History
Requested by Hypatia and POSOC.
Date: May 19, 2008
Categories: The Universe
Tuesday, 21 May 2024
Life, the universe, pies, hot-pink bunnies, world domination, and everything
Squee! Thank you so much, oh great and magnanimous GAPA’s. I am forever indebted to you!
I was researching the Little Rock Nine yesterday, and something struck me. Had I not know any history and been told the story out of context, I would have placed it in the early 19th century, not the mid 20th. The 1950s weren’t long ago at all, in fact. The dehuminazation and mob violence, however, I couldn’t fit them into my scheme of the modern world. It always seems to me as though from the 20th century onward, we were an enlightened understanding soceity with no contempt for differences and civilized ways of dealing with our problems. It was almost impossible to come to terms with the fact that Little Rock and the horrors that were a part of the battle of integration took place during an era which I always envisioned as so enlightened. Lost illusions…*sighs*
Is this first post? probably not…
I dont really like history. it’s depressing.
*lies in wait* *soaks up knowledge*
I’ve tried to study this several times, but all my efforts to research fall flat with no clearly etched purpose.
My favorite part of history: the Russian Revolution. That says a lot about me, doesn’t it?
If anyone wants a very amusing, and simultaneously depressing, depiction of how atomic threats affected everyday life in the 1950s, youtube “Burt the Turtle.” Its a PSA on how to respond to a nuclear attack…and its scary…Its incredible how unprepared and lacking in knowledge about the immensity of nuclear damage the government was. Somewhat akin to entrusting a rifle to a toddler and telling en its a bb gun…
Wee…more to say! After watching the film Good Night and Good Luck (which, as I mentioned on the discussion thread, I strongly recommend) I got into Edward R Murrow (journalist extraordinaire). I went and watched the original CBS broadcasts, which constituted the footage of the film itself. McCarthy’s rebuttal to Murrow was included. The man’s ideas themselves are grossly un-factual and actualy pretty sick, but he’s among the most charismatic speakers I have ever watched. You can’t divert your eyes for a moment. His sheer evilness is attractive. And I can almost understand his appeal. He looks agressive, and he also looks somehow undefinably strong, like a pillar holding something up. In retrospect, that something was probably American paranoia, but back then, it is understandable that it could be perceived as America itself. People may have turned to him as a symbol of comfort, a defender of the suddenly prosperous lives the end of WWII had brought them.
“Have you no sense of decency?” Great line!
4-That’s a fascinating part, I agree. Unfortunately, all I know about it is what I could gleam from Animal Farm and my crazy, but useful book, entitled “Karl Marx for Beginners.” I’d definitely appreciate any addition info or any sort of a comprehensive picture!
My favorite part of history is ancient and Islamic. The esoteric history of the East fascinates me.
you’re right. scary.
Ha we just watched History of the World, Part I in history (it’s after AP tests, so we’re taking a week break or so). I tried to stop it before the French Revolution, but nooo, they had to keep it going. I shudder to think what would have happened if the principal walked in during that part…
What’s a good source for American history? (NOT the stupid eighth grade textbooks that tell you only what they think you need to know to pass the quizzes, something that explains events and their causes and effects clearly and in detail!) *is fed up with obstacles to research*
7- the scariest part about history is how little things have changed. I recently heard a speaker who survived the Rwandan genocide. She’s only in her 20s…..
and racial hatred is still alive and well.
5- I watched that in History one day when my teacher didn’t feel like teaching. That and “Duck and Cover”.
9- You want to borrow my AP US history textbook? I don’t want it.
10- But the interesting part is how much has changed.
12- Can I have it?
Anybody watch the History channel? My favorite things in History is the history of music, the Peace, or Hippie Movement (whatever you want to call it), ancient Egyptian, ancient Maya amd much more.
9- WATCH THE HISTORY CHANNEL!
I think my favorite part of history is 1900-1929. The early aviation, race to the poles, discoveries of lost cities…
History? I know an awful lot about the Tudor era.
Thank you, Cartoon History of the Universe!
I also am fascinated with the Tudor era and read the Young Royals books.
9-A flam… source for history in general (written in a nice whimsical way) is A Little History of the World by Gombritch (hope I spelled that remotely correctly.
FOr 20th century America (particularly postwar) I would recommend An Unfinished Journey by Wiliam Chafe. If by some crazy chance, you’re focusing on the 1950s, The Fifties by David Halberstam is terrific book. I don’t know any one comprehensive book that contains all American history. You’re probably best of focusing on each era specificically. A good book for the Civil War is “Southern Stories” by Drew (?) Faust. I can also reccomend quite a few books on women’s role throughout American history, continuing to the present, and couple on American economics, but nothing with the entire big picture! Sorry : ( ! Well, I hope this helps at least a little.
16- The Russian Revolution….
9~ There is a nice set of books called The History of US, by Joy Hakim. A lot of homeschoolers use them, and they go through American history pretty well. I am actually thinking of getting them out and just reading through them for the fun of it……and people wonder why I get strange looks from most of my peers…..
I like the 18th century, in case anyone has missed that!
I like the French Revolution. Dun da dun dun dun dun duuuuuuun da dun! I also like the Defenestration of Prague, and not just because it has a cool name.
20- I love those books! The last chapter of the last book (1999 edition, not 2001 edition) was really, really good!
20 – Oh, are you SERIOUS? You like colonial times? REALLY?
I like the Horrible History books.
23- Those rock, too!
History’s good. Right now we’re doing World History in school, and I love it. It just makes me feel like I know so much, because it’s practically history of everything. Never mind that we’ve only covered India, Africa, China, Middle East, and Europe–what’s wrong with ignoring the country you live in?
I just tried to convince my friend at lunch today that history is actually important. She was going on about how she doesn’t need to learn this, she’s going to be in New York tap dancing on Broadway… Especially about Magellan. “I bet you that Magellan is never going to come up in my everyday life.” Think it’s important to know that the world is round?
Besides, if you don’t learn about the mistakes of the past, you will repeat them over and over and over again. -scary music-
The thing I like about American history is that it isn’t all about a bunch of guys talking. Because the focus is on something so much smaller than “the world” there’s time to go into things like daily life. I also happen to think that courts are awesome, and American history covers important supreme court cases.
24 – I KNOW! Too bad they’re unknown.
History owns! I am reading a bunch of firsthand accounts of the people interrogated by McCarthy and its mucho interesting! And scary. One guy was supboenaed for playing a Russian, (he was a actor) and smiling. Apparently, he promulgated Russian propaganda…
26 – Personally, I think American history is boring. Russia’s history is way cooler.
I started reading the US history textbook today during math (I have math in the history/global studies room). Unfortunately it was 20th century history so I didn’t care that much.
9- Gonick’s Cartoon history of America.
20- My school uses them as textbooks.
29 – I agree. Except French and English history is AWESOME.
Hypatia (6): I love movie! The McCarthy trials are really interesting. I read a fantastic book about McCarthy, but sadly, I forget its title.
The best textbook I have ever had was my World History book this year. It used language that was actually sophisticated but not to dense, which is a drastic change from most textbooks I’ve read which are either unbelievably boring, or treat you like a three-year-old. It also had a lot of great charts and diagrams, and a spiffing timeline that ran through the entire book, at the bottom of every page.
33- That is utterly spiffy. I LOATHE textbooks that assume I’m an idiot.
I like reading and talking about recent 1900s and onward American History. Colonial Times in America are boring, in my opinion. I know the most about English and Roman History, yet I usually can find more. I am especially interested in:
1) The Medicis (Italian Renassaince)
2) All Spanish History and Culture
3) Chinese and Asian History and Philosophy (We don’t learn about this at my school! )
If anyone can reccomend books, websites, or movies about these topics, much appreciated!
23~ Yup, I find it mildly entertaining….
