plan was to build a transcontinental railway, a monumental task that would traverse thousands of kilometers of forests, prairies, and the formidable Rocky Mountains.

Construction began in 1881, a grueling and often dangerous effort that employed thousands of workers, whose contributions in the perilous mountain sections were essential to the project's success. 🚂

They faced harsh weather, unforgiving terrain, and the constant challenges of building bridges and tunnels through the wilderness.

On November 7, 1885, at a location called Craigellachie in British Columbia, company director Donald Smith drove the ceremonial 'last spike' into the railway tie.

With that simple act, the Canadian Pacific Railway was officially complete, connecting the eastern part of the country to the Pacific coast. 🍁

This milestone transformed Canada, opening the west for settlement, stimulating the economy, and physically linking the young nation together.

The phrase 'The Last Spike' became a powerful symbol of Canadian ambition and national unity, and the original spike is still preserved today.

07/11/2025

Have just finished a manual with tips how to treat yourself, will be available as an ebook and hard copy via my website soon, or hardcopy will be available at my office in about a fortnight.
Large font, diagrams, detox recipes and more. Will advise when I have delivery 😃

31/10/2025

On this date in history (10.30.1938), many Americans listening to the radio believed the country was under attack by Martians. 👽

It was an ordinary Sunday evening when Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre on the Air broadcast their adaptation of H.G. Wells's novel, "The War of the Worlds."

The program was cleverly structured not as a typical play, but as a series of simulated news bulletins interrupting a broadcast of dance music.

Listeners who tuned in late missed the introduction explaining the show was fictional. They were met with increasingly frantic reports of giant Martian cylinders landing in Grovers Mill, New Jersey, followed by descriptions of destructive heat-rays.

Panic ensued for some, with people reportedly fleeing their homes and flooding police switchboards with calls. 📻

The extent of this panic was later found to be exaggerated, largely driven by newspaper coverage. Some historians note that newspapers, competing with the new medium of radio for advertising dollars, were eager to highlight the dangers of broadcast news.

Despite an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), no penalties were issued. However, the event prompted new regulations against using such realistic simulations in entertainment programs.

The broadcast launched 23-year-old Orson Welles into stardom, establishing his reputation as a dramatic innovator and paving the way for his future work, including the film Citizen Kane.

31/10/2025

31/10/2025

Scary

Researchers have developed the first functional nanorobots capable of moving inside the human body to deliver medicine precisely where it’s needed. These robots are measured in nanometers, thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair.

Guided by magnetic fields or chemical signals, nanorobots can target specific cells or tissues, releasing drugs directly into tumors, infections, or damaged areas. This method reduces side effects compared to traditional medicine, since only the affected area is treated.

Potential applications include cancer therapy, blood clot removal, and regenerative medicine. Scientists envision a future where routine treatments are handled by tiny machines working invisibly inside us.

It’s a breakthrough at the intersection of nanotechnology, robotics, and medicine, opening the door to treatments once imagined only in science fiction.

31/10/2025

A woman's bones were found in Antarctica, and they've just rewritten everything we thought we knew about the frozen continent's history. In 1985, archaeologists made a discovery on a remote Antarctic beach that would challenge centuries of assumptions. The remains belonged to a young indigenous woman from Chile who died nearly 200 years ago, making her the oldest known human to have set foot on Antarctica. But here's the mystery that haunts historians: what was she doing there? Women were never part of sealing expeditions, and Antarctica was supposed to be untouched by humans at that time. Her story is now causing diplomatic waves as nations prepare to renegotiate the Antarctic Treaty.

29/10/2025

On this date in history (October 29), the roaring twenties came to a sudden and catastrophic end.

On the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, a wave of panic selling erupted, unlike anything seen before. This day would forever be known as Black Tuesday.

Over 16 million shares were traded in a single day, a record that stood for nearly four decades. As the ticker tapes ran hours behind, fortunes built over a decade were wiped out in a matter of hours.

Investors, from wealthy industrialists to everyday workers who had put their life savings into the market, watched in horror as the value of their stocks evaporated. 📉

The total losses for the day were an estimated $14 billion, which is equivalent to over $240 billion in today's money. The financial devastation was immense and immediate.

This crash was not just a single bad day for Wall Street. It was the critical catalyst that triggered the Great Depression, a decade-long period of severe economic hardship across America and the world.

Banks failed, businesses closed, and millions of Americans lost their jobs and homes in the years that followed.

The event revealed deep vulnerabilities in the nation's economy and led to sweeping financial reforms, including the creation of the SEC to regulate the stock market and protect investors. 💸

Sources: National Archives, Federal Reserve historical records, The Wall Street Journal archives

29/10/2025

29/10/2025

29/10/2025