Two hundred years ago today, in what would become known as the Battle of Lake Erie, a squadron of ships under the command of Oliver Hazard Perry defeated and captured a Royal Navy squadron at Put-in-Bay in Lake Erie off the coast of Ohio. Last week on Labor Day, there was a reenactment of the battle, the largest naval reenactment ever undertaken in the United States. (No surprise the Americans won again.) The boats and ships involved in the reenactment had the additional challenge of avoiding the more than 2,000 spectator vessels. The Battle of Lake Erie Bicentennial site has a wonderful slide-show of photos taken during the reenactment. Click here to view it.
Here is a wonderful 90 second video from the Plain Dealer with an animated history of the battle:
We recently 
After more than two decades, the 
Scientists have identified the largest volcano on earth, beneath the Pacific Ocean roughly half way between Japan and the Hawaiian Islands. The giant 
The 
The 
These are good times for tug boat fanatics in the North East. On Labor Day, there was the running of the 
Saltwater crocodiles are close enough to living, breathing, terrifying sea monsters. Capable of growing to over 20 feet long and weighing a tonne, they are the the largest of all living reptiles and the largest riparian predator in the world. Saltwater crocodiles were in the news recently in recent stories from Australia. The first was frightening, but ended well, while the second was tragic.
Diana Nyad
There are reports of an unsuccessful attack on the