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
Military communication made great strides in WWI. At first, wireless telegraphy was used to connect generals to their armies (or admirals to their fleets), but the system was problematical because the messages could be easily intercepted. This led to the use of codes which resulted in an expansion of the 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
In honor of Memorial Day, here is a very well done song with slides using the famous poem about WWI fallen.
Louis XIV was the greatest French king and probably the one with the best life ever. He became king at age 5, but he did not have to rule until age 23 when his chief minister died and was not replaced. He always ate alone. He never used a fork. 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
This will be the first in a series of photos of school children around 1900. Many kids worked at the turn of the century. Only 51% of 5-19 year – olds attended school. Only 30% of non-whites attended. Only 11% of eligible kids went to high school. Most students went Read more
During his Illyrian campaign, Alexander faced a tough mountain people called the Taulantians. They held the high ground and would be very difficult to dislodge. Alexander had to figure out a way to draw them out into the open where his army’s superior discipline would be an advantage. He decided Read more