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On March 23, 1867, Congress passed the Second Reconstruction Act over President Andrew Johnson's veto. It was one of several overrides that marked the contentious relationship between the 17th president and the Republicans in Congress.
Andrew Johnson's (1808-1875) life could have been a great story of social mobility in America; instead, he became one of the worst regarded politicians and presidents in history. Born into poverty in Raleigh, North Carolina, he never attended school a day in his life. By many accounts, he was taught to read and write by his wife. However, he began learning while his brother was apprenticed to a tailor. Other employees in the shop taught him basics, and citizens would come to the shop and read to the tailors as they worked. Andrew always listened, picking up literacy and tailoring skills.
Unhappy, the brothers ran away from their apprenticeship after about 5 years, and Andrew supported himself as a tailor in Alabama and Tennessee. He entered politics, winning elections first as city alderman and then to the Tennessee state legislature and the US House of Representatives. He served as Governor of Tennessee from 1853 to 1857, when he became a US Senator.
As talk of secession rose, Johnson declared that his choice was to stay with the Union, and he did, becoming the only Senator of a seceded state to stay in office. President Lincoln rewarded him by making him Military Governor of Tennessee and then making him his running mate in 1864 in a very symbolic move; they ran as the candidates of the National Union Party.
As President, Johnson steadfastly opposed all of the Radical Republicans' attempts to punish the South and protect black rights, arguing that they were overly harsh and unnecessary and that Reconstruction shouldn't be a long, drawn-out affair. His clashes with Congress led to the first impeachment of an American president. Saved from removal by one vote, there was no way to salvage his presidency or legacy.
Historian Eric Foner is the leading authority on Reconstruction.
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On March 23, 1867, Congress passed the Second Reconstruction Act over President Andrew Johnson's veto. It was one of several overrides that marked the contententious relationship between the 17th president and the Republicans in Congress.
Johnson was born in a two-room shack in 1808 near what is now 123 Fayetteville Street in Raleigh North Carolina. The original house stood there until the early 20th century when it was moved to a park about a mile away.
Historian Eric Foner is the leading authority on Reconstruction, and his book is considered a classic work of history.
Thing.
On March 23, 1867, Congress passed the Second Reconstruction Act over President Andrew Johnson's veto. It was one of several overrides that marked the contententious relationship between the 17th president and the Republicans in Congress.
"The Reconstruction Act of 1867 outlined the terms for readmission to representation of rebel states. The bill divided the former Confederate states, except for Tennessee, into five military districts. Each state was required to write a new constitution, which needed to be approved by a majority of voters—including African Americans—in that state. In addition, each state was required to ratify the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution. After meeting these criteria related to protecting the rights of African Americans and their property, the former Confederate states could gain full recognition and federal representation in Congress." (Senate.gov )
Historian Eric Foner is the leading authority on Reconstruction, and his book is considered a classic work of history.
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On March 24, 1603, King James VI, son of Mary Queen of Scots, ascended to the English throne following the death of his cousin Elizabeth I (who had beheaded his mother). He became James I, united the thrones of England and Scotkand, and began the Stuart line. He reigned until 1625
James took the Scottish throne at age 13 months when his mother was forced to abdicate by Protestant rebels. He was raised, and Scotland ruled, by a series of regents until he came of age. After assuming the throne on his own, he exerted increasing control over the kingdom, while outwardly showing due respect to the stronger Elizabeth.
In the 1590s, he became interested in the witchcraft hysteria that swept over Scotland, leading to more than 1,500 executions. He wrote and published Demonology, or Daemonologie, in 1597 (republished in 1603). It was a three-part study of witchcraft, divination, necromancy, and black magic. His purpose was to convince other Christians that witchcraft was real, using scriptures and other "evidence." He saw demonology as an important aspect of theology.
Later, of course, he would become famous for convening the assembly of biblical scholars that would produce what came to be known as the King James version of the Bible.
Places.
