THE GHOST SHIP

                On November 7, 1872, the  brigantine (a two-masted sailing ship) left New York harbor on a trip to Genoa, Italy.  On board were Captain Benjamin Briggs, his wife and their two-year-old daughter.  And a crew of eight.  On Dec. 5, 1872, a British ship spotted the Mary Celeste about Read more…

THE UNFINISHED WASHINGTON

                Most Americans have seen Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington hundreds of times because it was used for the engraving for the one-dollar bill.  But few Americans know the story behind that portrait.  The original of that portrait was never finished.  When I got my teaching position a long Read more…

JOHN SMITH BEFORE JAMESTOWN

                Everyone knows the John Smith and Pocahontas story (which is not true, by the way), but few know of the remarkable adventures of Smith.  In 1630, 23 years after he saved Jamestown with h s firm leadership, Smith wrote “The True Travels, Adventures, and Observations of Captaine John Smith”.  Read more…

THE FIRST PLAYBOY MAGAZINE

                You’re probably thinking:  “what is an anecdote about Playboy doing on a site for teachers?!”  Stay with me here.  On Dec. 1, 1953, the first Playboy magazine was published.  This was a significant moment in American culture.  The magazine was part of the Sexual Revolution and ironically an example Read more…

JOHN MCRAE – WAR POET

                John McRae was born in Canada on Nov. 30, 1872.  He graduated from college and became a doctor.  He served in the Second Boer War.  In 1904, he became a member of the Royal College of Physicians.  He specialized in pathology.  When Canada entered WWI, he volunteered, even though Read more…

THE “LADY” PIRATES

                Not all pirates were men.  Two of the most infamous were Anne Bonny and Mary Read.  Much of our information about this fascinating duo comes from “A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates” by Capt. Charles Johnson (which some think was a pseudonym Read more…