Articles tagged with: Education

Today in History, May 18th

Date: May 18, 2013 Author: Today in History Comments: Leave a reply

A few of the great historical events that happened today in history, May 18th!

1642	The Canadian city of Montreal was founded.
1643	Queen Anne, the widow of Louis XIII, is granted sole and absolute power as regent by the Paris parliament, overriding the late king’s will.
1652	A law is passed in Rhode Island banning slavery in the colonies but it causes little stir and seems unlikely to be enforced.
1792	Russian troops invade Poland.
1802	Britain declares war on France.
1804	The French Senate proclaimed Napoleon Bonaparte emperor.
1828	The Battle of Las Piedras, between Uruguay and Brazil, ends.
1860	The Republican Party convention in Chicago nominated Abraham Lincoln for president.
1896	The Supreme Court endorsed the concept of “separate but equal” racial segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson, a precedent that was overturned in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
1897	A public reading of Bram Stoker’s new novel “Dracula, or, The Un-dead” was staged in London. Bram Stoker
1904	Brigand Raizuli kidnaps American Ion H. Perdicaris in Morocco.
1911	Composer Gustav Mahler died in Vienna, Austria, at age 50.
1917	The U.S. Congress passes the Selective Service act, calling up soldiers to fight World War I.
1931	Japanese pilot Seiji Yoshihara crashes his plane in the Pacific Ocean while trying to be the first to cross the ocean nonstop. He is picked up seven hours later by a passing ship.
1933	The Tennessee Valley Authority was created.
1942	New York ends night baseball games for the rest of World War II.
1944	The Allies finally capture Monte Cassino in Italy.
1951	The United Nations moved out of its temporary headquarters in Lake Success, N.Y., for its permanent home in Manhattan.
1969	Two battalions of the 101st Airborne Division assault Hill 937 but cannot reach the top because of muddy conditions.
1969	Apollo 10 was launched on a mission that served as a dress rehearsal for the first moon landing.
1974	India becomes sixth nation to explode an atomic bomb.
1980	After rumbling for two months, Mount Saint Helens, in Washington, erupts 3 times in 24 hours.
1998	The federal government filed a sweeping antitrust case against Microsoft Corp.
2003	“Les Miserables,” the third-longest running show in Broadway history, closed after more than 16 years and 6,680 performances. Les Miserables
2004	Randy Johnson, 40, became the oldest pitcher in major league history to throw a perfect game, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Atlanta Braves 2-0.
2009	Sri Lanka’s 25-year civil war ended with the government announcing it had defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels and killed their leader.

Today in History facts are from various sites including, but not limited too: the History Channel, The New York Times, WHG Historynet.com, and HistoryOrb.com.

What Historical Literature Must I Read?

Date: May 17, 2013 Author: Grant Comments: 4 Replies

As you can see from the attached flyer, Uncle Tom’s Cabin is referred to as “the greatest book of the age.” If this is truly the case, how come I was not forced to read this in school? I often find that I have skipped over significant historical literature during my educational upbringing. That being said, while never having read Uncle Tom’s Cabin, I am familiar with the themes and general overview. Another example of historical literature that I have not read would be The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. I once read in a Reddit discussion board that one could not be a true historian if they had not read this historical work. What do you think, is that true?

This is not to say that I am not (somewhat) well-read. I have read the Diary of Anne Frank and the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. I have read the works of Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Edgar Allan Poe, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. I have studied Supreme Court opinions, correspondences from America’s Founding Fathers, and the documents that gained our country freedom and established her government. I steadily read more and more, but I find that there is so much to read, sometimes I need direction.

I often ponder, “What pieces of historical literature must I read?”

I would love to use this post as a conversation platform. I genuinely am interested in your responses. To truly appreciate and have a comprehensive understanding of history, what historical literature do I need to read?

Today in History, May 15th

Date: May 15, 2013 Author: Today in History Comments: Leave a reply

A few of the great historical events that happened today in history, May 15th!

