A Brief Hiatus

So it has been nearly three months since I had the opportunity to discuss, contemplate, research, read, and/or write about history. My life has recently been blessed with the addition of my first child, a son, and I could not be more excited and happy about the moment. At two weeks old he is a bundle of energy at some moments and complete coma at another. As I consider him in the context of my blog I start to wonder what impact my son might have on this world. Is it possible he could be a catalyst for change, one in which we historians will write and read about in the future? Is it possible that my son could cure cancer, solve world hunger, balance economic woes, or even run the country from the desk of the White House. As I consider this and hope for what my son will one day become I am easily reminded at how each and everyone of us affects history everyday. At our job, school, or socially with friends and family we are affecting the world in every way, whether it be for the good or the bad. We make history at our jobs, at our schools, and even in our communities and that is a responsibility which we should not take lightly. It is in these small realms of history that we can better understand the very nature of a society at the time. This is an ideal I wish my son to be raised with, this is the way in which I want him to live his life. He should always remember that the actions he takes on a daily basis effect the lives of those around him and in turn help write the history of that moment and the history of the world. As I start to read, research, and write history again I am burden with the idea and hope to continue to convey this idea more in the future.

A Poem by Johnny Cash

RAGGED OLD FLAG

I walked through a county courthouse square,
On a park bench an old man was sitting there.
I said, "Your old courthouse is kinda run down."
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town."
I said, "Your flagpole has leaned a little bit,
And that's a Ragged Old Flag you got hanging on it.

He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down.
"Is this the first time you've been to our little town?"
I said, "I think it is." He said, "I don't like to brag,
But we're kinda proud of that Ragged Old Flag."

"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there
When Washington took it across the Delaware.
And it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key
Sat watching it writing _Oh Say Can You See_.
And it got a bad rip in New Orleans
With Packingham and Jackson tuggin' at its seams."

"And it almost fell at the Alamo
Beside the Texas flag, but she waved on through.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old Flag."

"On Flanders Field in World War I
She got a big hole from a Bertha gun.
She turned blood red in World War II
She hung limp and low by the time it was through.
She was in Korea and Vietnam.
She went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam."

"She waved from our ships upon the briny foam,
And now they've about quit waving her back here at home.
In her own good land she's been abused --
She's been burned, dishonored, denied and refused."

"And the government for which she stands
Is scandalized throughout the land.
And she's getting threadbare and wearing thin,
But she's in good shape for the shape she's in.
'Cause she's been through the fire before
And I believe she can take a whole lot more."

"So we raise her up every morning,
Take her down every night.
We don't let her touch the ground
And we fold her up right.
On second thought I DO like to brag,
'Cause I'm mighty proud of that Ragged Old Flag."

Written by Johnny Cash

What Was It Like 100 Years Ago...

I received this in an email so I take no credit for the research behind it but I absolutely love this information.

THE YEAR IS 1911
This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine!
**********************************
* The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.
* Fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only.
* Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
* Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
* There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.
* The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
* The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
* The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour.
* The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
* A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year,and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
* More than 95 percent of all births took place at home.
* Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard".
* Sugar cost four cents a pound.
* Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
* Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
* Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
* Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

The Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

* The American flag had 45 stars.
* The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30.
* Crossword puzzles, canned beer and iced tea hadn't been invented yet.
* There was neither a Mother's Day nor a Father's Day.
* Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write and only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
* Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores.
* Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health!" (Shocking?)
* Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
* There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.!

The Mysterious Roman Dodecahedron...

The great mystery of the dodecahedron may never be truly solved. Its name comes from the 12 sides it has but the true purpose of the object is baffling historians and archaeologists. Many laymen who read about the mystery gave their opinion which ranged from a fishing net weight, to an ancient paper weight. See if you can figure out what this Roman object was used for, post your comments...

A Very Old Light Bulb

I never thought I would sit and actually write about the history of the life of a light bulb but truly that is the case in this situation. Guinness Records has recently verified that the bulb which sits in the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire-Department in California has been running strong for 110 years. The bulb was apparently donated by the Power and Light Company which manufactured it in 1901 when at the time light bulbs in a building were a new adventure. The 60-watt bulb's life has been attributed to good old fashioned  engineering. A website has even been created in order for people to follow the lifespan of this historic bulb.   http://www.centennialbulb.org/cam.htm

I highly recommend taking a moment and consider what was going on in society when this bulb was first manufactured. You be may surprised when you consider how long this bulb has been running.