Insights
Jason Nangle, Founder of Angle Recruitment, in early 20th-century attire uses a candlestick phone in a switchboard room with operators and Bell and Edison portraits.
A shipping leader's vessels stuck in the Strait of Hormuz sparked a word search. Discover the violent Norwegian waters behind the word maelstrom.
Hernán Cortés burned his entire fleet in 1519, leaving his men no retreat and no choice but to win. Discover the maritime origins of Burn the Ships.
The “I was here” graffiti didn’t start with Kilroy… but a WWII shipyard inspector turned it into the world’s first viral meme.
The phrase 'showing your true colours' dates back to the age of pirates and naval warfare. Discover its maritime origins in this week's Maritime Origins series.
The phrase 'loose cannon' originated on the warships of the 17th and 18th centuries. Discover the dramatic maritime history behind this everyday expression.
Thanksgiving started with a ship... The Mayflower. The 1620 voyage wasn’t the first settlement. Spanish, French, Dutch and earlier English colonies were already there.
In 1740, Vice Admiral Edward Vernon – nicknamed “Old Grog” for his coarse grogram coat – ordered that sailors’ daily rum be mixed with water.
The bitter end actually comes from the bitts, the posts on a ship where ropes are secured. When the rope runs out to the bitter end, there’s literally no more line left.
A stray cat wandered onto a warship in Hong Kong. Weeks later, Simon was a war hero.
