The Real Pocahontas

 

Pocahontas has been a legend of American culture for generations – the subject of romantic novels, documentaries, and Disney films. After so much fanfare, it can be difficult to separate the myth from the historic figure. Here, we’ll try to do that.

First of all, her name was not Pocahontas. Born in 1596, her real name was Amonute and sometimes Matoaka. Pocahontas was a nickname, which in Algonquin means “playful one” or “misbehaving child.”

Legend says Pocahontas fell in love with John Smith, an English settler at Jonestown who was captured by chief Powhatan her father. The two shared a secret love affair that they had to keep hidden from the Algonquins.

In actuality, there was probably little romance between the two. Pocahontas was twelve when she met John Smith and their only recorded interaction was a time when she helped Smith learn portions of the Algonquin language during his captivity.

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After his imprisonment, John Smith was sentenced to death. As the tribesmen placed his head on a stone for execution, Pocahontas intervened, pleading with her father to let her lover go.

In all likelihood, John Smith did not face execution that day. Algonquins often placed people’s heads on stones for religious rituals. It is not unlikely that John Smith was being anointed before his planned release later that day.

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Powhatan dispatched of John Smith and Pocahontas saw mournfully to her lovers’ departure – a bittersweet romance that gave her a new appreciation of how two peoples can live in harmony.

Records show that Pocahontas’ true love was actually John Rolfe, a man she married in 1614 after her own captivity among European colonists following the First Anglo-Powhatan War. Pocahontas converted to Christianity and was baptized with the name “Rebecca.” She lived among Europeans until her death on a ship bound for Virginia in 1617.

Science Source is a great source of Historic images that illuminate both the facts and legends of the past. Explore more of our images in the links above and for great history prints, mugs, and t-shirts check out our storefront below.

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Blackbeard and Swashbuckling Pirates

 

Piracy is criminal activity, such as robbery, violence, or kidnapping, on the high seas. Yet, we love pirates.

We dress-up like them, make kid's movies about them, and enjoy cartoons about them.

The history of piracy goes back to 1500 BC from the Phoenicians to the present time.

Early Pirates also include the Vikings who raided many coastal towns and cities.

When most people are talking about pirates, they refer to the golden age of swashbuckling pirates.

In the Caribbean, in the early 17th century, the English took over Tortuga. They invited pirates to attack their enemies, and they did.

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Well known pirates, also known as privateers, include Edward Teach aka Blackbeard, Barth Roberts, Captain Kidd, Calico Jack Rackham, Captain Samuel Bellamy, Hanry Morgan, and Anne Bonnie.

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Many people are not aware that the U.S. Constitution has a provision for the United States to hire privateers.

Vikings raided cities all along the coastlines for hundreds of years but the most popular and well-known pirates are from about 300 years ago. Think Pirates of the Caribbean.

The Spanish encouraged pirates to attack their enemies. These buccaneers grew so rich they took over the island of Tortuga.

This is the time and place that is heralded in motion pictures and children's books. There was a camaraderie or brotherhood amongst pirates.

By the mid 18th century, this had changed, and many pirate ships ran by enslaving their crews.

To this day, pirates ply the ocean around the world. The romance is gone, though. High powered assault rifles have replaced swords. But, the hunt for treasure and kidnapping remains.

Super Earths and Exoplanets

 

we explore further afield from our home planet, we learn there are not only other systems, but many other planets in these systems. There are people who look to these for another earth and for alien life.

Planets outside of our solar system are called exoplanets.

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Just as our solar system has planets of different sizes and types, planets in other systems are varied in size and composition.

To date, we have found 3,242 systems with planets, many with multiple planets, bringing the number of exoplanets we know of to 4,395.

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Planets are categorized by their mass. Any planet with a mass larger than earth without being 14 times higher in mass is considered a super-earth. 

The designation doesn't speak to its composition or whether it would be a friendly place for us humans to live. It only tells us the comparative mass of an exoplanet.

Recently, NASA discovered a new super-planet naming it TOI-561b.

TOI-561b travels around its sun twice as fast as we travel around ours. So it experiences two days in the time we experience one.

Life is unlikely to exist there as the temperature on it is 3,140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Yet, it is exciting to keep discovering more and more systems and planets. Perhaps, one day, we'll find one more compatible with life on our earth,