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.
One hundred and fifty-five years ago, the U.S. got a new state – and a state of war. The state was Kansas, which celebrated its addition to the Union in 1861 with expressions of loyalty to the American flag and preparations to become a battleground of the North vs. the South. An iconic moment of… continue
The state of New Jersey, the city of Trenton and Rutgers University boast flags of great appeal and historical interest. RUTGERS The design of Rutgers University’s flag, with its large “R” and date of 1766, was approved in 1965, just a year before the bicentennial of the institution’s founding. This year marks the school’s 250th… continue
Firefighters, like other Americans, love flags, but that doesn’t mean they’re always ready to rescue one. As an example, take the curious case of a banner that flew away a century ago. An American flag outside the Grand Army of the Republic post in Springfield, Massachusetts, was blown off its mast by a strong windstorm… continue
Uncle Sam’s gravesite, located at Oakwood Cemetery in Troy, N.Y., has a new 40-foot flagpole and a fresh American flag to go with it, thanks to a windstorm and Gettysburg Flag Works of East Greenbush. The installation is perfectly timed: 2016 marks the 150th anniversary of Uncle Sam’s birth. Oakwood describes itself as “one of… continue
The British author Rudyard Kipling liked flags, but not Utah. The state doesn’t care because, for one thing, it’s more interested in marking the 120th anniversary of its entry into the United States on Jan. 4, 1896. It’s also interested in its state flag, which was wrong for years. Kipling wrote a poem titled “The… continue