O Wonderful!
Oh wonderful! Christmas is coming and the waiting is the best part. At least, I always thought so. These days, folks know Halloween is on the way when the Christmas displays go up… Continue reading
Tag Archive: history
7 Comments
The First Thanksgiving
As the days grow shorter and colder and the leaves fall from the trees, it’s time to celebrate the holidays. Thanksgiving has always been my family’s favorite holiday, beating out Christmas by a… Continue reading
Doomed to Repeat
Turkey has invaded Syria, and, fearing Russia expansionism, the West intervenes. Sound familiar? That was the situation in 1839. While researching a current work in progress I stumbled on The London Convention of… Continue reading
The Other Notre Dame
No, not the football one either! The horrible fire in Paris made me wonder about the other great cathedrals. There are hundreds of churches named “Our Lady” of something or other in many… Continue reading
Finding Jamestown
Did you know there are two Jamestowns to visit? It is a bit disconcerting when you follow the Colonial Parkway and come to signs pointing in two directions. We went straight, toward Historic… Continue reading
Candles Light Up Our Lives
What is Christmas—or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa—without candles flickering in the night? Light is, after all, the midwinter wish of mankind. Those of us who celebrate Advent begin with candles as a symbol of… Continue reading
Thanksgiving Without the Pilgrims
November moves along and it is time for tall black hats, turkey, and indigenous peoples in highly incorrect head dresses. In the United States we all know the drill: the Pilgrim Fathers of… Continue reading
The Long History of Soccer
This week, with everyone’s attention riveted on FIFA The World Cup, the final pitting Croatia against France on Sunday, as well as the Thailand Wild Boar soccer team and their dramatic rescue from… Continue reading
Tea, Taxes, and War
Historians suggest a variety of causes for the Opium Wars. Some declare the cause to be “extraterritoriality,” the refusal of one sovereign nation, in this case, the United Kingdom, to allow their citizens… Continue reading
The Prince of Fraud
In an era of British imperial expansion, with limited social mobility at home, men with ambition, energy, and imagination looked to the wide world for opportunities to make their fortune. It didn’t seem odd… Continue reading