American History
It Happened in Colorado
Today I ordered a new book that looked really interesting. The book is called It Happened in Colorado by James A. Crutchfield. I am originally from Colorado and so I figured a book on the history of Colorado would be an interesting read. James A. Crutchfield always writes interesting books about the history of the … more »
Last photo of Lincoln before his death?
Lincoln seems to be in the news a lot this week. Today CNN is reporting that a new photograph of Lincoln has emerged that is believed to be the last taken before his assassination in 1865. It was discovered in a photo album belonging to General Ulysses S. Grant’s great-great grandson, Ulysses S. Grant VI. … more »
Message found hidden in Lincoln’s pocketwatch
I found a really interesting news article on CNN about a message left to President Lincoln on the inside of his pocketwatch by a watchmaker who was repairing it at the time Fort Sumter was attacked. Here is the article: A long-hidden message has been discovered inside Abraham Lincoln’s pocket watch, the Smithsonian’s Museum of … more »
Mark Twain and 19th Century American History
As a student of history, I unfortunately do not have a lot of time to devote to reading fiction books of my choice. If I am reading generally it is either a specifically assigned book or text for a class or a book pertaining to something relavent to my studies (such as Der Dienst by … more »
1885 Photographs of the Campbell House in St. Louis
I have to admit that I have an unhealthy obsession with 19th century architecture and houses in general which means that whenever I come across photos taken in the 19th century of a house from that period, I get quite excited. I’m not entirely sure how I managed to stumble upon this website, but I … more »
“Beware the Inventor”
I found something quite amusing from an 1865 Boston newspaper: A man about 43 years of age giving the name Joshua Coppersmith has been arrested for attempting to extort funds from ignorant and superstitious people by exhibiting a device which he says will convey the human voice any distance over metallic wires. He calls the … more »
Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln!
Today marks the 200th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s birth. He was born on February 12, 1809 in a one-room cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. If you are interested there is some interesting information regarding some photos recently of Lincoln’s second inauguration. I’ve written about it before.
Contact is important, but what about the other tens of thousands of years?
I have to say that I am quite disappointed with my Native American Studies class this semester. I was (apparently naively) assuming that we would focus more on Native American culture and more on the history of the Native American peoples before first contact with the European nations. I was, however, wrong. We spent the … more »
Listening to Our Ancestors
While browsing around the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, I ran across a series of interesting online exhibits. I’ve only had time to check out one of them, but I would highly recommend looking through them. They provide a very interesting look into Native American culture, art, etc. The exhibit I visited was … more »
Congratulations, President Obama
Today is a historic day. Barack Obama has become the 44th President of the United States of America and has thus become the first black president. I have to say, congratulation, President Barack Obama!