1602	English navigator Bartholomew Gosnold discovers Cape Cod.
1614	An aristocratic uprising in France ends with treaty of St. Menehould.
1618	Johannes Kepler discovers his harmonics law. Johannes Kepler
1702	The War of Spanish Succession begins.
1730	Following the resignation of Lord Townshend, Robert Walpole becomes the sole minister in the English cabinet.
1768	By the Treaty of Versailles, France purchases Corsica from Genoa.
1795	Napoleon enters the Lombardian capital of Milan in triumph.
1820	The U.S. Congress designates the slave trade a form of piracy.
1849	Neapolitan troops enter Palermo, Sicily.
1862	The Union ironclad Monitor and the gunboat Galena fire on Confederate troops at the Battle of Drewry’s Bluff, Virginia.
1864	At the Battle of New Market, Virginia Military Institute cadets repel a Union attack.
1886	Emily Dickinson dies in Amherst, Mass., where she had lived in seclusion for the previous 24 years.
1916	U.S. Marines land in Santo Domingo to quell civil disorder.
1918	Pfc. Henry Johnson and Pfc. Needham Roberts receive the Croix de Guerre for their services in World War I. They are the first Americans to win France’s highest military medal.
1930	Ellen Church, the first airline stewardess, went on duty aboard a United Airlines flight from San Francisco and Cheyenne, Wyo.
1942	The United States begins rationing gasoline.
1948	Hours after declaring its independence, the new state of Israel was attacked by Transjordan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.
1958	Sputnik III is launched by the Soviet Union.
1963	The last Project Mercury space flight, carrying Gordon Cooper, is launched.
1968	U.S. Marines relieve army troops in Nhi Ha, South Vietnam after a fourteen-day battle.
1969	Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas resigned amid a controversy over his past legal fees.
1970	Two black students at Jackson State College in Mississippi were killed when police opened fire during student protests.
1972	Alabama Gov. George Wallace was shot while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination in Laurel, Md., and left permanently paralyzed below the waist. George Wallace
1975	The merchant ship Mayaguez is recaptured from Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge.
1988	Soviets forces begin their withdrawal from Afghanistan.
1988	The Soviet Union began withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan.
2001	A runaway freight train rolled about 70 miles through Ohio with no one aboard before a railroad employee jumped onto the locomotive and brought it to a stop.
2003	Texas Democrats returned home after a self-imposed four-day exile in Oklahoma in a dispute over a redistricting plan.
2006	A defiant Saddam Hussein refused to enter a plea at his trial in Iraq for crimes against humanity, insisting he was still the country’s president.
2006	The United States removed Libya from its list of terrorist states.
2007	The Rev. Jerry Falwell, who helped build the Christian right into a political force, died at age 73.
2007	Yolanda King, the daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died at age 51.
2008	California’s Supreme Court declared gay couples in the state could marry – a victory for the gay rights movement that was overturned by the passage of Proposition 8 the following November.

Remembering Memorial Day (Guest Post)

Date: May 14, 2013 Author: James Fuller Comments: 4 Replies

Each Memorial Day thousands of Americans take time from their hectic schedules to have a cold one, grill on the barbeque, enjoy friends and family, and launch the beginning of summer. However, many people are not aware of just what Memorial Day is all about and what is behind this holiday.

A few years after the end of the Civil War, a group called the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) felt that there should be recognition to the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. The group created Decoration Day, where they would decorate the headstones of the fallen soldiers of the Civil War with flowers. It was not until after World War I that all veterans, those which had died in service to their country, were included in the Decoration Day ceremonies. Decoration Day continued as the name of this day of remembrance of those until sometime after World War II when it was renamed to Memorial Day as we know it. Memorial Day was celebrated on May 30th until 1968, when the government passed the Uniform Holiday Bill, which set the day of the holiday as the last Monday in the month of May.

For the last forty-five years, we have taken this day and remembered those that have fallen from the days of the Civil War, both World Wars, the conflicts in Asia, and the modern conflicts of today. However, sadly I feel we have forgotten the true meaning of this day. Even as a member of the military I think, sometimes, we are more concerned about our three-day weekend and often forget about those that have fallen. It is not about the time off, but a time to reflect on those that have gone before us.

One experience of mine that I believe puts Memorial Day truly into perspective was a visit to Normandy, France, with my family. I was given the name of the cemetery caretaker by a friend and was told to look him up when I arrived to the cemetery. Upon my arrival to the cemetery, I located the administration building and the man to whom I was told to meet and introduced myself. He seemed elated that I came by and you could tell by the enthusiasm in his voice and his body language that he enjoyed giving my family and me the history of the cemetery and the area around Normandy. After our conversation, he said he had a request of me and my family and asked if we would accompany him to the front of the cemetery as he played Taps over the loud speakers.

