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.
It happened 100 years ago on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Soldiers from England, France and Germany, who had been killing one another in the trenches of World War I, stopped for a brief time. Hoisting white truce flags, they crawled over the tops of their trenches. The spontaneous event is known as the Christmas… continue
In late 1864, the Civil War was nearing its end. For nearly four years, American flags and Confederate banners had been flying above frays fought mainly on the East Coast. Another battle, which occurred in the Far West, involved flags that were ignored. Unrelated to the war, Federal troops descended on hundreds of Cheyenne and… continue
In July 1917, Mrs. Charles Signer of Olympia, Washington, did something involving a flag that was worthy of attention in the newspaper. But her action didn’t include the American flag. Rather, it focused on a flag that was brand new to the world. “First Service Flag Will Be Hoisted in Olympia” read the headline. Mrs…. continue
A century and a half ago, during the closing months of the Civil War, Harper’s Weekly, an influential magazine, continued its coverage of the conflict – and its support of the Northern cause. Many times, that support was shown through images of the American flag. One of the most striking shows Abraham Lincoln as a… continue
In 1903, 300 children who attended St. Thomas Catholic School in Wilmington, Delaware, celebrated Thanksgiving Day in an unusual way. After attending Mass, they “adjourned to the lawn about the church,” according to a newspaper, where “a new American flag was raised.” While the linking of Thanksgiving and flags is rare in the 21st century,… continue