On March 24, 1603, King James VI, son of Mary Queen of Scots, ascended to the English throne following the death of his cousin Elizabeth I (who had beheaded his mother). He became James I, united the thrones of England and Scotkand, and began the Stuart line. He reigned until 1625.
Several historic buildings figure prominently in his rule. First, he lived for a time in the Tower of London when he was crowned King of England - the last monarch to do so. There, his favorite activities included watching the frequent bear-baiting and lion-baiting events in which mastiffs were forced to battle lions or bears to the death.
Hampton Court was a favorite palace of James and his wife, Anne of Denmark. It was there that James convened the assembly of biblical scholars that edited the Bible. It was also there that Shakespeare’s acting company, The King’s Men, first performed for the King.
One of the few things that James and Anne enjoyed together was the masque. He was much more interested in spending time with his male courtiers than with the Queen. Masques were elaborate costumed balls combining dance, music, fanciful constructions, and theater. James hired renowned architect Inigo Jones to build a new Banqueting House at Whitehall Palace in which to host masques.
In the 1590s, he became interested in the witchcraft hysteria that swept over Scotland, leading to more than 1,500 executions. He wrote and published Demonology, or Daemonologie, in 1597 (republished in 1603). It was a three-part study of witchcraft, divination, necromancy, and black magic. His purpose was to convince other Christians that witchcraft was real, using scriptures and other "evidence." He saw demonology as an important aspect of theology.
Thing.
On March 24, 1603, King James VI, son of Mary Queen of Scots, ascended to the English throne following the death of his cousin Elizabeth I (who had beheaded his mother). He became James I, united the thrones of England and Scotkand, and began the Stuart line. He reigned until 1625.
In the 1590s, he became interested in the witchcraft hysteria that swept over Scotland, leading to more than 1,500 executions. He wrote and published Demonology, or Daemonologie, in 1597 (republished in 1603). It was a three-part study of witchcraft, divination, necromancy, and black magic. His purpose was to convince other Christians that witchcraft was real, using scriptures and other "evidence." He saw demonology as an important aspect of theology.
It wasn't just witchcraft that King James detested. He also detested the odious habit of smoking tobacco that was introduced into England from North America. He railed against the habit and wrote several anti-smoking tracts, some of the first anti-smoking literature ever produced.
James blamed Native Americans for bringing tobacco to Europe, complained about passive smoking, warned of dangers to the lungs, and decries tobacco's odor as "hatefull to the nose." James' dislike of tobacco led him in 1604 to authorize Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset, to levy an excise tax and tariff of six shillings and eight pence per pound of tobacco imported, or £1 per three pounds, a large sum of money for the time.
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On March 25, 1969, Ian Paisley and Ronald Bunting were jailed in Northern Ireland for leading an illegal loyalist Protestant counter demonstration in Armagh on November 30, 1968, at the beginning of "The Troubles," the 30 years of irregular war in Northern Ireland between Catholics, Protestants, and the British military.
Yesterday, I just started reading Patrick Radden Keefe's book, Say Nothing, about The Troubles, particularly the murder of Jean McConville who was killed by her neighbors because she heard a wounded British soldier crying in the street outside her housing project flat, and she dared to go outside with a pillow and give him a few minutes comfort. The first chapter had me totally enthralled, and, might I add, hating humanity. Keefe is one of the best journalists/writers I've ever read.
The Irish conflict is something I never really knew much about. I remember watching news stories as a kid and never understanding (A) how can anyone care enough about another person's religion to kill? and (B) exactly how does one distinguish between a Catholic and a Protestant on sight?
There were demagogues and leaders on both sides who incited murder, including murders of women and children. Paisley, a Protestant minister, was one of the most influential, urging his followers to burn down the houses of and kill Catholics living in Protestant neighborhoods, calling out addresses in his speeches.