I was honored that he asked this of us. We followed him to the front of the cemetery, however, were not ready for the flood of emotion that was about to occur. We had never visited Normandy so this was the first time we had gazed upon the awe-inspiring site of those that had given the ultimate sacrifice. I have to say, in my career, this is the most surreal event I’ve experienced in my twenty-three years of service. The cold wind whipped at our faces from the English Channel, the notes of taps began to play, and my family and I observed the sea of marble crosses. My mind began to meditate on those that lay before me who had not returned home from the shores where I stood, at attention and saluting. As I looked at my family, I could see that my young son and daughter had placed their hand over their heart, since in their minds when dad saluted this was what they were supposed to do, and tears were running down my wife’s cheek. It was at this point in my life I finally understood the quote “All Gave Some, But Some Gave All”.

Normandy American Cemetery

The song ended and the caretaker asked me to hold on, he wanted to retrieve something for me. As he returned, he had in his hand, an American and French flag. He handed the flags to me and told me that they are normally reserved for distinguished visitors and family members of the fallen; however, he wanted me to have them to remember our trip to Normandy. We exchanged farewells and continued with our tour of the cemetery. I will never forget that day at Normandy. Today those flags continue to travel with my family and I from assignment to assignment in the Air Force. I will always have a deep respect for my brothers and sisters who have lost their lives for freedom when Memorial Day comes around.

Finally, As you go out and enjoy the festivities of this Memorial Day weekend, remember that it is more than just a summer day celebration, but a day to commemorate and remember those that have given the ultimate sacrifice to this country that we call home. If you are interested in more history about Memorial Day, check out the links below!

United States Department of Veterans Affairs – Memorial Day History

TimeandDate.com – Memorial Day in United States

Today in History, May 14th

Author: Today in History Comments: 1 Reply

A few of the great historical events that happened today in history, May 14th!

1610	French King Henri IV (Henri de Navarre) is assassinated by François Ravillac, a fanatical monk.
1787	Delegates began gathering in Philadelphia for a convention to draw up the U.S. Constitution.
1796	English physician Edward Jenner gives the first successful smallpox vaccination. Edward Jenner
1804	The Lewis and Clark expedition to explore the Louisiana Territory left St. Louis.
1853	Gail Borden applies for a patent for condensed milk.
1863	Union General Nathanial Banks heads towards Port Hudson along the Mississippi River.
1897	Guglielmo Marconi sends first communication by wireless telegraph.
1897	“Stars and Stripes Forever” by John Phillip Sousa is performed for the first time in Philadelphia.
1904	The first Olympic games to be held in the United States opened in St. Louis.
1935	A plebiscite in the Philippines ratifies an independence agreement.
1940	Holland surrenders to Germany.
1942	The British Army, in retreat from Burma, reach India.
1942	Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait” was first performed, by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
1942	The Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps was established.
1948	Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion establishes the State of Israel. Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion
1955	Representatives from the Soviet Union and seven other Communist bloc countries signed the Warsaw Pact in Poland.
1961	A bus carrying black and white civil rights activists is bombed and burned in Alabama.
1969	Three companies of the 101st Airborne Division fail to push North Vietnamese forces off Hill 937 in South Vietnam.
1973	The U.S. space station Skylab is launched.
1991	In South Africa, Winnie Mandela is sentenced to six years in prison for her part in the kidnapping and beating of three black youths and the death of a fourth.
1998	Singer Frank Sinatra died at age 82.
1998	The TV series “Seinfeld” aired its final episode.
2001	The Supreme Court ruled that there is no exception in federal law for people to use marijuana to ease their pain from cancer, AIDS or other illnesses.
2007	DaimlerChrysler said it was selling almost all of Chrysler to a private equity firm for $7.4 billion, backing out of a troubled 1998 takeover.
2007	The trial of suspected al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla opened in Miami. (Padilla was later convicted of terrorism conspiracy and sentenced to 17 years in prison.) al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla
2008	The Interior Department declared the polar bear a threatened species because of the loss of Arctic sea ice.

Hankering for History

Hanker: (verb) To have a strong, often restless desire, in this case for–you guessed it–History!