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.
The approach of Christmas and Hanukkah provides an opportunity to give friends and family members a flag, especially if they are now – or once were – in the military. The options are many in a year when three branches of the military are marking a significant anniversary: U.S. MARINES The U.S. Marine Corps was… continue
One year after the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that launched the U.S. into World War II, Americans commemorated the “day of infamy” with coast-to-coast flags. In Boston, for example, the Bunker Hill Boys Club observed “one minute of silence…in respect of the service men who gave their lives” a year earlier…. continue
No city in the U.S. seems more appropriate for an article about flags than Flagstaff, Arizona. Whether it’s a municipal flag, a state flag or the American flag, the town’s name literally lifts them upward. Karl Eberhard, historic preservation officer for the city, explained how the location came to be named after a flagpole. Or,… continue
Think you can’t be as important as a president of the United States? Think again, and raise a family flag with your ancestors’ crest on it to declare to the world that your line is as significant as anyone else’s. And if you don’t have a family crest, you can create your own, just as… continue
Since 2008, Jamie Cooper, a member of the North American Vexillological Association, has worked as the museum store manager at Lincoln’s Cottage, where the 16th president lived for one-fourth of his term (see last week’s article). “The greatest part of my job is talking with visitors about shared experiences and how they came across the… continue