Ronald Bunting was a former British Army officer and university math lecturer who became a close associate of Paisley and created his own paramilitary Protestant loyalist force. In 1969, he organized and led a violent attack on a Belfast to Derry civil rights peace march. Inspired by MLK, the Catholic and Protestant marchers had sworn to uphold nonviolence and sang "We Shall Overcome" as they marched. Bunting organized and directed a violent ambush attack, one of many on the route, by 200 loyalists with iron bars, rocks, and bottles, with full knowledge that his own son was one of the 40 marchers.
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On March 25, 1969, Ian Paisley and Ronald Bunting were jailed in Northern Ireland for leading an illegal loyalist Protestant counter demonstration in Armagh on November 30, 1968, at the beginning of "The Troubles," the 30 years of irregular war in Northern Ireland between Catholics, Protestants, and the Britush military.
Yesterday, I just started reading Patrick Radden Keefe's book, Say Nothing, about The Troubles, particularly the murder of Jean McConville who was killed by her neighbors because she heard a wounded British soldier crying in the street outside her housing project flat, and she dared to go outside with a pillow and give him a few minutes comfort. The first chapter had me totally enthralled, and, might I add, hating humanity. Keefe is one of the best journalists/writers I've ever read.
The Irish conflict is something I never really knew much about. I remember watching news stories as a kid and never understanding (A) how can anyone care enough about another person's religion to kill? and (B) exactly how does one distinguish between a Catholic and a Protestant on sight?
While Ireland was under English rule from 1189 to 1922, the 6 counties of Ulster, or Northern Ireland, remain a constituency of the United Kingdom. The Protestant majority of Northern Ireland were descendants of English colonists. Conflict with the Catholic minority, in favor of union with Ireland, flared from time to time, fueled by blatant anti-Catholic discrimination.
Thing.
On March 25, 1969, Ian Paisley and Ronald Bunting were jailed in Northern Ireland for leading an illegal loyalist Protestant counter demonstration in Armagh on November 30, 1968, at the beginning of "The Troubles," the 30 years of irregular war in Northern Ireland between Catholics, Protestants, and the British military.
In 1972, the world was shocked on "Bloody Sunday" (January 30) when British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians during a protest march in Derry Northern Ireland. Fourteen people died: thirteen were killed outright, while the death of another man four months later was attributed to his injuries. Many of the victims were shot while fleeing from the soldiers, and some were shot while trying to help the wounded. Other protesters were injured by shrapnel, rubber bullets, and batons; two were run down by British Army vehicles, and some were beaten. All of those shot were Catholics. The march had been organised by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) to protest against internment without trial.
Yesterday, I just started reading Patrick Radden Keefe's book, Say Nothing, about The Troubles, particularly the murder of Jean McConville who was killed by her neighbors because she heard a wounded British soldier crying in the street outside her housing project flat, and she dared to go outside with a pillow and give him a few minutes comfort. The first chapter had me totally enthralled, and, might I add, hating humanity. Keefe is one of the best journalists/writers I've ever read.
The Irish conflict is something I never really knew much about. I remember watching news stories as a kid and never understanding (A) how can anyone care enough about another person's religion to kill? and (B) exactly how does one distinguish between a Catholic and a Protestant on sight?
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American author, journalist, socialist, and activist Edward Bellamy was born on March 26, 1850, in Chicopee, Massachusetts. He's most famous for Looking Backward, his novel about a future, set in the year 2000, socialist utopian paradise. His vision led to the founding of "Nationalist Clubs" around the US.
He studied law but never practiced as a lawyer, turning to writing novels after a brief stint as a newspaper journalist, cut short when he contracted tuberculosis, which killed him at 48. His first three novels made little impact, but, in 1888, he published Looking Backward 2000 to 1887, making him a literary star. It sold more copies than any other American novels of the 19th century except Uncle Tom's Cabin and Ben-Hur.