33~ What book was that? One of the history encyclopedias I have has a timeline on the bottom of the page too. It’s always helpful to have a reference, and see the relation to other times on it…for me, anyway.
I’ve been absent for some time due to large amounts of hw, but I’m just saying hi, and expressing my great intrest in this thread.
“I shall return!” Bonus points if you can name that quote.
Hums *Duck, and cover*
I don’t know how it is outside of CA, but our standards require US History in 5th, 8th, and 11th grade. Therefore I am rather tired of it and enjoyed world history much better, since the last time I’d learned it was in 6th grade.
My history textbook is muchly stupid. It defines words that people should definitely have known and leaves others barely explained. It defined “reeds.” Keep in mind that this is 8th grade.
39- Prentice Hall American History? Because that sounds mighty familiar…
37-*hums along* Here’s Johny going to his cubs meeting. He knows just what to do when he sees a flash…duck and cover!
39- I once had a high school history textbook that was like that. HONESTLY. By the time someone reaches high school they ought to know the definition of artifact. I was appalled.
The Cold War and the US’ unnecessary interventions due to paranoia annoy me. More later when it isn’t late.
40- Prentice Hall? No, it’s Glencoe-McGraw. But I do have some Prentice Hall textbooks. (snip above if too revealing)
I have McGraws too, but I don’t know if they’re the same kind.
42- I also.
43- Pray tell, how would citing the textbook manufacturer give us any clues as to your location?
I think my math book is Glencoe-McGraw. The Spanish books are Prentice Hall.
-5 I learned that the real reason why they did that was because it would be easier to recover bodies if they were all in neat rows. seriously.
46-I think different regions use different textbooks so careful research might make it possible. Though I doubt it…
I just read some pretty amusing description of Eisenhower…none of them exceedingly flaterring…
33-It was really fantastic. I reccomend watching the original broadcasts. The ones on migrating laborers are very compelling, too.
The textbook was called “World History,” but I don’t know what the company was…I’ll ask the teacher whenever I see him next.
I got AP United States and World History prep-type-books today! (Spanish and English, too.) Very exciting.
As philosophy is an integral part of history, can this thread double up?
If so, I love reading Plato’s dialogues!
I am appalled by myself. In my excitement at the creation of this thread, I clean forgot to rant about the one topic I had so long awaited the opportunity to discuss. Has anybody seen the BBC series “Civilization” narrated and written by Kenneth Clark? It doesn’t air anymore, unfortunately, but its on DVD. Its terrific! Clark goes through the entire history of humankind beginning with a discussion of what civilization really is. He embellishes his info with some of the most brilliant and eloquently worded historical conjectures. Among many fantastic, my favorite episode is the one on Renessaince humanism. He examines the concept of the artist as a hero through looking at the works of the major artists and the characters of their patrons. It’s super flamablambablous!
I love powerpoints! I never thought I’d be interested in economics: dry stuff, I exclaimed! These days, however, its beginning to have some appeal (NOT as a pathway for my life, just as something to read about from time to time). I’m discussing “military Keynesiansim” right now. Keynes’ work is fun to read! Enjoyable. Except I lost the arrghful slides to due to my computer’s imbecility. (see complaints thread for a fully expounded account of WHY MY computer has betrayed me in an unspeakable way, commited the highest treason, and generally beeped me off!)
-37 If I ever hear “Duck, and Cover” again, the person who says it shall be BunnyBlated! at “Duck, and–BOOM!” I just carried out my threat. ow.
The whole ”Duck and cover” thingy was a conspracy-like plan to bring fear into the american household through the children in order to create panic and hate towards the russians. *breathes.*
You know what would be fun? A series of threads about different decades/eras where we all pretend to live in that period and talk with the slang.
55 – Yeah!
55-I agree.
Could we do that, please?
There was one already. Living history I believe it was called. And I am all for reviving it. However, (hypocritical as this must sound coming fro me, as I request a thread a day) I believe the influx of new threads is leaving some of the older ones deserted. Maybe we can just do it on this thread. That would help to keep it alive and be super duper fun!
*spazzes* I just finished, “The Spy who Came in from the Cold,” and I desperately need to rant and spazz (WITH ABUNDANT SPOILERS) about it somewhere. Out of common decency, I won’t do it here, but if anyone else has read it, do inform me so I can find some obscure tucked away thread to releive my emotions regarding it.
55-Yeah, I think that would be awesome!
How about our first era is the 1960s-1980s Anybody want anything different?
Also, has anyone watch Dr.Who?
60- aaah Doctor Who! wantwantwantwant. Err, as you may have gathered, I’d like to watch Doctor Who but haven’t yet managed. Sorry. Maybe once I get to college…. (this fall)
*sings Duck and Cover* It *is* catchy…. and a better thing to have stuck in one’s head than this pirate song my friends and I found on youtube whilst making a video about pirates for history.
60-Sounds okay.
No, but I’ve always wanted to.
60-Never seen. Sounds cool though! Anyway, can we open it up to 1940s through 1980s as I desperately want to be from 1949 having recently read about a trillion sources on that year and those in its close proximity! Coolioso. This reminds me of the living history thread (which I discovered through lurkage).
*spazzes* I just finished, “The Spy who Came in from the Cold,” and I desperately need to rant and spazz (WITH ABUNDANT SPOILERS) about it somewhere. Out of common decency, I won’t do it here, but if anyone else has read it, do inform me so I can find some obscure tucked away thread to releive my emotions regarding it.
-55 yes, that would be great! please GAPAs?
(64) See Hypatia’s sensible suggestion in comment #59.
(59) It sounds to me as if you need a “Rant and Spaz with Abundant Spoilers” thread. You could announce spoilers before each post, and we could list them at the top of the thread. That sounds as if it might work. Is anyone else interested?
66- Me. I really need to rant about it.
Righto. You’ve got the thread. I can see how the extra layer of insulation will make it different from a run-of-the-mill book or movie thread (not that the run of our mill has much in common with the run of anyone else’s mill, of course).
21 – Me too! I’m thinking of going to a college in Prague, so I’ve recently gotten into researching the Czech Republic’s history. It’s pretty fascinating, especially Rudolf II and the alchemists. It’s a shame that my world civ textbook only has a few paragraphs about the Czech Republic, but pages and pages on bigger countries.
25 – Lol same here, although being in a “western world civ” class I haven’t gotten into India and China as much. That saying is so true…having studied the fall of Rome, I don’t have much hope for America. But I am looking forward to taking US history next year because having gone to a classical school, I know shamefully little about the modern world. Anyone know “The Eyre Affair”? It took me half the book to realize it was alternate history! :O I really do love Greek and Roman history though, especially Roman. So many strange little things get thrown in with the battles and stuff, like talking cows and meat storms in Livy.
49 – Was it Spielvogel? That’s what I used this year. It’s pretty good for an overview of western civ, but being an overview, its coverage of certain important points is irritatingly brief.
50 – Which ones? I did The Republic this year; those class discussions were some of the best I’ve ever had.
60 – I haven’t gotten the time to watch it yet, but I desperately want to this summer.
Is anyone else into occult history? I got into the history of alchemy for a school project and now I’m hooked.
69- the dodos didn’t clue you in?
I think the history of Polar Exploration is cool.
49- World History: The Human Experience? Haha, my mom brought that one home once, and I only just rediscovered it!
If we’re going to do living history, can we expand it so that it’s 1800 through 1980? *hates 20th century*
Our history textbooks suck.
In an effort to finish our cirriculum before the year ends, we have rushed from Jefferson to Jackson.
It’s almost sad, really. I had reached the point were I just knew the founding father’s opinions on issues. You work with these historical figures enough and their philosophy and opinions just make sence. And now they’re all dead and I have a new cast of charachters to learn.
69-Occult History is great!
