An interesting historical story.
Sophocles was one of the greatest playwrights in history. He wrote “Oedipus Rex”, for one. When Sophocles got old, his kids sued him because they felt he was incapable of taking care of his own finances. In the trial, Sophocles read from his latest play, “Oedipus at Colunnus”, and he Read more…
Darwin was visiting a family when the children decided to play a prank on him. They glued together parts of a butterfly, a beetle, a centipede, and a grasshopper. They eagerly brought the specimen to him for him to identify it. Darwin: “Did you hear it humming?” Grinning, the Read more…
Diogenes was a cynical philosopher who could be pretty provocative. Once he was invited to the home of a friend. When they approached the door, he asked the man what the inscription above the doorway meant. The friend told him it meant: “Let nothing enter here except what is good.” Read more…
When Pershing brought the A.E.F. to France, he was adamant about it fighting as an American army, not as reinforcements for the British and French. The American divisions were scattered throughout the Western Front to train with the British and French. The French commanding general, Gen. Petain, hoped that they Read more…
These jokes were told in ancient Greece. King Archelaus went to the barber. When the barber asked how he wanted his hair cut, he responded: “In silence.” Another time Archelaus went to the barber and before he sat in the chair, he gave the barber a coin. The barber Read more…
Demosthenes was once giving a speech before the Athenian assembly, but his opposition was booing and hissing to drown him out. He suddenly stopped and when the crowd quieted down, he asked them if they wanted to hear a story. Once upon a time, there was a man who needed Read more…
This story is probably apocryphal, but its cute. One day a youth came to Rome and the crowds quickly noticed he looked just like the Emperor Augustus when he was the same age. Word reached the palace and Augustus was intrigued so he had some guards bring the kid Read more…
This is the fourth in our series of Gilded Age classroom pictures. This one is of a cooking class.
The picture is of a gym class in a 1900 school, but let’s look at some facts about punishment in a Gilded Age school. A typical school philosophy was “Speak the truth, be honest, be punctual, be clean and kind.” Showing respect was also highly emphasized. Here is a list Read more…
A typical day in a Gilded Age one room classroom. Boys and girls enter the classroom single file, youngest to oldest. Girls enter first, curtsying to the teacher. Boys would bow. Hang your coat on the hook. Put your lunch pail on the shelf. You sat according to academic ability, Read more…