The protagonist awakes in Boston in the year 2000 to discover a world without all the ills caused by capitalism: no poverty, war, crime, corruption, greed, money, untruthfulness, politicians, lawyers, or taxes. Citizens voluntarily and happily worked from ages 21 to 45 and then happily retired. No fewer than 162 "Nationalist Clubs" - he used Nationalist instead of socialist in the book - arose as readers sought to counter the Gilded Age rise of corporations and Robber Barons.
Bellamy capitalized on his success by launching his own magazine and working to create an alliance between the Nationalist Clubs and the People's (Populist) Party.
Trivia: his cousin was Francis Bellamy, the creator of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Place.
American author, journalist, socialist, and activist Edward Bellamy was born on March 26, 1850, in Chicopee, Massachusetts. He's most famous for Looking Backward, his novel about a future, set in the year 2000, socialist utopian paradise.
The protagonist goes to sleep and awakes in Boston in 2000, 113 years in the future. He marvels at "all the advances of this new age, including drastically reduced working hours for people performing menial jobs and almost instantaneous, internet-like delivery of goods. Everyone retires with full benefits at age 45, and may eat in any of the public kitchens (realized as factory-kitchens in the 1920s–30s in the USSR). The productive capacity of the United States is nationally owned, and the goods of society are equally distributed to its citizens." (Wikipedia)
In his novel, Bellamy sort of predicts the development of credit cards, wholesale clubs, and handheld viewing devices used for entertainment and news.
Thing.
American author, journalist, socialist, and activist Edward Bellamy was born on March 26, 1850, in Chicopee, Massachusetts. He's most famous for Looking Backward, his novel about a future, set in the year 2000, socialist utopian paradise.
So what is a utopia? A utopia is an imaginary perfect place. The word was first used in that way by Sir Thomas More in 1516 in his book Utopia. He took it from the Greek for "nowhere."
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March 27, 1790 is an auspicious day in the development of civilization: a shoemaker named Harvey Kennedy is said to have patented the aglet in Britain. The aglet is the small sheath at the end of shoelaces and other ribbons and fabric cords that keeps the end from fraying.
I'm not finding much information on Harvey Kennedy. Sources are repeating his patent and that he became quite wealthy as a result, but without much in the way of cited evidence. Actually, shoelaces are thousands of years old, and the idea of aglets is as well, (Saving a bit of info for the thing post later today), but Kennedy gets the modern credit.
Many people find this sort of thing interesting. Charles Panati ( born 1943), a physicist and former science editor of Newsweek (Newswek was once a highly respected and read news magazine. A magazine was a bound paper book often published monthly or weekly that contained interesting stories, pictures, and current events. People subscribed to them and had them delivered to their homes or offices or bought them at newsstands. A newsstand was a .... forget it, not enough characters to go down that rabbit hole.) started publishing series of origins books in the 1980s, books that contained short stories about how everyday items came to be invented. They became very popular, and some critics called them the perfect bathroom reading material, which they are - short entertaining and enlightening stories about things we take for granted and often things we may embarrassed to ask about. I always found that students and people in general were usually interested in bathroom and hygiene history. After all, to quote the title of another classic book "Everyone Poops" but few talk about it ( besides your friends who are raising babies or toddlers, who talk about it constantly).
In the meantime, look up and check out the Phineas and Ferb song "A-G-L-E-T."
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March 27, 1790 is an auspicious day in the development of civilization: a shoemaker named Harvey Kennedy is said to have patented the aglet in Britain. The aglet is the small sheath at the end of shoelaces and other ribbons and fabric cords that keeps the end from fraying.
I'm not finding much information on Harvey Kennedy. Sources are repeating his patent and that he became quite wealthy as a result, but without much in the way of cited evidence. Actually, shoelaces are thousands of years old, and the idea of aglets is as well, (Saving a bit of info for the thing post later today), but Kennedy gets the modern credit.
Many people find this sort of thing interesting. Charles Panati ( born 1943), a physicist and former science editor of Newsweek started publishing series of origins books in the 1980s, books that contained short stories about how everyday items came to be invented. They became very popular, and some critics called them the perfect bathroom reading material, which they are - short entertaining and enlightening stories about things we take for granted.