I have a new obsession/infatuation (I wouldn’t have included both of them, only it was too difficult to decide between two so exquisite words). It is *drumroll* ART HISTORY! As I have mentioned/ ranted about on goodness knows how many threads, I am working on a VERY exasperating project about the 1950s. In the course of my research, I started to read about Jasper Johns and Larry Rivers, Norman Rockwell, consumerism-fueled art etc… It was really quite interesting, particularly the segment about Jasper Johns, renowned for painting slightly mutilated American flags. I found an essay in a book called “American Visions” (?) discussing how Johns played on the irony of the flag: Americans consider it sacred and defiling it an act of sacrilege, however, they also use it to advertise for something as ordinary as a hot dog stand. Also, it raised a funny whimsical question: we Johns’ canvas depiction of flags, flags in their own right or just pictures of them?
More from Hypatia on her new obsession:
In the 1950s, cars were designed to be incredibly elaborate, sculptures in and of themselves. My absolute favorite example of this is a car the read end of which lit up when one hit the brakes!
Madness, eh?
(77) My senior year in high school (and at various times later), I drove a two-tone blue 1956 Oldsmobile Holiday 88 that originally belonged to one of my great aunts (she put all of 15,000 miles on it). It had power steering — fortunately, as turning that extra-large-pizza-size steering wheel would have been tough without it. And to make sure you knew it had power brakes, the pedal was embossed with the letters “P-O-W-E-R.”
It had a dinner tray you could pull out from under the dashboard — an item that would probably have sliced off the passenger’s legs if one had a serious collision. The radio didn’t work, ditto for the gas gauge, among other malfunctions, and it had a tendency to stall out and die in the middle of intersections, but I loved it.
I added my own touches, too. The interior I decorated with pictures of the Marx brothers and a giant, multicolored placard near the ignition that said “Keys!” as I was in the habit of forgetting to remove them before I locked the car.
I want a SmartCar when I grow up.
78-Brilliant! Love the personalized touches (particularly the mnemonic device). Sounds extraordinarily safe too… ; )
I have a peculiar fondness for Volvos that developed this year. That or hybrids.
I like your story, Rebecca!
We have two Volvos at my house
Great car, Rebecca!!! My family had a Volvo, (Eight-Years-old), and a Ford Explorer, (10-years-old). Now there are four kids, we had to get a Van. It still has good mileage, though, and we walk almost everywhere!
70 – I think I missed them the first time around…*goes back to look* I need to stop skimming threads.
Awesome car, Rebecca! Driving something like that sounds fun…did it get good gas mileage despite the malfunctioning gague?
I don’t have a picture of the actual car on hand, but I found an approximation on the Internet, complete with close-up of the hood ornament.
(84) Oh, it got about 9 miles to the gallon. Maybe 11. But it was fun — most of the time, especially when I wasn’t walking through driving rain trying to find a telephone to call my parents to tell them the Olds had died again — something exciting about driving a car that was older than I was.
Its last and perhaps most unusual adventure was stalking David Bowie on the Beltway. Must have been an interesting visual to see his limo and my tank taking turns passing each other.
85-Genius! Its absolutely pwnsome x 900. Same color scheme as yours, too? I’m sure the limousine was honored to be in its presence!
(86) Or perhaps “pwneureuse”?
87-Ah, oui! Naturalment!
We had a BelAir for a while. I remember we couldn’t go on really bumpy roads because the car would scrape the ground–an unfortunate reality in a land where bumpy roads were the norm.
Writing about Norman Rockwell and Jasper Johns…onto the economy soon…Arghle!
89-Fairly random, but slightly pertinent, story…
My family and I were driving through the snow in a very small car, oh, I’d say about 5 months ago and at midnight. The roads were not-at-all cleaned, and we kept running afoul of snowbanks and having to jump out and push around. Then my fada would reverse the car, rev up the engine, and “floor it”. This lasted all the way until about 200 meters from our destination. The place that we were headed for had an exceptionally long driveway. In a fairly futile effort to clean it off all the snow had been pushed to the opening. This made it almost impossible to get in (not to mention that once one was in, one had to contend too with the 4 feet or so of snow on the ground.) My parents judged the situation pretty bad for us, however we decided to try. We ran at the bank with all force, and to our surprise, we made it over! Only to get stuck on the other side. We couldn’t go forward and we couldn’t go back so we had to traipse the 200 meters to the house and come back the next morning armed with shovels to dig out the car! It was quite an adventure…
So, who has seen the film “All the President’s Men”?
Why don’t we try Kai’s idea (see post 55) to revive this thread?
We could start with the Tudor era…or 20th century America?
Whichever…
Okey-Dokey…
we have a history thread?
don’t worry i’m using this when i do my ap euro summer “reading” (ie pages of notes. oh feathers, how you do love your notes. don’t worry, he’s trying to be dr t. (the teacher who used to teach it but is retiring))
94- yes, we do. your on it.
This could probably go on the song lyrics thread, but I am trying to revive this one so I’ll post it here instead.
The lyrics to the song, “Russia” by Sting are INCREDIBLY political! They talk about Kruschev, nuclear war, and “the growing feeling of hysteria”. Insane how explicitly music reflects the political scenario of the day.
*pretends to be Queen Elizabeth* Her majesty is not pleased that so few people deign to visit this thread (nor that King Philip of Spain is being a bother). Where is Sir Francis Drake when one has need of him?
“Your highness knows he has abandoned the seafaring life. He is in his estate in the country.”
Fetch him to us at once. I wish to consult.
“Very Good, Highness.”
*enter Drake*
“Your majesty had need of my services?”
“Yes, we have a little matter of some delicacy that requires a man of, shall we say, delicate capabilities.”
“This matter, your highness?”
“Spain.”
“Ah, yes. Your offer comes at an opportune moment. My roving spirit begins to awake already.”
97-98- Majesty! Majesty! Highness applies to princes and princesses, and probably some other people too, but not kings or queens.
99-Thank you! I’ve always been curious about the distinction. *vows never to use them interchangeably ever again*
Continuing…
“Good, for it is in need. Philip is angered at my decision to execute my cousin. He makes this his reason to invade.”
“He has been planning to invade for much time, your Majesty.”
“I know, but this makes it certain he will.”
101-Yay! Thanks for continuing…I’m mortified that this thread will die. I’ll add a bit on later too (when the fancy strikes me and science stops striking me).
I mentioned this on a couple of other threads, but its best suited here, anyway. Friday, I read a lovely article about the German civilians sentiment towards the Nazis. It analyzed all the little details such as the customary military greeting etc. and ended up coming to the conclusion that the Germans tolerated the Nazis because, to a degree, they meant material security and prosperity, what the Germans wanted, and the Nazi’s demise might potentially mean a return to unstable Weimar, what they wanted to avoid.
Last year, I read a book (I believe it was called “The Third Man”) about the internal German resistance to the Nazis: a bit dense but really terrific! It took a slightly different angle, giving out a more active German rebellion. The contrast was interesting.
85~ Niiiiice. My dad keeps trying to convince me that the car I really want to drive is a ’63 Chevrolet Impala. It’s black with red (or what was once red) interior and HUGE. I really don’t think so. What I want is a VW bug.
Sadly, all our cars are now “antiques”. My mom’s car is a ’81 VW rabbit, and my dad has a rabbit truck, same color and everything. Both diesels. people can usually tell that they’re together when we drive both vehicles!!
When dad’s not banging around in the rabbit, he’s driving around in his beat-up old Model “a.” And they wonder why I’m so weird…….
okay, this is probably the only post you will ever see from me that is all about cars. I’m not mechanically minded at all, all I know is that they go, and my dad can fix them no matter what…usually.
103- Very cool!
I just read a part of Frederica Garcia Lorca’s “In Search of Duende”. And some of the poems. Duende is life, spirit, and vivacity from what I understand. The part I read cites a bunch of pertinent usages of the word…Its quite interesting. Once I’ve read a pinch more, I’ll post more…
I have a history final on monday….
