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.
Veterans Day provides an opportune moment to recall a spring afternoon when President Abraham Lincoln met with disabled vets from Civil War regiments. It wasn’t his only encounter with injured soldiers. In fact, he lived among them for one-fourth of his time as chief executive. Halfway through the Civil War, a chaplain at St. Elizabeth’s… continue
Kyra Schuster, a curator at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., recently took part in a once-in-a-lifetime experience when the family of Sgt. Donald Hall donated an American flag. It was given to the WWII soldier 70 years ago by survivors of Langenstein, a Nazi concentration camp. Schuster agreed to answer some… continue
In 1907, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, had a major problem with a flag and not much time to solve it. Virginia had invited cities around the U.S. to attend the Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition to mark the founding of that town in 1607. “Bring your flags” was one suggestion, but Harrisburg’s answer was, “We don’t have one.” In… continue
Think of Philadelphia, and you think of the Liberty Bell. Think of the Liberty Bell, and you think of an immovable object. But not always. The normally sedentary icon of the United States went on a coast-to-coast tour 100 years ago, and American flags welcomed it everywhere it went. One of its destinations was thousands… continue
Throughout human history, wars have been fought over many different types of circumstances. Some cultures have commemorated their victories with monuments or other types of permanent structures. In many cases, the monuments or memorials serve to pay homage to the lives lost in the service of the military branch or country that fought in the… continue