"Bathroom reading has been commonplace throughout history. Before the invention of modern toilet paper, Americans in the colonial period often used newspaper or similar printed material to wipe themselves, because newsprint paper is fairly soft and absorbent. Writing in the 18th century, the English statesman Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield reported that he knew "a gentleman who was so good a manager of his time that he would not even lose that small portion of it which the call of nature obliged him to pass in the necessary-house; but gradually went through all the Latin poets, in those moments.
The advent of the mobile phone is believed to have significantly increased bathroom reading. A 2009 study conducted in Israel found that a majority of adults read from their cell phones on the toilet, and a 2015 study conducted by Verizon found that 90% of cell phone users admitted to reading from their phones while on the toilet." (Wikipedia)
Thing.
March 27, 1790 is an auspicious day in the development of civilization: a shoemaker named Harvey Kennedy is said to have patented the aglet in Britain. The aglet is the small sheath at the end of shoelaces and other ribbons and fabric cords that keeps the end from fraying.
"Aglets were originally made of metal, glass, or stone, and many were very ornamental. Wealthy people in the Roman era would have their aglets made out of precious metals such as brass or silver.
Before the invention of buttons, they were used on the ends of the ribbons used to fasten clothing together. Sometimes they were formed into small figures. Shakespeare calls this type of figure an "aglet baby" in The Taming of the Shrew.
According to Huffington Post editor James Cave, "The history of the aglet’s evolution is a little knotty—many sources credit it as being popularized by an English inventor named Harvey Kennedy who is said to have earned $2.5 million off the modern shoelace in the 1790s."
Today, the clear plastic aglets on the end of shoelaces are put there by special machines. The machines wrap plastic tape around the end of new shoelaces and use heat or chemicals to melt the plastic onto the shoelace and bond the plastic to itself." (Wikipedia)
Many people find this sort of thing interesting. Charles Panati ( born 1943), a physicist and former science editor of Newsweek started publishing series of origins books in the 1980s, books that contained short stories about how everyday items came to be invented. They became very popular, and some critics called them the perfect bathroom reading material, which they are - short entertaining and enlightening stories about things we take for granted.
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Jim Thorpe, who appears on every list of greatest 20th century athletes, died at age 65 on March 28, 1953. Last year, David Maraniss published a highly regarded, and awarded, biography of Thorpe called Path Lit By Lightning.
Thorpe, a member of the Sac and Fox Nation became the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal for the US, winning the pentahlon and decathlon. He also played collegiate and professional football, professional baseball, and basketball. His Olympic medals were stripped because he had played semi-pro baseball for two summers, violating amateur status rules, but they were restored in 1983.
He attended the infamous Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, earning All-American status playing football there for Coach Glenn "Pop" Warner. He played professional sports in various leagues until age 41. He struggled to make a living during his remaining years, working odd jobs. He suffered from alcoholism and lived in poverty.
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Jim Thorpe, who appears on every list of greatest 20th century athletes, died at age 65 on March 28, 1953. Last year, David Maraniss published a highly regarded, and awarded, biography of Thorpe called Path Lit By Lightning.
Thorpe, a member of the Sac and Fox Nation, attended the infamous Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, the flagship school of the Indian boarding school assimilationist movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s. "Founded in 1879 under U.S. governmental authority by Lieutenant Richard Henry Pratt. In his own words, Pratt's motto was, "Kill the Indian, save the man;" a mentality which was then applied to the cultural assimilation efforts of the larger American Indian boarding school system Pratt wrote that he believed that Native Americans were 'equal' to European-Americans, and that the School worked to immerse students into mainstream Euro-American culture, believing they might thus be able to advance and thrive in the dominant society, and be leaders to their people." (Wikipedia)
Thousands of Indian children were taken from their parents, sometimes literally and sometimes after parents and tribal leaders were convinced that it was their only chance for survival, and enrolled in schools like Carlisle, where all tribal connections and traditions were forbidden, and they were trained to get farmers, craftsmen, and servants. Many never saw their parents again, and many were abused or died. The movement caused great harm to individuals and nations that may never be repaired.
