Why is February Black History Month and not March or April? Historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson initially called Black History Month “Negro History Week.” The son of former slaves, Woodson was one of the first African-Americans to receive a doctorate degree from Harvard University. Woodson made it his life’s work to make sure Black…
When I taught middle school I told my students that they could make a difference in this world. What they achieved didn’t have to be earth shattering, just a spark of inspiration that would affect others. I said, “Just start with the belief that you can do something that benefits others.” Below is the story…
Celebrating New Year on January 1 is a relatively new trend. New Year’s Day, a civil event and a date not fixed by any natural seasonal marker, was first celebrated by the Romans. They picked this date to honor their god Janus, the god of all beginnings. A double-faced head represented Janus with…
Many parents would like to teach their children the true meaning of Christmas, but too many people commandeer the religious festival for political ends while others create an obscenity called Black Friday. Back in 1959 the John Birch Society (JBS), an organization defending the United States against communism and the secularization of Christmas, blamed the…
Jews have lived in the United States since colonial times celebrating Chanukah along with their other holidays. In this article you’ll see how Chanukah has inspired one of America’s greatest leaders, General George Washington. On December 19, 1777 General Washington and his Continental Army arrived at Valley Forge. Many of the General’s…
Christmastime is when children are on vacation, gifts are exchanged, and candy canes become ubiquitous. They are on gift packages, hung on Christmas trees, and handouts in December by teachers to their students for a job well done. Legend has it that candy canes originated in Germany as candy sticks. It is said that…
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has launched a course examining President Trump’s impact on democracy and the media. The course, “Trumpaganda: The War on Facts, Press and Democracy,” is an eight week class highlighting Donald Trump’s effective propaganda machine. What is propaganda? According to Webster’s Dictionary, “propaganda is a deliberate spread of information,…
Set in England during the middle ages, author TF Gray begins Murdoch’s Tale: Book 1 of Corwin’s Chronicle.The novel introduces Corwin, a young child torn away from his family and home by war. Rescued by Tovan of the faer and dropped off to a human family for adoption, Corwin goes through life with the dream of…
Andrew Soergel and Jay Tolson in a 2014 U.S. News and World Reportarticle analyzed 44 presidencies determining “The 10 Worst Presidents.” In their analysis, Soergel and Tolson determined John Tyler as the fifth worst president. Tyler served as our tenth president in 1841 when William Harrison died of pneumonia thirty days into his term of…