Ever hear the phrase, “That’s the best thing since sliced bread?”  It got me thinking.  Sliced bread has been with us for a relatively short period of time (it was ninety-eight years ago, in 1928, that the first mechanical breadslicer was invented by Otto Frederick Rohwedder), but that’s nothing compared to the first great inventions of the world, generally thought to be the wheel and the use of fire.  More than one species of humans have used fire to cook their food and warm up on a cold night in the Stone Age,  around two hundred to four hundred thousand years ago.  There’s evidence of the use of fire much earlier as well, but it’s the controlled use of fire that was the great leap forward.  Think of the early humans, Homo sapiens and the various subspecies, Homo sapiens idaltu (the “elder wise human”), Homo neanderthalensis (extinct now thirty thousand years) and Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, diverging from each other some five hundred thousand years ago, giving rise eventually to our first evidence for the common ancestor of all humans now on the planet some two hundred thousand years ago.  Somewhere in that time, these ancestors witnessed fire falling from the sky in the form of lightning, they saw it catch trees on fire, and they eventually learned how to keep the fire going, but not yet how to start it.  Then, in this distant past, one or more of these ancestors (because ideas never seem to arise from a single source), figured out how to create fire on the ground, using stones.  That must have seemed like a miracle then, probably sparking, too, the origins of the myth of Prometheus, stealing fire from the gods and bringing it to the Earth.

Over time, fire technology grew, with early humans placing stones around the fire to create a hearth, protecting the flames, until at last, the hearth fireplace was eventually born, a place around which we would one day all break our bread….  Of course, the next big invention after fire was the Wheel.  Some archaeologists say that the wheel was most likely invented in Mesopotamia, in what is now present-day Iraq, somewhere around 5,500 to 3,000 B.C., a little strangely for the purpose of making pottery.  Eventually, the new invention was applied to carts.  But, until then, they probably thought that this wheel business was the best invention since fire in a fireplace!

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Located close to the Key Highway and Hughes Street in the city of Baltimore sits an historic location, which is becoming one of the popular neighborhoods in the city.  Captain John Smith first discovered Federal Hill during his first exploration trip of the Chesapeake Bay in 1608.  The name was not given to this area however until 1788.  This is when thousands of residents of the city celebrated the ratification of the United States Constitution by marched to the hill from Fells Point.  The parade was reenacted in honor of the bicentennial anniversary just over twenty years ago.  This has become the location for many civic celebrations over the years.

The city erected an observatory on the site so that the ships coming into to the harbor could be seen in advance by the merchants of Baltimore.  The hill was also an important player during the Civil War when Federal troops set up cannons aimed at the city when loyalties were in question.  In 1875, the city turned this area into a public park, an a few years later the observatory was closed.  There are caves located on the hill that are what remains of a sand mining industry used for the production of glass.

The Federal Hill of today, began to form in the early 1960′s.  The neighborhood at the time had become somewhat run down, but a few people began to buy the inexpensive houses and the renovation began in this historic district of Baltimore.  Plumbing, electrical and structural improvements were necessary and soon this spread to the areas of the Inner Harbor and Fells Point.  Now all of the areas are thriving, putting residents of Federal Hill in the perfect position of living in wonderful houses on charming streets, located close to all of the entertainment and business districts of downtown.

Most of the brick houses have been rehabbed, but for those looking for a home fixer-upper, there are still many waiting to be renovated.  This is a community with a strong work ethic who has been protecting their identity and their individuality for hundreds of years.  When looking for a home to buy in Baltimore this is perhaps the first neighborhood that should be investigated, chances are, you just will not want to leave.

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Cindy’s father John has always been interested in studying their family genealogy and it has been his hobby for the past ten years. Every once in a while he would discover something interesting and it would be a major event. Perhaps it was a little longer than ten years that he’s been working on their family tree as he began his efforts before so much data and resources were available online. Needless to say that when he discovered the family name traced back to colonial Jamestown he was greatly excited and the rest of the family was interested.

This discovery caused an immediate plan to be made to visit Jamestown and some of the other historical settlement areas and attractions found in the state of Virginia. As it turned out, only John, Cindy and her brother Walter were able to make the trip and stay in one of the best Virginia hotels but that was okay as they were also the most interested in it. Cindy was more interested in settlement history while both her father and brother were primarily interested in its significance to their family. This did not create any conflict or disturbance to their plans, it just meant some of their focuses would go in opposite directions along the way.

They arrived in Virginia and immediately went to Jamestown Island. They were all incredibly impressed with and interested in exploring the Jamestown Settlement Colony once they were there. The reproduction of some of the early settlement aspects was extremely lifelike and while John and Walter began looking for evidence of their family name, Cindy explored the Powhatan Village. She also walked along the waterway and enjoyed the replication of the ship Susan Constant. She had a great time wondering through all of the historic attractions, such as the statue of John Smith in Historic Jamestowne while her brother and father were off somewhere else. Ultimately, they all achieved what they were seeking through the trip. John found the evidence of his family’s name which captivated Walter and Cindy had an great time exploring the colonial settlement’s history.

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In 1833 some 800 members of the Bani Yas tribe led by the Maktoum family settled at the mouth of a creek that flowed into a natural harbor. The area of Daubi soon became a a center for fishing, pearl diving and sea trade. By the beginning of the 20th century Dubai was a successful port. The market on the Deira side of the creek was the largest on the coast with some 350 shops and a steady stream of visitors and businessmen. By the 1930′s the population of Dubai was around twenty thousand nearly a quarter of whom were expatriates.

In the 1950′s the creek began to silt up undoubtedly due to the number of ships using the area. Latter the ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Al Maktoum decided to have a new water way dredged where the creek was silting. A huge project and very costly, but that vision has led to the prosperity of Dubai today. This increased the volume of shipping and cargo that could be handled in the port. Thus Dubai is now a leading export hub in the region.

In 1966 oil was discovered and Sheikh Rashid used the oil revenues for infrastructure and development/ Schools, hospitals, roads, modern telecommunications network were all developed. The airport was expanded and new terminal added to the air port as well.

Dubai continues to be a leader in exports, expansion and innovations. Five star hotel Dubai dot the landscape welcoming visitors from all over the world. Many people travel in and out of Dubai on business and pleasure annually. The interesting architectural styles and progressiveness of the city are evident every where, Dubai ha used its oil revenues to position its self on the world stage and has implemented plans to remain there even if the oil gives out. Dubai is a city of vision with many visionary leaders in the past that have shaped it into what it is today.

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