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Jim Thorpe, who appears on every list of greatest 20th century athletes, died at age 65 on March 28, 1953. Last year, David Maraniss published a highly regarded, and awarded, biography of Thorpe called Path Lit By Lightning.
Thorpe became the first Native American to win a gold Olympic medal, winning two in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, in the pentathlon and the decathlon. You may not know the backstory though - the story of his shoes.
He had already competed in and won the pentathalon, five track and field events held in a single day. Next up was the decathlon, 10 events held over three days. When the day came, his shoes were missing, possibly stolen. A teammate lent him a single shoe (?), and he found another shoe in the garbage. However, they were different sizes, so he had to wear extra socks with the bigger shoe to keep it on his foot. He still went on to win the gold medal.
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If all goes as planned, we will be seeing a living legend speak tonight, someone I've admired since childhood. Dr. Jane Goodall is doing an "Inspiring Hope" speaking tour on stage tonight in Tampa, less than a week before her 89th birthday on April 3. The tickets sold out in minutes after going on sale.
Goodall, born in Hampstead, England, has had a lifelong love of animals and made her first trip to Kenya in 1957, where she met renowned paleontologist Louis Leakey. She went to work for him as a secretary. Leakey believed that study of today's great apes would reveal much about early man, and he picked Goodall as one of three primary researchers, along with Dian Fossey and Birute Galdikas to study chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans respectively. They Leakey Foundation educated and trained them and established their observation centers. The press immediately dubbed them "Leakey's Angels" or "The Trimates."
Goodall went to work at Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania in 1960, and she's been there ever since. Her observations over 60 years have profoundly changed, largely created actually, what we know about would chimpanzees.
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If all goes as planned, we will be seeing a living legend speak tonight, someone I've admired since childhood. Dr. Jane Goodall is doing an "Inspiring Hope" speaking tour on stage tonight in Tampa, less than a week before her 89th birthday on April 3. The tickets sold out in minutes after going on sale.
"Gombe Stream National Park is a national park ... in Tanzania, 16 km (10 mi) north of Kigoma, the capital of Kigoma Region Established in 1968, it is one of the smallest national parks in Tanzania, with only 35 km2 (13.5 sq mi) of protected land along the hills of the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika.The terrain is distinguished by steep valleys, and the vegetation ranges from grassland to woodland to tropical rainforest Accessible only by boat, the park is most famous as the location where Jane Goodall pioneered her behavioral research on the common chimpanzee populations. The Kasakela chimpanzee group, featured in several books and documentaries, lives in Gombe National Park." (Wikipedia)
Thing.
If all goes as planned, we will be seeing a living legend speak tonight, someone I've admired since childhood. Dr. Jane Goodall is doing an "Inspiring Hope" speaking tour on stage tonight in Tampa, less than a week before her 89th birthday on April 3. The tickets sold out in minutes after going on sale.
"Roots & Shoots was founded by Jane Goodall, DBE ( Dame of the British Empire) in 1991 with the goal of bringing together youth from preschool to university age to work on environmental, conservation and humanitarian issues. The organization has local chapters in over 140 countries with over 8000 local groups worldwide that involve nearly 150,000. Many of the chapters operate through schools and other organizations. Participants are encouraged to identify and work on problems in their own communities affecting people, animals, or the environment. Charity Navigator has awarded Roots & Shoots and its parent non-profit organization, the Jane Goodall Institute, its highest four-star rating for accountability and transparency, with 78.1% of its expenses going directly to the programs." (Wikipedia)
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On March 30, 1867, the US purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million ( $109 billion today), roughly 2 cents an acre.
