Monthly Archives: November 2013
HISTORIC CELEBRATION: ST. ANDREW’S DAY
Being of semi-Scottish descent (Clan Stewart) I have to acknowledge Scotland’s patron saint, who met his end on the X-shaped cross reflected on its flag (the oldest ongoing flag in the world). St. Andrew has been Scotland’s patron saint since the ninth century, but his feast day did not gain royal assent until 2007. St. […]
HISTORIC CELEBRATION: AMERICAN THANKSGIVING
The first American Thanksgiving took place in the autumn of 1621, but it was not permanently established as a National holiday until 1941. For some interesting Thanksgiving facts, check out: http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/videos#bet-you-didnt-know-thanksgiving.
HISTORIC CELEBRATION: HANUKKAH
In 168 BC, the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem was seized by Syrian-Greek soldiers and dedicated to the pagan god Zeus. The following year, the Syrian-Greek emperor Antiochus Epiphanes outlawed Judaism and decreed that Jews were to worship Greek gods. This resulted in a rebellion led by Judah Maccabee, and in 165 BC, the rebels (known […]
BLOG-FEATURED HISTORY BUFFS
Now that this blog has been going for two months, I decided to inform the now grown-up ‘kids’ I sometimes picture on it that their days of running around in tights and tunics or otherwise engaging in things historic have been made public. Reactions differed. Kid # 1 (now 46): “Oh, okay. No issues.” […]
HISTORIC ANNIVERSARY: NIFTY, NIFTY, LOOK WHO’S FIFTY
Who’s fifty? Dr. Who, that’s who. Or rather, the show is. Fans of the now famous Time Lord know the good Doctor is centuries older than that. The original series debuted on November 23rd, 1963, and my friends and I took to it right away. By the second episode we were making TARDISes out of […]
HISTORIC RECOLLECTION: JFK ASSASSINATION
Many people who were alive at the time can recall exactly what they were doing and exactly how they felt when they first learned of the assassination of America’s 35th president. Me among them, even though I was still at primary school and had little interest in, or understanding of, world affairs. The UK is […]
GUEST AUTHOR: RUMINATING ABOUT RUNES WITH MARVA DASEF
Marva Dasef is a writer living in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, a fat white cat, and a saucy black cat. Retired from thirty-five years in the software industry, she has now turned her energies to writing fiction and finds it a much more satisfying occupation. Marva has published more than forty stories in […]
BOOK SERIES REVIEW: THE WITCHES OF GALDORHEIM
History is filled with myth and legend, and even books set in modern times can encompass these. In the Witches of Galdorheim series, it is the oft-neglected Scandinavian lore that is foremost. We are first introduced to the hidden island of Galdorheim in Spellslinger, a short story in which the magic of a young half […]
HISTORY LURE: DIARIES
The success of books like The Princess Diaries and Diary Of A Wimpy Kid show that kids are interested in diaries, so why not tell them about one of the world’s most famous diary keepers – Samuel Pepys? Granted his seventeenth-century style of writing would be a bit too ponderous for most (and not all […]
TRIVIA TRAIL: LONDON BRIDGE
Question: Did London Bridge ever really fall down, like in the nursery song? Answer: Yes. Quite often. The first London Bridge appeared during the Roman occupation of Britain and was made of wood and clay. It and its successors tended to get washed down river a lot, and in 1091, London Bridge blew down during […]
Time Travelling With Kids 