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Battle of the Crater: It’s Not As Though This Was the First Time
Painting depicting the Battle of the Crater (Source: The Petersburg Express) It boggles the imagination. Former Pennsylvania coal miners accomplished what the West Point engineers, both North and...
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The Red Cross and the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross (Source: National Park Service) August 8, 2014 marks the 150th anniversary of the founding of the International Red Cross. While Clara Barton worked tirelessly on...
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“Damn the Torpedoes” The Battle of Mobile Bay
Torpedo: 1. electric ray; 2. a large, cigar-shaped, self-propelled underwater projectile for launching against enemy ships from a submarine, airplane, etc.; it is detonated by contact, sound, etc.; 3....
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Before the Americans Built the Panama Canal
Before it became a republic, Panama was a department within the country of Colombia. Before the Americans built the Panama Canal, the French attempted to build one. And before the French attempted to...
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The Panama Canal – And Then Came the Americans
Roosevelt visits the Panama Canal under construction, in 1906 (Source: BBC) Teddy Roosevelt wanted to build a canal through the Isthmus of Panama, and no one was going to stop him. First, we need to...
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Frederick Law Olmsted – Before Central Park
A younger Frederick Law Olmsted (Source: NYCgovparks.org) In the world of landscape architects, Frederick Law Olmsted is best known for his first major project, New York City’s Central Park. But one...
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Frederick Law Olmsted – Central Park and More
Through his writing, his farming experience, and his social and publishing contacts, Olmsted had established the credentials that won him the Central Park directorship in September 1857. Half the...
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A Long, Cool Drink
Several years ago, I was on the hunt for water bottles that would keep ice water cold for long periods of time. My search carried me to a local hiking/biking/climbing store. When I told a store clerk...
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Thanksgiving 1864
In November 1864, the Confederacy was on life support. Its leaders had held on in the early years of the conflict, hoping for recognition from Great Britain or France. They then held on in the hope...
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Savannah – Sherman’s Christmas Gift to Lincoln
Sherman’s handwritten note to Lincoln For some of us, the City of Savannah elicits thoughts of ghosts in America’s Most Haunted City. Many southern college students see the city as a St. Patrick’s Day...
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Putting the History in the Historical Novel: The California Gold Rush
This is the seventh in a series of articles in which I share my methodology for crafting a story, which I hope is both interesting and informative. Last week, I wrote about kutsavi, an important trade...
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Putting the History in the Historical Novel: The Carmel Mission
This is the eighth in a series of articles in which I share my methodology for crafting a story, which I hope is both interesting and informative. Last week, I wrote about the California Gold Rush....
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