World History
Saint Patrick: The Tale of a Slave for Christ
TweetShareShareWho was Saint Patrick?” Why do we celebrate his name today? His legacy is much more than festive green parties, green beer and shamrocks. Patrick was born around 385 AD in Britain during a tumultuous time. At the time, Britain was under Roman rule and his family lived in constant fear. Because the great Roman…
Read MoreAlex Haley: How “Roots” Seeded a Historical Racial Myth
TweetShareShare “I was just trying to give my people a MYTH to live by” (Alex Haley, author of “Roots”). On February 23, 1993 an investigative journalist broke a story that Haley’s best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning Roots: The Saga of An American Family was a “hoax.” Haley, this journalist claimed, had “invented 200 years of family history.”…
Read MoreThe True History of Valentine’s Day
TweetShareShare Valentine’s Day is February 14. It’s traditionally a day of love. But what’s the story behind the day? A man named Valentine of Terni lived in the 3rd century AD. It was a period of deadly plagues and severe Christian persecution. The great Roman Empire was starting its long disintegration. With a small pox…
Read MorePilgrims, the Mayflower and Squanto: The Real Story of Thanksgiving
TweetShareShare This week we celebrate Thanksgiving Day. It’s a day we’ll gather for turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, and pie. We’ll gather with friends and family, watch football and check the advertisements for Black Friday specials. Most of us will share gratitude for something or someone. But in 1621, the first Thanksgiving feast happened for…
Read MoreThe Day Teddy Made America a New Global Nation
TweetShareShare In our global culture and shrinking world–thanks to cyber communications–it’s hard to believe there was a time (120 years ago) when few people ventured more than a day’s walk (20 miles) from home. That was the significance of this day in 1906. It was the first time a U.S. President visited another country…not…
Read MoreAmerica: The New Rome?
TweetShareShareIt’s been said that Rome wasn’t built in a day…and that’s true. But it also didn’t fall in a day. And the reasons it collapsed were impacted by certain political decisions, unavoidable events and socio-cultural shifts. In general, there were five factors that eroded Rome’s foundation over three centuries: 1. UNEXPECTED PLAGUES. Between 165 and…
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