Of High Winds and Rising Waters

by Linda Bennett Pennell

How should we measure the costs of natural disasters? In terms of loss of life? Loss of property? Some combination thereof? What classifies an event as the worst in history? We here in… Continue reading →

Zion’s Corner

by Caroline Warfield

In the corrupt, drug ridden, and contentious port of Canton, English and American traders systematically flooded China with illegal opium, spreading addiction to thousands. Many a man succumbed to the lure of riches;… Continue reading →

Typhoid Mary–Villain or Victim?

by Becky Lower

Typhoid fever was responsible for the deaths of many people in the 19th and early part of the 20th century. Associated with poor sanitation, it was mostly confined to the lower classes, who… Continue reading →

The Spanish Borderlands: End of an Era

by Linda Bennett Pennell

Between 1492 and 1821, Spain held dominion over vast regions of the New World. Being the first Europeans to establish a stronghold, being first to claim territory, being rich, and being a naval… Continue reading →

Opium, Hypocrisy, and Amnesia

by Caroline Warfield

Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) This much-abused quote is frequently tweaked to say “ignore” or “forget” history. Sometimes people simply choose to ignore it, particularly… Continue reading →