President Lincoln was the first President to “pardon” a turkey, but it was not for Thanksgiving. Lincoln got a turkey as a gift for Christmas dinner. His ten year old son Tad fell in love with the bird which he named Jack. One day, he barged into a cabinet meeting Read more…
In November, 1862, Lincoln replaced George McClellan with Ambrose Burnside as commander of the Army of the Potomac. Burnside developed a plan to take Lee by surprise by crossing the Rappahannock River and swiftly advancing on Richmond. Easy, peasy. Unfortunately, the bureaucracy raised its ugly head and things moved the Read more…
In the 1880’s, Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud began experimenting with and researching a new miracle drug called “cocaine”. In 1884, he published his findings in a report entitled “Uber Coca”. Freud sung the praises of this “magical substance.” He touted it as a cure for digestive ailments, asthma, fatigue, pain, Read more…
Or were they traitors? Each had taken an oath to the U.S. when they joined the U.S. Army. Thomas Jackson (he didn’t get his nickname “Stonewall” until the First Battle of Bull Run) voted for the Southern Democratic candidate John Breckinridge in 1860. Although Breckinridge supported secession, Jackson said he Read more…
As teachers of history, we’re always looking for media that can enhance the learning process. War movies can be excellent history lessons, but who has the time to show one? A good alternative might be to show a short war film. Recently I was clued in about a 22 minute Read more…
Today is Veterans Day and many don’t realize it is associated with the signing of the armistice on November 11, 1918. The poem most associated with the war is “In Flanders Field” by John McRae. McRae was a Canadian soldier, doctor, artist, and poet. His unit was shipped to Flanders Read more…
Movies based on historical events can be educational for students. The problem is that it seems the more entertaining they are, the more inaccurate they are. I used to show some movies in my American History class and I always looked for a blend of entertainment and education. There are Read more…
We see here an American Bison bull. You probably recognize it as a buffalo. Blame the confusion on the French. When French trappers first encountered them in America, they thought they were shaggy cows. So they called them “bouefs” which is French for cattle. Samuel de Champlain was the first Read more…
Anaximenes was a philosopher famous during his lifetime. He accompanied Alexander the Great in his conquest of Persia. One day, Alexander’s army approached the city where Aniximenes was born. Aniximenes came to Alexander’s tent and Alexander, anticipating what he was about to request, said to Anaximenes: “I swear by the Read more…
The Malmedy Massacre occurred during the Battle of the Bulge. Part of the 1st Panzer Division, led by Lt. Col. Joachim Peiper, was the spearhead of the left wing of the German offensive. There was a lot of pressure to push forward as fast as possible Read more…