The man behind the purchase was Secretary of State (from 1861 to 1869) William H. Seward. Seward was born in Florida, New York in 1801 where his father was a farmer and slaveowner. He became a lawyer and was elected to the New York State Senate in 1830. He was elected to two terms as governor in 1838 and 1840, becoming an abolitionist along the way. He signed several bills advancing rights of black New Yorkers and guaranteeing jury trials for fugitive slaves. He protected abolitionists and intervened in several cases of free blacks who had been kidnapped and enslaved in the South.
In 1849, he began serving in the US Senate, and he became a leading national political figure and one of the founding members of the Republican Party, formed in 1854. In 1860, he was seen as the leafing candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination, but he was outmaneuvered at the convention by the man that he and most others in the party regarded as a slack-jawed yokel and backwoods bumpkin, Abraham Lincoln.
Seward came to realize that he was wrong about Lincoln and accepted the Secretary of State post. He became one of Lincoln's closest political allies and supporters. He survived an assassination attempt by one of the Lincoln conspirators that night and continued to serve, negotiating the Alaskan purchase in 1867. He died in 1872.
James Michener's nearly 1000 page epic novel takes the reader from the formation of the landmass to Alaskan statehood in 1959.
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On March 30, 1867, the US purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million ( $109 billion today), roughly 2 cents an acre.
"Alaska is the largest state in the United States in terms of land area at 570,380 square miles (1,477,300 km2), over twice (roughly 2.47 times) as large as Texas, the next largest state, and is the seventh largest country subdivision in the world and the third largest in North America, about 20.4% smaller than Denmark's autonomous country of Greenland and 17.6% smaller than Canada's largest territory of Nunavut. If the state's westernmost point were superimposed on San Francisco California, its easternmost point would be in Jacksonville Florida. Alaska is larger than all but 18 sovereign nations (it is slightly larger than Iran but slightly smaller than Libya). Alaska is home to 3.5 million lakes of 20 acres (8.1 ha) or larger. Marshlands and wetland permafrost cover 188,320 square miles (487,700 km2) (mostly in northern, western and southwest flatlands). Frozen water, in the form of glacier ice, covers some 16,000 square miles (41,000 km2) of land and 1,200 square miles (3,100 km2) of tidal zone. The Bering glacier complex near the southeastern border with Yukon, Canada, covers 2,250 square miles (5,800 km2) alone." (Wikipedia)
James Michener's nearly 1000 page epic novel takes the reader from the formation of the landmass to Alaskan statehood in 1959.
Thing.
On March 30, 1867, the US purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million ( $109 billion today), roughly 2 cents an acre.
Following the Crimean War, the Russian government came to the conclusion that it may not be capable of defending Alaska and that it may be wiser to dump it. Secretary of State Seward began negotiations to purchase it following the end of the Civil War. Supporters saw Alaska as a possible staging area for trade access to Asia. Opponents saw it as a frozen wasteland, and they ridiculed the idea as "Seward's Folly" or "Seward's Icebox," calling it a huge waste of money. Seward persisted, and the purchase was made. Unfortunately, Seward would not live to see the discoveries of gold, oil, and other resources in Alaska, leading one to wonder if he had private second thoughts.
James Michener's nearly 1000 page epic novel takes the reader from the formation of the landmass to Alaskan statehood in 1959.
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Lo and behold, Soperton Georgia, a little town near my hometown and the town where my father and some of his siblings were born, made the "Today in History" website that I use for my daily posts. On March 31, 1933, The Soperton News became the first newspaper published on paper made from pine pulp. Georgia's pine forests were notable features for much of Georgia's history and an important part of its economy. Soperton still celebrates itself as the "Million Pines City" and hosts "The Million Pines Festival," one of Georgia's oldest annual events, every November.