105-Good luck!
Instead of having a final in history, we had a final group project. That involved group work. Which I’m not particularly good at…
106- I hate group work.
106 – ARGH! Group work. Don’t even get me started.
106- Did other people in or group make you do all the work?
109- I always want to do all the work, but everyone in my group bungles it.
More of POSOC’s case.
I am extrememly bossy and like getting my way…with almost every minute detail. Sometimes, I am in groups that go along with this, but this group actually had brains in abundance and so I couldn’t have my power-trip…which was okay for the project, but not for me…
I am a BAD group worker…
110- Same here.
I opened a periodical (which will remain unnamed for fear of its disclosing my location) and found that Tony Schwartz had died. Among other things (or so I found out from reading the obit) he was a media mastermind and designed campaign ads:
youtube search “Lyndon Johnson – Daisy”
Its supposedly one of the most powerful campaign ads ever made. Its…interesting…
I’m the same as most of you. I domineer any group I’m in, and try to make everything just as I see it!
110- I all ways want to do the work to, but it’s also annoying when people don’t do it with you.
Working in a group? I either get bossy and dominating and force everyone to bend to my will (and they say that single children have a hard time adjusting to social pressures, ha!) or I shrink into the background and pretty much become decoration. Mostly though, I tend to try to get my way. So now you know me for the bossy control freak that I am…..*sigh*
Socially overpowered and challenged because of being a homeschooled only child, most definitely.
116- Well, there’s another thing we have in common: bossy control freak-ness.
116- I always boss everyone around, and even if I’m not appointed leader, by the time our group is done wroking, I am the leader. At first, everyone gets annoyed, but then they remember how we always get good grades when things go my way, and the quality of what we are making gets better. And so they do everything I say.
117~ we really do need to get together some time, the likenesses are just freaky. We could see who gets more bossy and ends up domineering the Kokonvention…..
Also, since a while back we were discussing old pieces of machinery for modes of transportation, my latest love is a 1939 Rollfast girl’s balloon tire bike. It’s red with hand painted on (aka, crooked) white stripes on the big, wide fenders. It even has the cutest little reflector button on the back fender….I’d rant forever now, I’ve completely fallen for the beast….. *grins sheepishly*
119- Seriously. You have relatives in Seattle, right?
Yurp. In fact, there’s a wedding this summer, although I don’t think I’m going. Ah well, someday. Or you could come out here, there’s Jamestown, and several other historic places around….
121- Well, yes, but given the price of gas &c., I very much doubt I’ll be going to Jamestown in the near future. If I had a decent excuse, maybe…Oh my gosh! OK, so I’m going to volunteer on a tallship as soon as I’m old enough and have enough time; maybe I could volunteer on one going to Jamestown!
102) I’ve written essays on that particular piece of German history.The Wiemar, the war reparations, the guilt clause; it’s interesting to see what causes a country to elect a maniac to power. (Of course the bullying and secret police may have helped. Perhaps.)
I’m envious of the east coast MBers who live closer to historic places and whatnot…the only thing historic around here is the 900000 missions we appropriated from the Spaniards who in turn appropriated the land from the Native Americans. sigh. It’s interesting enough, but being beaten over the head with information about Father Serra and the King’s Road and how they made tortillas etc etc is not conducive to an enjoyment of history.
I think someday I’ll take a trip to each state and see things for myself…including California.
122~ Or we could scope out tall ships needing crew members in training and meet somewhere in the middle…..hmm, now that would be fun…. Probably no MB on board though, bummer. Actually, that might just work, I’m considering asking my cousin how to go about getting a position on a ship and logging in hours to get an able seaman’s license. Hmm. Somehow though, I doubt that we could avoid each other forever, if not a planned meet our shared interests are bound o drag us to the same spot someday!
123- I went to a, um, mission-ish thing. Actually it wasn’t a mission. We were going to go to the mission, but there wasn’t time. We went to a place where soldiers lived. I can’t remember what it was called’Twas very cool, but if that was all I’d be sick of it. I really need to go out to the Fort, I’ve lived here for years and never seen.
124- OHMIGOSH, YES! Eek, capslock was on, sorry. I’ll go look. Next summer, maybe, since this one is very nearly over.
…
Actually it’s nowhere close to over, but my Empty Space is filling up fast. Around the 21st of July I shall embark on a long string of vacation-ish things.
I’ll go look at tallships needing crew members!
Eep. No se como empezar.
That probably FAILED. Is that how one says, “I don’t know how to begin”?
26~ That’s fine, I’m not too close to getting a sailing position myself. I may be able to see what my cousin is up to this summer, I think she’s teaching people to sail on one of the first ships she learned on, somewhere up north on the East coast. However I don’t really know that much about it, what ship it is, who she’s teaching, or anything. Hmm, I’ll have to see what I can find out.
There’s also ages to deal with, you’re 15, right? Hmm. Well, maybe we’ll figure out something.
127- I’m not 15 yes, actually. Pretty soon, though. I think you have to be 17, which is a problem.
128~ Ooh, yeah that is. Or we could somehow figure out a Kokonvention, meet each other in person, decide whether we can stand each other (no-brainer, I think) and then look for job opportunities on tall ships. *sigh* but now we’re back to the original delemma, how to work out a Kokonvention when we live on opposite sides of the continent. Humph.
129- Well, the answer is obvious. We have to both become millionaires so that we can afford to fly back and forth.
…
Now the question is, “How do we become millionaires?”
I wish I knew someone in Maryland. Then I would have an excuse.
130~ Hmm….I could start saving my allowance again, but then I won’t be able to get those Musery shirts to wear at the possible Kokonvention, and then……well, you get the idea.
I would say that you do know someone in MD, but that you only know her on the internet, and that wouldn’t help.
Do you know anyone in Wisconsin? Would your family be interested in the Milwaukee Irish Fest? (I know, you’re probably more into something Scottish, but it’s worth a shot…)
131-
A) Yeah, and I don’t get allowance.
B) I think my mom wants me to “establish local relationships.” Which was working very well until we finished exploring JobCorpsLand and didn’t have anything to do. Besides, I don’t have any unofficial twins around here.
C) I would love to go to the Milwaukee Irish Fest, except I very much doubt my parents would take me seriously if I asked them. Maybe my uncle, but I doubt he would be able to afford it either.
This is frustrating. I don’t want to wait until my mom remembers that long-ago half-joking idea of us going to DC!
Ergh. I need money.
132~ Grr.
Well, I found out more about the ship my cousin is on. If you look up www . sea . edu it has the information.
(GAPAs, I think you can let this one in, my cousin and I don’t have the same name, and it’s not local for me. However, if you feel the need to zap that’s fine.)
133- That’s cool.
!!!
My dad mentioned some program for teenagers where you go sail around on a tall ship for X amount of days. I’ll ask him about when he gets back from wherever he is (California maybe?).
134~ Oh? Where is that program?
I’m looking at the above mentioned site right now, and it’s a bit scary, I’m not sure that I’d qualify for all of the requirements, and it looks quite expensive. Besides, I mostly want to sail and this one seems to be focused more on the science end of going to sea. Which could be good for homeschooling, I guess.
Oh my gosh, the Adventuress. There is a program where highschoolers can go sail around the San Juan Islands, but…
It’s the West Coast. Just like any ship with that type of program that you can come up with is on the East Coast.
Ergh.
Someone needs to invent a teleportation device. Really.
Oh, the Adventuress program is pretty darn expensive too ($575) but I’m not sure the sailing thing is going to be at all cheap.
136~ I made it to the Zodiac, so don’t write me off for things on the West Coast, I really enjoyed my time there. I’m looking up the Adventuress at the moment. It departs from Friday Harbor in the Puget Sound? I think I was there when I was on the Zodiac, but I’m not sure.
