Monthly Archives: June 2014
RAMADAN
Ramadan is a very important Islamic observance. For a month, Muslims over the age of twelve abstain from food, drink, and other physical requirements during daylight hours and re-evaluate their lives in accordance with the guidance the angel Gabriel gave to the prophet Mohammad, guidance that appears in the first verses of Islam’s holy book, […]
TRIVIA TRAIL # 18: THE START OF WW I
Question: What famous couple were assassinated on their fourteenth wedding anniversary? Answer: The Austro-Hungarian heir-apparent, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his wife Sophie were assassinated in Sarajevo, Serbia on June 28th, 1914. They were there to inspect the armed forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which had been annexed by Austria-Hungary in 1908. Serbian nationalists, however, thought […]
DON’T FORGET THE ‘STORY’ # 9
Here are this month’s book suggestions. Ages 3-7 Leah’s Pony by Elizabeth Friedrich (a Depression-era child seeks to buy back her father’s tractor.) Renoir & The Boy With Long Hair by Wendy Wax (A famous father doesn’t want to cut his son’s beautiful long hair.) Ages 7-9 The Apple & The Arrow by Conrad Buff […]
BIGGER ISN’T ALWAYS BETTER: THE BATTLE OF BANNOCKBURN
Seven hundred years ago, near Stirling in Scotland, its king, Robert Bruce, and about six thousand determined Scots saw off the considerably larger (as in almost three to one) army of England’s King Edward II at the Battle of Bannockburn. The two sides met and inflicted damage on each other for two days (June 23rd […]
NATIONAL ABORIGINAL DAY
National Aboriginal Day is observed across Canada and is a statutory holiday in the Northwest Territories. Though the day itself did not gain official recognition until 2001, June 21st has long been a traditional gathering date for many Aboriginal groups, a time to come together for special ceremonies, music, dancing, games, and feasting. Non-Aboriginals now […]
SUMMER SOLSTICE: MORE THAN JUST THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER
Tomorrow marks this year’s summer solstice, and here with some information about that is my friend, Marva Dasef, author of The Witches of Galdorheim series and numerous other books, all of which are available in a variety of formats. To check out a sample of the audio version of the first Galdorheim book, Bad Spelling, […]
HISTORIC HELPERS: FAMILIES FOR CHILDREN
History is filled with organizations trying to make a difference in the world. Some have been going for a very long time, others are more recent. On this blog, I will now occasionally be showcasing some of those that have been around awhile, and am going to start with one with which I have a […]
THE WAR OF 1812
On June 18th, 1812, the United States declared war on Britain. This declaration was the start of what would be known as the War of 1812, probably because that’s just so much easier to say than the more accurate ‘War of 1812-14’. It was sparked by American resentment to some of Britain’s high-handed responses to […]
WRITERS ON WRITING BLOG TAG
Bit of a diversion from history here, except that it involves talking about the writing of historical fiction. I have been blog tagged, meaning another writer (specifically, Marva Dasef, host of the Cellophane Queen blog (http://mgddasef.blogspot.com/) has tagged me to answer questions about writing. So, here goes: What am I working on/writing? I have just […]
FATHER’S DAY
What is the world’s oldest surviving Father’s Day card? Probably the 4,000-year-old Babylonian clay tablet found that held wishes for health and a long life for the father of a boy called Elmesu. Though some countries celebrate it earlier or later, June is the month most often reserved for the recognition of fathers in modern […]
Time Travelling With Kids 