History lessons is a grouping of historical stories and tidbits. The topics range from the American Civil War through interesting items from around the world. Please use the comments area to ask questions and make suggestions for future topics.
Walt Whitman, one of America’s finest poets, spent much of the Civil War in Washington, D.C., working in hospitals and caring for wounded servicemen. In April 1864, he sent a letter to his mother to share how the American flag affected soldiers and himself. “You don’t know,” he wrote, “what a feeling a man gets… continue
Voters are voting, candidates are campaigning, and reporters are recording. It’s the year of a presidential election, and a new chief executive will move into the White House next January. But one thing will remain consistent: American flags displayed inside and waving outside the most famous home in the nation. The following stories, listed chronologically,… continue
Forty years ago, on April 25, 1976, just weeks before America would mark the bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence, a Chicago Cubs centerfielder made an immortal catch that didn’t involve catching a baseball. Instead, it rescued an American flag. That afternoon, Rick Monday snatched the star-spangled banner from two protestors who had squirted lighter… continue
Can you identify city fire departments as they show off American flags in various U.S. locations over many decades? All you have to do is spot the clues in old photos and drawings to figure out where the images were made. Have fun guessing, and then challenge your friends. Image #1. This photo shows firemen… continue
It’s almost time to “play ball!” And with the return of the baseball season come plenty of flags – American flags, pennants and banners – which have always been associated with the game. Before Fort Sumter was shelled in the harbor outside Charleston, South Carolina, igniting the Civil War 155 years ago in 1861,… continue