Hmm, I’ll look into it.
137` I think that the Corwith Creamer had a few hundred bucks just in extras, but I’m not entirely sure. Any which way, yes, it’ll be a bit pricey. The Adventuress looks nice though.
I have to go again, but I’ll probably be on tomorrow. I’ll check this thread, and I’ll keep looking around at tall ships, sailing programs, etc.
Bye for now!! *hugs*
I know, I really want to do it. Hmm, tomorrow I’ll go look for a Job.
I just heard that the Adventuress ran aground a few days ago. (I just saw my sailing cousin) It’s on the website, too….huh.
Anyway, she also said that (good news) it’s not too hard to get a job on a ship. She said just to call them up and see if there are any openings, and tell them what sort of experience you’ve got. Anyway, it’s a start….Perhaps if we have all year to plan, plot and beg our parents, a floating Kokonvention may be possible after all. (We’ll both be a year older too, and that won’t hurt job-hunting. Although I’m not sure I want to wait that long, I get impatient.)
142- Hmm. If only I didn’t have School…
143~ I also was looking on the Adventuress website, and it looks like you have to be over 18 to join the crew….poop. Although they do have a “ship’s apprentice” program for kids 15 and up who’ve sailed with them before, but for $40 a day I think I’ll pass.
Humph.
This is infuriating.
Alice, look up the American Sail Training Association (ASTA), I have a feeling that you may find something of interest there.
Who knows?
-dies-
ARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGJHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
I don’t live in any of those places. Nor am I liable to suddenly become a juvenile delinquent. But I think I’ll keep checking up on that site…
Wait. Do you not have to be a juvenile delinquent? Or live in the mentioned places? How do you get into the program, anyway?
Fiddler (146): That looks like fun! I’m more of a small sailboat person, but tallships are, of course, the exception.
And, this has nothing to do with the current topic of conversation, but it does have something to do with history, so it should be okay.
I went to a lecture last week by Dr. Rebecca J. Scott. Has anyone ever heard of her? She does research on slavery and her lecture told the story of one family through several generations and how they adapted to segregation and slavery. It was a really amazing lecture, and she is writing a book about it — to be published in 2010. She has several other books, though, and I have them requested at the library.
Also, on the topic of slavery, has anyone ever read the book Slavery by Another Name, by Douglas A. Blackmon? It is, as the title suggests, about slavery and re-enslavement in the South after the Civil War that continued all the way up to World War II. It’s a really interesting book.
147~ Juvenile delinquent? Why would you have to misbehave to get a place on a sailing ship? I’m quite confused, could you explain what you meant?
Anyway, it is a site to check up on.
Drat, I wish you lived in this area, then we could go out and look for work on ships together. Hurumph.
I wish I could do some work on the USS Constellation in Baltimore. Hum, it’s closer than Jamestown, but I don’t know if my parents are going to want to take me down there either, and I can’t drive myself.
There’s a schooner that Rebecca told me of, but looking at their requirements it’ll have to be a distant possibility, at best.
I wonder if I could do some stuff with the Constellation, it doesn’t sail, it’s being restored, but I would be interested in volunteering and learning to rig it. *dreams*
And in February when I went there before I met one of the people who works there, and seems to be in charge of hiring folks, he was quite nice and we talked for a good bit……that’s a step in the right direction……..*ponders and dreams*
149- I believe that Alice is thinking of a program where juvenile delinquents are taught how to sail the ship, inspiring teamwork and self confidence. That’s just my guess.
150~ Perhaps. Like a program for children at risk or something….
Yes, what Ven said.
152~ Ah, now I see.
What we need is a really good excuse, some sort of once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will justify one or the other of us going to the opposite coast.
154~ Hopefully not just once-in-a-lifetime, I very much enjoyed my two weeks on the West Coast!! But I know what you’re saying.
I could probably get out there sometime, but I have no idea when, how, or what for.
I will keep thinking though!
The other day I came up with something perfect, that I then forgot. I was about to type a long post about how I forgot, but I just remembered. Note that it does not involve tallships ( ), but it is perfectly plausible, whereas many of our tallship plans were not.
Are you ready?
-drumroll-
The Folklife Festival!
It’s in Seattle, and there’s all this music from different countries. I went there the May I was eleven (I also went on the Space Needle). There was some fiddle music, I seem to recall, and also some Philippine dancing that I sort of mastered but forgot.
156 – Philippine dancing? Nice.
I’m not taking a history class this year…
GAH. I’m dying of suspense here!
156~ Hmm, a Kokonevention at the Seattle Folklife Festival? Plausible. But possible? Maybe. We’ll have to see, but that does sound really interesting, just far away. When is it? Sometime in May I assume from your post, I might be able to ask for going as a birthday present…..dont knwo if it would work, but it’s worth a try………….*thinks* I’ll definately run it by the parents.
Sorry I didn’t see your post earlier, I have been mostly reading the random thread in the past few weeks since I didn’t have the time for the others.
159- Um…some important weekend. In May. Think national holiday, but I can’t remember which one. I know it’s rather far away from you, but you never know.
160~ Like I said, I could ask for a Kokonvention as a birthday present…..
I talked to my mom today, just mentioned it, and she sounded interested, so who knows?
A Kokonvention would be a great idea for a birthday present. It would be a huge present, though.
And I know hardly anyone comes here anymore, but I think we should have a discussion about our favorite periods in history (why we like them, etc.). I don’t think we’ve done that before (it’s very possible we have, just not in my memory), and I think it has a lot of fun-potantial.
Personally, I like 14th-century “The Great Mortality” (Black Death/Plague/Whatever you will call it) the best.
(162) Pan,
Have you ever read Connie Willis’s time-travel stories set during the Black Death?
Robert (162): No, I haven’t. Are they good? I just got “To Say Nothing of the Dog” (by Connie Willis) out of the library a few days ago, because oxlin highly recommended it, but I just started it, so I don’t know much of the plot yet.
*looks for time-travel Black Death stories*
Is it Doomsday Book? I’ll get it from the library next time I go.
I’m also reading a book called “The Great Mortality” (as they call “Black Death” in Europe, apparently), by John Kelly, which is interesting so far.
(164) I haven’t read Doomsday Book; I see it gets mixed reviews. I’ve read and enjoyed some of Connie Willis’s early short stories and think she deals with the period in others collected in an anthology I haven’t read yet. (Sorry to be so uninformative. I don’t have time to read as much fiction as I’d like nowadays.)
By the way, if you’re going to read To Say Nothing of the Dog, you really ought to read the book that inspired it: Three Men in a Boat, by the Victorian author Jerome K. Jerome.
I have had a pitiful lack of history classes, but we’re taking US History this year – if we get that far. We spent all of last week on the Roman Empire (and the parts around that spot on the time line) as part of our background on history/human nature.
I’m like Pan, I love the history during the Black Death/any 14th century Europe. I also think the Revolutionary War is interesting enough.
Just as a matter of curiosity, what’s the fascination with the Black Death? It certainly wasn’t Europe’s finest hour.
A lot of really interesting things happened during that period. It definitely wasn’t the best time for the people experiencing the whole thing, and I can get sad every time I hear about it, but the culture and the accomplishments and stuff were so interesting. I’m a big Shakespeare fan, and he was around the same period, so that’s another thing. I don’t really know what exactly makes it so fascinating, I just love it.
It’s great that you enjoy learning about it, but be careful about the history: the Black Death (1347-1350) was more than 200 years before Shakespeare (1564-1616), though smaller outbreaks of plague occurred during Shakespeare’s time and for many decades afterward. You don’t want to run afoul of Robert’s Fallacy of Pop-Cultural History (also known as Robert’s Law of Movie History): “Everything that happened long ago happened at the same time.”
