I just got done spending hours adding content to the site, so now might be a good time to reintroduce the site. History Anecdotes for Teachers (HAFT) started as a way for me to share all the anecdotes I told in my Social Studies classes over my 39 year career. Read more
In Feb., 1942 the French ocean liner SS Normandie was being converted into the troop ship USS Lafayette in New York harbor. On Feb. 9, a fire broke out and the ship was badly damaged. Although, officially proclaimed an accident, the Office of Naval Intelligence suspected sabotage. Questioning of Read more
I am a big George Washington fan. He was a great leader and without his leadership, we would not have won independence and probably would have gone the route of Canada. But he was not a great general. He lost most of his battles and the two that saved the Read more
In 738 B.C., the Romans adopted the ten-month lunar calendar from the Greeks. Those months were Martius (named for Mars – the god of war), Aprilius (named for aperio which means “to open” – a reference to flowers blooming in spring), Maius (named for the goddess who was in charge Read more
Benedict Arnold was not always a traitor. In fact, he was quite a hero before he went over to the dark side. His resume included several noteworthy accomplishments. He helped Ethan Allen captured Fort Ticonderoga. He followed this up with a proposal to capture Quebec. He pointed out to Read more
The Ancient Romans were known for their relative cleanliness in comparison to other ancient peoples, and especially in comparison to medieval man. They had the public baths for bathing. These popular sites were cheap enough for even the poor to visit weekly, if not daily. Plus, the baths offered Read more
Today is the anniversary of an event that will live in infamy. On Jan. 1, 1889, the Pauite prophet Wovoka claimed to have a dream brought on by a solar eclipse. He dreamed that Jesus would return as an Indian and bring back the good old days. The dead Indian Read more
Everyone knows the Ancient Egyptians loved their cats. There are thousands of cat statues and mummified cats left from that time. Heck, there were so many mummified cats, that later Egyptian farmers would crush them and use them to fertilize their fields. Modern archeologists have challenged this belief in Read more
Ancient Egyptians felt they had a sure-fire way of determining the sex of a baby. The mother-to-be was told to pee on a pile of wheat and barley for several days. If the wheat grew, it was going to be a girl. If the barley grew, it would be Read more
If I may get personal here, the Battle of Trenton occurred 244 years ago today. It is one of my favorite battles. Hell, I named my son after it. It is an example of what drew me to History and the teaching of it. The tale is stranger than fiction. Read more