June 26, 2007
From the Smithsonian Magazine site:
June 26, 1963: “Ich bin ein Berliner”
In West Berlin, President John F. Kennedy delivers the famous speech in which he declares, “Ich bin ein Berliner.” Meaning literally “I am a citizen of Berlin,” the statement shows U.S. solidarity with democratic West Berlin, surrounded by communist territory.
View a video of President Kennedy’s speech at American Rhetoric, Top 100 Speeches.
Photo of President Kennedy addressing Berlin’s citizens, photographer unidentified; from American Rhetoric site.
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Accuracy, Cold War, Communism, Famous quotes, History, History audio sources | Tagged: Berlin Wall, Cold War, Communism, Famous quotes, freedom, History, John F. Kennedy | 
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Posted by Ed Darrell
June 25, 2007
Bug Girl sleuthed around a bit, and found information from official sources that really demonstrates the critics of Rachel Carson are using Gillette Foamy to make us think “mad dog!”
Chart from US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) illustrates biomagnification, by which a minuscule dose of DDT to small plankton gets magnified a few million times by the time the top predators in the food chain get it.
So the evidence continues to pile up that Rachel Carson was simply a fine writer, a good scientist, and correct about DDT’s dangers.
Check out the Fish and Wildlife Service’s site, here; notice especially their structure of the site, to dispel the falsehoods.
FWS quotes Carson on DDT use:
In Audubon magazine she wrote, “We do not ask that all chemicals be abandoned. We ask moderation. We ask the use of other methods less harmful to our environment” (4). Countering claims that she was advocating a back-to-nature philosophy, she said, “We must have insect control. I do not favor turning nature over to insects. I favor the sparing, selective and intelligent use of chemicals. It is the indiscriminate, blanket spraying that I oppose” (5).
Evidence mounts that claims against Rachel Carson are sheer calumny. While the political motivations of this smear campaign are not clear, we don’t need to know for certain who is telling lies about a great American hero, or why. As Americans, as concerned citizens, as teachers and parents — as patriots — we only need to know that the claims against Rachel Carson are false.
And now it is our duty to call on Oklahoma’s Sen. Tom Coburn to stop the campaign against Carson. Coburn is the point man in the smear campaign right now: He has put a committee hold on the well-intentioned, justified bill to name a post office in her hometown after Rachel Carson. It is time for Tom Coburn to stand up and do the right thing for a great American. Sen. Coburn needs to lift his committee hold and allow committee action on this minor honor.
Other sources of note:
Bruce Watson, “Sounding the Alarm,” Smithsonian Magazine, September 2002. (Watson, Bruce. Sounding the alarm. Smithsonian, v. 33, Sept. 2002: 115-117. AS30.S6)
“The Berry and the Poison,” about methyl bromide and its ban, Smithsonian Magazine, December 1997.
- Image showing how DDT concentrations rise 10 million times from their introduction to the water to concentrate in raptors like the national symbol, the bald eagle, osprey, peregrine falcon and brown pelicans, from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Due to the effects of DDT, the bald eagle, peregrine falcon and brown pelican were all listed on the Endangered Species List. [Update, June 13, 2008 – USFWS has taken this page down. I’m leaving the links until they put it back, or until I find what they changed the page to.] [Update June 21, 2015 – Chart may also be found here: https://myorganicchemistry.wikispaces.com/DDT%5D
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3 Comments | Accuracy, Conservation, DDT, Environmental protection, Ethics, History, Hoaxes, Junk science, Natural history, Politics, Public health, Rachel Carson, Research, Science, Voodoo history, Voodoo science, War on Science | Tagged: DDT, Environmental protection, Ethics, History, Hoaxes, Junk science, Natural history, Rachel Carson, Science, War on Science | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
June 25, 2007
Very few high school students say they want to grow up to be historians. As a profession, we ignore history.
Still, a few do. More seriously, what happens in the high school class depends a lot on what is being done by professional historians. What is that?
Historian Keith Thomas wrote a long piece about where history is headed for The Times of London, in October 2006. It even has hints about it of how to make history more intrigueing in high school. Go see. Read the rest of this entry »
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2 Comments | Capturing history, History, History Revisionism, Pedagogy, Research, Teaching | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
June 24, 2007
William Faulkner at his typewriter, August 12, 1954, at his home in Oxford, Mississippi. Associated Press photo, via Eons website.
The photo was probably posed; the two books to the left of the typewriter are Faulkner books. Faulkner may have written in a pressed shirt and tie.
Faulkner won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, and delivered a memorable speech about “the human condition” and the importance of art, especially poetry and prose, at his acceptance. His 1954 book, A Fable, won both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, in 1955.
The typewriter is a Royal KHM.
Faulkner was born September 25, 1897 — 2007 marks the 110th anniversary of his birth.
“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”
—Gavin Stevens
Act I, Scene III, Requiem for a Nun
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5 Comments | Books, Creativity, History, History images, Literature, Technology, Typewriters | Tagged: Books, History images, Literature, Technology, Typewriters, William Faulkner | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
June 22, 2007
Today is the 137th anniversary of the creation of the U.S. Department of Justice, June 22nd, 1870.
Among other interesting points:
Image of Lady Justice against a sunset; FBI photo; hope remains, since no body has been found. Photo is not from a current investigation. Image at top: Then-Attorney General John Ashcroft in front of The Spirit of Justice, sculpted by Paul Jennewein in 1933; photo in the lobby of the Department of Justice. Source not listed — probably a news photo.