THF probably mixed it up because there is a book (“The King of Shadows”) about a boy who gets Bubonic Plague while performing with Shakespeare.
I like the Black Death for many reasons. I’ve always liked epi/pandemics, and this one is just so large-scale it’s interesting to study the spread and origins of the disease. And, of course, the treatments and cure-attempts are fascinating as well. Nobody really knew why everyone was dying, and fear spread more than disease itself. Everything, from religion to the arts, dealt with death, and the whole European culture seemed to circle around mortality and fear.
And, “finest hour” has absolutely nothing to do with levels of interest. In fact, times of turmoil are the most interesting periods of history.
Very true! I haven’t read “The King of Shadows”; is it as sad as it sounds?
If you’re looking for straight-up history that’s as exciting as fiction, Barbara Tuchman’s book A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century is hard to beat.
The King of Shadows actually isn’t that sad. Well, it is, a bit, but not as sad as the extremely brief synopsis I posted. Basically, it’s about a boy in modern-day America who joins a drama troupe that travels to London to perform “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (playing Puck). Then, he gets really sick, and is transported back into Shakespeare’s day, and he gets better. He gets to perform (Puck) under the direction of Shakespeare himself, and then is eventually switched back to modern-times. Basically, the boy who was playing Puck in Shakespeare’s time got Bubonic Plague, and the boy in modern-time just had some sort of cold. They switched — so the modern-boy was fine with a cold in Shakespeare’s day, and the Bubonic Plague was easily treated with modern-medicine.
…did that make any sense at all? It’s a good book — written by Susan Cooper (Dark is Rising, etc.)
“A Distant Mirror” sounds great! I just requested it from the library.
Robert – I was joking about the Shakespeare thing. I had made a comment that made it clear that I was joking, and then I took it out or something, and forgot to take the Shakespeare sentence out. I know a ton about Shakespeare, I’m a huge fan, and yes I knew that he was not 14th century. Sorry I didn’t make that clear.
King of Shadows was a really cool book. It definitely wasn’t particularly sad. I just liked the whole time-travel idea.
162- The Plague was fascinating. I have thing for epidemics.
164- Doomsday Book, eh? The school librarian loaded me with books about the Black Plague when I showed an interest, and Doomsday Book was one of them. But I never got around to reading any of them.
171- Oh, A Distant Mirror! We have that. I never read it, though, because I was stubbornly refusing to read any nonfiction (this when my parents were heaping textbooks on me).
I want to learn more about the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars–but from the side of the French. Because everything I’ve read dealing with that time period was about the English, which is just fine and dandy, but I’m getting an extremely biased opinion.
french revolution basically like any other revolution except they went kind of insane and started killing everyone/putting someone like robespierre in power so he could do silly things like create a festival for the ~supreme being~ and at that point everyone was like guys what is going on (aka Thermidorian Reaction). and then napoleon’s like ‘sup france and everyone’s cool with it cause w/e w/e they just want some stability.
I don’t think that’s what you were looking for though lol. The French Revolution is so messy. How the french feel about it probably depends on their societal class or which weirdo faction they were part of. generally it was people being fed up at how failing france was at the time and how Louis XVI couldn’t do much of anything in relation to ruling/one of those people who was a swell guy but incapable of running a country (see also : Nicholas II of russia)
also interesting to me is that the newly separated americans though the whole french revolution business was great at first, until it got nasty. (john adams predicted it would be bloody but no one listened to my homeboy now did they). French were peeved but America doesn’t want to help cause that interferes with Britain blah blah blah so begins 9000 years of sticky relations with foreign countries.
In AP US we’re studying why the colonizers colonized at a glacial pace and I’m so boreeeddddd.
Anyone noticing a theme in Black Death time-travel books?
I have A Distant Mirror, but I’m not going to start it until after I finish The Great Mortality. Not only would I be reading way too many books at a time (which I usually do all summer, but I think it would get too confusing during school), but that would be two non-fiction books set in the 14th century, which I would most definitely mix up.
175 (Axa): The French Revolution is definitely interesting. With Robespierre and the guillotine — what more could you want?
We’re just getting into the American Revolution in AP US History, and it’s really interesting, especially because I’ve never actually studied the Revolution in school before. (I had American History in 7th grade, but we went so slowly and started way back in European History, that we never even got to the Revolution.)
Akice, look up the Kalmar Nyckel, go to the website, look at the page under “join our volunteer crew”. Maybe a few years along th line………maybe, maybe……..it looks pretty good, they train you, and if you’re out of state you can stay on the ship…..that would be fun in itself. Soo, it’s a possibility.
Is anybody else here interested in aviation back in the biplane days? I find it very cool. The planes and instruments were very privative, yet by 1924, people had flown around the world!
178- I wonder how parallel it runs to today’s private space exploration attempts. That’s one of the reasons I think history is useful, in extrapolation, but not many people seem to see that.
178,179- I’d guess some what different.
I didn’t know we had this! If anyone wants to read some good history comics check out Kate Beaton’s website.
181- Yeah! She’s great. I’ve probably learned all my obscure Canadian history from her.
Stan Rogers!
181~ Our own Larry Gonick has some books dedicated to history, his Cartoon History of the Universe is quite fun. I have volumes one and two.
181-2) aha! I just posted a comment about her comics on the canada thread…I was wondering if either of you had seen them. I just started reading them this september or so and they’re so funny. My favorite it the “Pastime with Good Company” one of henry viii. I really want a “I am excited for someone to invent the tshirt” tshirt for christmas haha
What is everyone’s favorite period/area of study where history is concerned? I really enjoy European history…the Enlightenment, Romanticism (I have “wanderer above the sea of fog” as my desktop background), imperialsim and how it relates to problems (putting it lightly) today. Also the Cold War. But then again I think American history has a lot of very interesting aspects as well. so I can’t decide, essentially.
.184 (Axa) – I took a really amazing Western Civ/European History class last year. It covered from the Black Death to present day, but I think my favourite part was the era of religious wars. All the countries get involved, Europe gets crazy, there are a lot of kings with funny names etc. I also have a soft spot for the imperialism period.
It appears this thread hasn’t been touched in forever. (technicaly since Dec 6th) I feel it should be kept alive and not be another part of history. *chuckle*
My favorite part of history is the ancient civilizations. Them and the westward expansion. The thing is, I don’t like learning about events and people and special places. I like the lives and the hardships of everyday people. The real gritty stuff that makes you wonder about the world around you.
At school we are learning about american history. We barely have time to cover major people and capitals of colonies before we’re on to the next. I cannot keep learning this way!
Next year… that’s what I keep telling myself.
Laura Ingalls Wilder. Historical Not-so-fiction writer writing when it wasn’t history yet. I used to live off her books. Comments?
Thank you for reviving this thread YodaShmoda!
I love history. Last year I took AP Euro and this year I’m taking AP US. So amazing. Our text book is great – The American Pageant.
“The radiant Texas Bride, officially petitioning for annexatino in 1837, presented herself for marriage. But the expectant groom, Uncle Sam, was jerked back by the black hand of slavery.”
-p. 250.
The entire book is like that. I kid you not.
Wow. Your text book is good. My school’s isn’t horrible but really pulls me back. I answered somthing not technicaly wrong on a test but it was wrong becuase they hadn’t covereed it yet and the test was just to see if you read the chapters.
That’s annoying. The funny thing about our book is, it was written by the same people who write the AP test. All our quizzes are old AP questions, and some of them are taken completely word for word from the text book. So basically all I have to do is memorize it and it’s an easy 5 on the AP test.
Only not really because there’s still the essay portion…
I really like US history, I didn’t until I took this class. There’s some crazy stuff that went down in our past. Battle of New Orleans… that was some intenseness.