One of the first to make a study of Georgia's Pines was William Bartram, one of America's first great naturalists. Born in Philadelphia in 1739, he traveled through the southern colonies from 1773 to 1777. He spent a great deal of time exploring Georgia, which few Europeans and colonials had explored, and Florida. He made drawings and observations of plants and animal life that had not been observed before by non-indigenous people, cataloged them, and collected specimens. He also met and observed Cherokees, Creeks, and Seminoles.
Upon his return to Philadelphia, he published his book, now called Bartram's Travels, which has never gone out of print and continues to inspire naturalists, writers, and artists today. On another day last March, I featured current Georgia naturalist Janisse Ray and her book, Ecology of a Cracker Childood, about the longleaf pine, who is continuing Bartram's work in her own way. In 2011, artist Philip Juras published a collection of his landscapes inspired by his research of Bartram's work and following Bartram's Travels.
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Lo and behold, Soperton Georgia, a little town near my hometown and the town where my father and some of his siblings were born, made the "Today in History" website that I use for my daily posts. On March 31, 1933, The Soperton News became the first newspaper published on paper made from pine pulp. Georgia's pine forests were notable features for much of Georgia's history and an important part of its economy. Soperton still celebrates itself as the "Million Pines City" and hosts "The Million Pines Festival," one of Georgia's oldest annual events, every November.
One of the first to make a study of Georgia's Pines was William Bartram, one of America's first great naturalists. Born in Philadelphia in 1739, he traveled through the southern colonies from 1773 to 1777. He spent a great deal of time exploring Georgia, which few Europeans and colonials had explored, and Florida. He made drawings and observations of plants and animal life that had not been observed before by non-indigenous people, cataloged them, and collected specimens. He also met and observed Cherokees, Creeks, and Seminoles.
During his three-and-a-half year trip, Bartram traveled over 2,400 miles, on foot, on horseback, or by canoe, sometimes alone, sometimes in small groups.. He traveled through eight modern-day southern states (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee), but most of his time was spent in the backcountry, mountains, and coastal areas of Georgia.
Upon his return to Philadelphia, he published his book, now called Bartram's Travels, which has never gone out of print and continues to inspire naturalists, writers, and artists today. On another day last March, I featured current Georgia naturalist Janisse Ray and her book, Ecology of a Cracker Childood, about the longleaf pine, who is continuing Bartram's work in her own way. In 2011, artist Philip Juras published a collection of his landscapes inspired by his research of Bartram's work and following Bartram's Travels.
Thing.
Lo and behold, Soperton Georgia, a little town near my hometown and the town where my father and some of his siblings were born, made the "Today in History" website that I use for my daily posts. On March 31, 1933, The Soperton News became the first newspaper published on paper made from pine pulp. Georgia's pine forests were notable features for much of Georgia's history and an important part of its economy. Soperton still celebrates itself as the "Million Pines City" and hosts "The Million Pines Festival," one of Georgia's oldest annual events, every November.
One of the first to make a study of Georgia's Pines was William Bartram, one of America's first great naturalists. Born in Philadelphia in 1739, he traveled through the southern colonies from 1773 to 1777. He spent a great deal of time exploring Georgia, which few Europeans and colonials had explored, and Florida. He made drawings and observations of plants and animal life that had not been observed before by non-indigenous people, cataloged them, and collected specimens. He also met and observed Cherokees, Creeks, and Seminoles.
"In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Georgia was the world’s leading producer of naval stores, which are materials extracted from southern pine forests and then used in the construction and repair of sailing vessels. Typical naval stores include lumber, railroad ties, rosin, and turpentine." (New Georgia Encyclopedia)
Upon his return to Philadelphia, he published his book, now called Bartram's Travels, which has never gone out of print and continues to inspire naturalists, writers, and artists today. On another day last March, I featured current Georgia naturalist Janisse Ray and her book, Ecology of a Cracker Childood, about the longleaf pine, who is continuing Bartram's work in her own way. In 2011, artist Philip Juras published a collection of his landscapes inspired by his research of Bartram's work and following Bartram's Travels.
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