A Brief History On January 16, 1537, an armed insurrection took place in England, specifically in Cumberland and Westmorland, pitting unhappy Roman Catholics against the blasphemous King Henry VIII. Digging Deeper Known as “Bigod’s Rebellion,” this religious war sounds mighty close to “By God’s,” a somehow almost appropriate name. The name of the rebellion actually derived from Sir Francis Bigod, a leader of the revolt. King Henry VIII had infamously disbanded the Catholic Church in England and started his own brand of Christianity, later called The Church of England, in order to legitimize his marital wishes. The rebellion failed in…
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A Brief History On January 6, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt (FDR) delivered perhaps his greatest speech, known as the “Four Freedoms Speech.” FDR is but one of many famous orators that have delivered great speeches, and today we list a few of those famous talks, asking you to tell us which of these or others you believe is the greatest speech of all time. Digging Deeper Pericles, Funeral Oration, 431 BC Socrates, “Apology,” 399 BC Marc Antony, eulogy of Julius Caesar, 44 BC Patrick Henry, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” 1775 Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, 1863 Winston Churchill,…
A Brief History On December 26, 2022, the British world, including Canada, celebrate Boxing Day, a holiday historically when well off people would give gifts to their servants, lower working class, and poor people. The day after Christmas is good for some other things, too, especially resting after all the hubbub of Christmas Eve and Christmas. Digging Deeper Here are some notable events related to December 26th: 1776: American forces, led by George Washington after his famous crossing of the Delaware River, won the Battle of Trenton. 1898: Marie and Pierre Curie announce the isolation of Radium. 1919: Babe Ruth…
A Brief History Hello, everyone! I am Dr. Zar and today, I want to wish my family, friends, colleagues, students, and subscribers a Merry Christmas 2022! Digging Deeper Did you know that the music for the popular Christmas carol titled “Carol of the Bells” is based on the Ukrainian folk chant titled “Shchedryk” by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych? If you have some spare time during this winter break and if you have not yet already done so, I encourage you to read Mr. Markham’s recent biography of Napoleon titled Simply Napoleon. Also, to see some of Mr. Halsall’s films, please…
A Brief History On December 25, 336, the first documented celebration of December 25th as “Christmas” celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ occurred in Rome. Ever since, Christians have been celebrating Christmas on December 25th, or January 6th, or January 7th, or even January 19th! Digging Deeper Today, we ask what YOUR favorite Christmas tradition is, and we give you some suggestions to choose from: Black Friday Sales Christmas break from work and school Christmas lights and trees Christmas Music Family get-togethers and dinners Gift exchanging Mistletoe Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: So, what is your favorite Christmas…