.187 haha I think Purple Panda and I had a discussion earlier on the silliness of that book (which we both use, too!) It’s really funny, mostly because it either is unintentional or they’re trying really hard to appeal to high school students. Either way, I like the book. Our AP Euro book last year was a bit dense but I generally found it very useful. I’m glad we get good books!
I agree our history really has a lot of uh, interesting aspects to it that are not widely known. I had no idea so many of the elections probably has some degree of finagling involved…but then that’s politics I guess.
Battle of New Orleans? Are we talking about Jackson here because do I ever have a bone to pick with Old Hickory.
.188 oh that’s ridiculous. So few tests really test if a student has learned, rather than if they remember long enough for the test.
189- Yes, the Battle of New Orleans was pretty crazy. A pirate helped us win!
191- I PIRATE????? Woah.I really don’t like my history classes. No one tells us anything!
It doesn’t help that I switched schools after 6th grade and never got the Mayan/ what ever else the south american’s were called civilizations but studied the Egyptian/Mesopitainan civilizations twice.
It actualy doesn’t annoy me that much becuase I like Mesopitania!
.187 – Hahaha, I used that book as well! Once you get to imperialism, there’s this really funny part where the author talks about how much the President enjoys taking a bath with plump native women or something like that. It also describes the presidents like they’re in romance novels:
“Standing proud at six feet two inches with a chest like a tree-trunk, he was a dashing, handsome man, known for his skill with the ladies.”
Not an exact quote, but close enough. Ohh Bailey…
192- Yeah, his name was Jean Laffite.
I think the South American civilization you’re referring to is the Inca.
194- Okay. Thanks. I’m going to look up this “Jean Laffite”.
193- That sounds like a great history book. Although I’m sure it has it’s downsides. It sounds better than ours though, they’re so dull it gives you a two second summery of a HUGE thing. Like Constenoga wagons(maybe not so huge) or Bacon’s Rebellion. Apparenly somthing hapened with burning a capital but I only learned that from a rambling teacher. I guess I’ll go look that up too.
SFTDP-
Okay so I found stuff on Bacon’s Rebllion. He did indeed set fire to Jamestown. He led about 400-500 men in a fight angaist Native Americans. He burned quite a few villages. Didn’t like Lord Berkly. And died of dysentery making his 500 followers collapse and his rebellion stop. He was so bad that Lord Berkly had to be replaced by a new and more secure governer.
I didn’t quite understand Jean Laffite, mainly becuase I had no bakcground knowladge of him. Once I can understand though, I will share.
As you can see from above I did a quick summery of a historical event. Anyone else want to try? I’m really just hoping to keep this thread alive.
SFTDP- (really, I’m going to stop apologizing if no one comes)
So my histroy teacher is back. She was gone for her baby. I forgot how much I hated/loved her teaching style. Sometimes it can REALLY get on my nerves the way that she just sits and talks. But other times it’s nice. It sounds kinda weird but her voice is really nice and I can jsut listen and learn without thinking. And afterwards I just spend awhole bunch thinking about what she said and the peeople who where in the time.
Anyways. We are learning about the French Indian War. I find it quite interesting that the Native Americans united with their enimies to fight another enimy. They simply gambled on the winner and if they were right then YAY! Of course it was more complicated than that but… that’s how I think of it.
And did you know the Great Chicago Fire started on my birthday. It’s one of my favorite distasters. And not jsut becuase of my birtthday. I find the whole problem udderly interesting.
I’ll save that for if poele don’t add some of their own comments though. If I can keep the thread on the “Latest Comments” bar then maybe someone will say somthing!
My history teacher is really funny. Today she was talking about how she’d plan a coup.
198- Plan a coup? Hm… *googles definition* Wow. Uh. I like your history teacher. Would mine do that? No, no she would not. Instead she would give us an essay about coups. *sigh* It’s a love/hate relationship with my teacher.
We are learning about the French-Indian War. I find it quite interesting that the English called it that. Wouldn’t it be funny if France won and now the States were france run and we called it the Brittish-Indian War? I mean in the end it’s all about the point of veiw. And who saw it how. I mean, one group may see a huge disatster while another sees a huge sucsess.
199- The French-Indian War was actually pretty interesting, as they were fighting on the edge of known territory in the Americas. A bit like a modern war in Antarctica or on the moon (Both of which are, thankfully, impossible because of international treaties, but let’s imagine.)
198- Wait, do other people not do that all the time?
I think Oxford had an admissions question like that.
200- A war on the Moon. That would be spectacular and frightening at the same time. Think of all the things that could you could die from, but think of what you could see from down here on earth. Scary thought though… once the country was done winning the could fire a nuke straght down at the country they just defeated. *shudders*
haha when you talk about galactic battles all I can think of is gundam.
Speaking of nukes…I don’t believe we’ll ever come to nuclear warfare because of mutually assured destruction aka if someone goes ahead and tries it the retaliation will wipe them out, resulting in both sides being effectively powerless. Of course there are several loopholes in that but if it ever comes time to test the loopholes it won’t really matter.
MAD is/was a contributor to the arms race. The Cold War is interesting stuff. “Breach” is a n excellent film if you’re interested the Cold War, though it is a bit more about the CIA and past uh transgressions by officials during the cold war.
It’s rated R though, and Chris Cooper is creepy as all get out, so not for younger musers.
the scariest thing would be if someone stumbeled across a red zone that hadn’t been cleared. Then we would have to possiblity of being infected…. all of us. I mean how many times to we cross pathes with people every day? How many times do we cough in our hands and then touch somthing else?*shudders*
202- I know. Thank gosh the Outer Space Treaty prevents military manuvers in space!
So off the topic of dieing from crazy galactic wars:
We are already done with the French-Indian war. I’ve got a project on it but we are still moving off the subject. Onto “bigger” “better” things. Does no one understand the beauty of history like I do????
My history teacher is crazy. He put one of my classmates halfway out the window to show changes in a community
In 8th Grade when we did the Depression, we got to research events and write letters as if we’d experienced them. I learned that a Civilian Conservation Corps team at Yorktown studied a Revolutionary War shipwreck- in hard-hat diving suits, as this WAS the 30’s. Gee, and Captain Cousteau got credit for inventing underwater archeology.
208- Now that’s the history I like. The lifesyles and lives of everyday people going through their everyday lives. I DO NOT want to know all of the generals and how many thousand died. I want to know how the generals thought, and who the thousand were thinking about as they died. Some people would say that’s gory…. I say it’s history.
208- Oh yes hardhat diving I lovelove. I will get to use a hardhat in a pool later this year for engineering! I can’t wait!
I’m not really all that into the perspective of the common man (or woman), while they’re interesting, they don’t give a true picture of the world at that time, and the forces at work.
Mr. Lars Brownworth has an awesome podcast series on the Byzantine Empire. I hope to meet him oneday, which is possible. yes.
Is this thread ding (how do you spell that??? Dying? that don’t look right) again? No! *CPR* Okay. Alive for the moment.
I like history becuase you know… somehow, possibley, somone had to have done somthing right. Because we are still hanging on here and we are still alive and all that. The rest of my life is so hectic and never sure about anyting that I think that’s why I find it so easy to get sucked into the history because I know no matter how bad I got it somehow got me here.
I just got back for Philidelphia. I realized that wow… I’m in this city where thousands before me have been and what’s more, some of those thousands were people like George Washington, and James Madison, and Bejamin Franklen. It’s quite humbling to look up at a building and say, “Holy crap Ben Franklin coulda stood here during a breif recess while they wree making the constitution.”
And please thread don’t die and go into a coffin like Ben is… I don’t want to throw penny’s on your grave stone. *sob*
I REFUSE TO LET THIS THREAD DIE!
Oaky. So… um… GOT IT!
I think the Quartering Act was a pretty bad plan on England’s side. Did they really expect the Colonists to just welcome the REdcoats into their homes for free? The lobsterbacks had been making their lives miserable, making sure they did their taxes, shutting them up if they protested, generaly being annoying forgen soilders. It’s pretty funny actualy.
I figured somthing out too! So I’m deathly afraid of bears. But before the bear insident this summer I had always wanted to be
A. a history teacher or B. a natitional park ranger.
Of course after the bear I’m pretty much afraid of any bush. (It’s really pathetic and I have to work on it before camp this year) So about an hour ago- when I should have been answering math questions- I had a eureka moment and realized I could be BOTH! I can work in National Historic Monuments instead! YAY!
212- I went to Philadelphia last winter and I felt the same way. In Independence Hall, there’s a stairwell with a window that shows the parkish area behind it. On our tour, I stopped for a moment and looked out the window. I saw my brothers, who were already outside, throwing snowballs at each other and I realized that in the early days of the nation, Franklin might have stood here and seen kids doing the same thing, only dressed differently. That was a very powerful moment.
214- Holy crap! That’s the same exacte place I was talking about too. Like Ben wanted to strech his legs or somthing and he meanders on down thata way. That’s what I was thinking. I also think that I use Holy Crap too much but… whatever.
215- Small world, eh?
I supose so.
Looks like this thread needs a little boost. Is anybody else fascinated by the history of Polar Exploration?
Yes. Earnest Shackleton was practically my favorite person for a long time. It’s pretty comparable to mountaineering too, so Sir Edmund Hillary was probably a second.
I once stood in line next to Sir Edmund Hillary to meet a lecturer at the Explorers Club in New York City. He must have been in his mid-70s then but was still tall, straight, and well knit. I think that someone introduced us and we shook hands, but I’m not sure. Things that happen in real life don’t make much of an impression on me.
220 – Wowsers! I’d love to meet him!
219- I was so obsessed it wasn’t even funny. Shackleton was awesome.
220, 221- I would have loved to have met him, to.
220- That is super terrific fantastic!
I’ve always wanted to go into the Explorer’s Club…I’ve been to the building itself, but not inside. I saw a picture of the president sitting in his office, but he was at his desk, which was inside of a huge glass pressure chamber to get him used to high altitudes.
Lectures are always good things, it seems, a friend of my dad’s regularly goes to a series that the American Museum of Natural History has monthly, he met E.O. Wilson! And that’s where the owner of Maxilla & Mandible got his first interest in natural sciences, I think before that he was on the street.
220- Woah! I’ve always thought if I got the chance I would attemt some of the Himalays. Not Everset though, I’m not good enough for anything like that.
I would love to visit the Explorer’s Club- I probably should, since it’s so close to where I live- but I’m always so busy!
Ooo. That sounds awsome!I had to google it but when I looked at the front site I knew it was for me. histrory topic: So Obama’s in and everyone’s thinking “This is history!” what do you think the kids back when lichon was president, or in the revelutionary war, thought about. Did they thinkt they were part of history? And what would you most want to claim “I was there!” for?
My answers. Well can’t be too sure about the kids in history thing. I supoose the well educated children thought that they were part of somthing. Although I’m sure they were more like “George washington will be known forever” not “I’m part of somthing to be known forever” because really, I think those kids regarded themselves as well, kids, and not as part of somthing as we do now.
And I would most like to claim that I was part of the Battle of Sparticus. Really, that would be amazing!
DONT LET THIS THREAD DIE!
The first flight of the Wright Brothers wasn’t considered significant for a few years because nobody believed they’d done it. So the people who watched it probably were going “Oooh, this is history!” when it happened, but the next year, they might have been going “Or maybe it wasn’t.”
226) That’s an interesting question. On the one hand, I’m sure people who knew about it realized how monumental splitting from the mother country was (Rev. War example). On the other hand…I think communication wasn’t quite perfect then, and there may have been some people on the edges who didn’t know at all what was happening. But I’m sure both examples were things discussed thoroughly by their parents– perhaps they didn’t around the children, but we all know how it is to eavesdrop during those conversations…
What would I like to claim I was at? Hmm, it’d have to be something rather public…I can think of a few Japanese historical events, like the Ikedaya Affair. Though I wouldn’t want to be in it….
As for American history, all I can think of is the night Thoreau was thrown in jail for not paying his taxes in protest. I think it would be interesting to talk to him. He’d be very proud of our new President, I think (though he’d probably have a thing or two to say about other things)
Or on of the many meetings of the many committee at the Second Continental Congress. Like the Committee of Five. *dreamy sigh*
History really annoys me because I really wish I had a time machine.
229- Too true.
Another place I’d love to claim I was at:
bosten Tea party! Just so…perfect. I don’t know why, but somthing like that would be AWSOME!
*shudders*
History has some nasty bits, you know. What about slavery ? Not all history is glorious and patriotic, and the battle of Spartacus ? He was crucified after that, remember ! History is very bloody. The present is bloody to, but at least less so.
229, 230- Me, three. I would love to be able to have seen the other six wonders of the ancient world before they were destroyed.
231- Yes but, history is just so…so. I don’t know. Feelingfull. There’s pride and love and anger and passion and strenth and power and tears and smiles and…everyting! And it’s all happened before! The entire world is our story book of time! You can’t have good without evil and even evil thinks they’re good! and it’s all so overwhelming when you think about it. That someone did somthing a long time ago and that changed somthing else and puts us where we are now! One thing goes wrong, one person doesn’t show up to a meeting, and maybe we’d still be colonies. Or still in our homecountries because America was never found! Imagine the world if things went-
okay. Stopping now. That went for a while. *is embarrased*
233- Yes. People who say that history is boring don’t realize that history is a vast collection of facinating STORIES, made all the more amazing because they are true.
Alas, dead thread.
So, how ’bout some Cold War up in here?
235) oh I could go for some Cold War. Did I mention Breach (movie)? Very interesting…also very creepy. It’s Cold War related.
We’re stuck in the Progressive Era in APUSH (actually we finished WWI, which from the US perspective is not that interesting)
Tying in to both the Cold War and Polar Exploration topics, while I was in Connecticut, we visited the Submarine Force Museum, where they have the Nautilus, the Navy’s first nuclear submarine. It’s retired, and you can go inside. There would be a hundred sailors on board, and they might stay underwater for a month and never see the sun! Not a lot of fun.
But what was really cool is that the Nautilus actually traveled to the North Pole in the late 50s, under the pack ice! The sort of military/exploration thing you saw in spaceflight before they created civilian agencies.
(237) When I was in 5th or 6th grade I put together a model of the Nautilus. I’ve never seen the real thing, though.
238- It’s in Groton. If you’re in the area, it’s worth a visit.
(239) I’d love to see it. I might be able to do it some Christmas. My brother lives on the other side of the state but sometimes we take field trips. Though ships were my first love, I developed an early interest in subs, too, as my dad worked with the submersible Alvin in its infancy. (Which prompted me to make a clay sculpture of it complete with mica insets in the hatch. Probably not the usual subject for 4th-grade art class.)
240- Wooo, Alvin! (Sorry, I’m a Robert Ballard fangirl.)
(241) No apologies necessary!
From what I can tell, Ballard must have been stationed at Woods Hole shortly after we moved to Charleston. But I did get to “meet” Alvin, whom we’ve always thought of as a member of the family.
Woo Alvin! I read an article about going down in Alvin, one professor preps his students by pulling two desks together. They then sit underneath, with a flashlight.
There was another article about the future of Alvin, they use machines normally used for spaceship production to make the sphere!
One of my friends is a former oceanographer who used to work in Alvin. She said people liked to dive with her because she’s small. Alvin is pretty cramped.
242- Sorry to hear that. Dr. Ballard is really nice. I met him at an event at National Geographic headquarters once.
243, 244- At Mystic Aquarium, they have a replica you can climb in. Being in there with two other kids is okay, but three adults would certainly be cramped.