Tip of the old scrub brush to Utah Policy Daily
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Posted by Ed Darrell
June 21, 2007
Much of recent history does not show up in internet searches. Some of the holes are being filled, as copyrights expire and older sources get digitized — but that means that a lot of what happened in the late 1970s, in the 1980s and 1990s escapes notice of history searches.
Whatever happened to the Sagebrush Rebellion?
My view is biased — I got stuck on the front lines, knowing a bit about the environment and working for Sen. Orrin Hatch from 1978 through 1985. While working with people who think it’s good policy to aim a D-9 Caterpillar through a wilderness area has its drawbacks, there were a lot of great people and great places working that issue.
Orrin Hatch’s website doesn’t even mention the stuff any more, though it features a nice photo of Delicate Arch, which some of his supporters threatened to bulldoze or dynamite to make a point. Paul Laxalt is dead long gone from office, and (in 2011) nearing 90. Jake Garn is out of the Senate, and never really was all that interested in it. I had extensive files on the ins and outs, but I unwisely loaned them to the guy who took over the issue for Hatch after Jim Black left the staff, and they disappeared.
The issues have never died. It’s in the news again — see this article in the Los Angeles Times in April. But the old history? Where can it be found?
If you have sources, especially internet sources, please send them my way.
Poor copy of a photo from U.S. News and World Report, Dec. 1, 1980
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9 Comments | Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Capturing history, Conservation, Environmental protection, Government, History, Law, Public Lands, Sagebrush Rebellion | Tagged: BLM, Capturing history, Government, Law, Sagebrush Rebellion, Sen. Jake Garn, Sen. Orrin Hatch, Sen. Paul Laxalt, Wilderness | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
June 20, 2007
Here is a great exercise in applied geography: “The Sweet Tea Line” at Neatorama, with a link to Eight Over Five with a wonderful set of interactive maps — though, if you go to the Eight Over Five site, you don’t find any link to this particular map (can anyone explain?).
One of the maps from Eight Over Five, using data to determine the Sweet Tea Line.
What about regional variations in food, language, customs or commerce in your state? I remember discovering that “regular coffee” in western Massachusetts meant coffee with a lot of cream and sugar. Not so at Boston’s Logan Airport. Where is the line? What about the lines of where a soft drink is “a pop,” versus “a soda pop,” versus “a coke,” versus “a soda?” Read the rest of this entry »
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5 Comments | America's founding, Brain learning, Civil War, Geography - Economic, Geography - Physical, Geography - Political, George Washington, History, Lesson plans, Maps | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
June 15, 2007
1968 propelled history in dramatic fashion, much of it tragic. History teachers might await the 40th anniversary stories of 1968’s events, knowing that the newspapers and television specials will provide much richer material than any textbook could hope for.
Was 1967 less momentous? Perhaps. But an anniversary this week only serves to highlight how the entire decade was a series of turning points for the United States. This week marks the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s issuing the decision in Loving v. Virginia. The Lovings had been arrested, convicted and exiled from the state of Virginia for the crime of — brace yourself — getting married.
Photo of Richard and Mildred Loving from Bettman-Corbis Archive.
You see, Virginia in those days prohibited marriage between a black person and a white person. So did 15 other states. In language that is quaint and archaic to all but Biblical literalist creationists, the trial judge said:
“Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.”
The Lovings appealed their conviction. They appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. And on June 12, 1967, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down laws that prohibit a person of one “race” from marrying a person of another. (I put “race” in quotes because, as we have since learned from DNA studies, there is just one race among us, the human race. Science verifies that the Supreme Court got it right, as did the Americans before them who wrote the laws upon which the Supreme Court’s decision was based.)
From 1958 to 1967 — nine years the case wended through the courts. Oral argument was had on April 10 — the decision coming down in just two months seems dramatically quick by today’s standards. This was one of the cases that angered so many Americans against the Court presided over by Chief Justice Earl Warren.
Ed Brayton at Dispatches from Culture Wars points to a statement from Mildred Loving on this anniversary. The statement is below the fold. Read the rest of this entry »
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8 Comments | 1968, Citizenship, Civil Rights, Fourteenth Amendment, Freedom - Political, Heroes, History, Human Rights, Jurisprudence, Justice, U.S. Constitution | Tagged: 1967, Civil Rights, Constitution, Loving v Virginia, marriage, Miscegination, Supreme Court | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
June 14, 2007
Ran into a website from a Dallas guy who is a practicing historian of a sort. A former oil man, he is involved in preserving and telling the story of the guys who rescued priceless works of art from the Nazis, the Monuments Men.
Robert Edsel’s blog is here; the site for his book, Rescuing DaVinci, is here.
Dallas-area world history and U.S. history teachers — have you called this guy to see if he’ll come visit your school?
- Edsel’s caption for this photo: “Monuments Men Bernard Taper, James Reeds, Harry Ettlinger, and Horace Apgar being formally recognized for their efforts during World War II” [in Washington, D.C., on June 6, 2007]
Text of Mr. Edsel’s remarks below the fold.
Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Ed Darrell
June 14, 2007
Did I mention I love libraries? Especially, I love those libraries with books and periodicals, in print. Studying and writing history can involve a lot of time in libraries.
Look at this site, by Rachel, a newly-minted Master of Philosophy in Historical Studies: A Historian’s Craft, “Bookporn #9”
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Posted by Ed Darrell
June 13, 2007
8:30 a.m. Eastern time, here: http://www.history.com/classroom/nhd/
Here’s the History Channel blurb:
National History Day – Live Webcast
Thursday, June 14th at 8:30am ET
National History Day is a year-long education program that engages students in grades 6-12 in the process of discovery and interpretation of historical topics. Students produce dramatic performances, imaginative exhibits, multimedia documentaries and research papers based on research related to an annual theme. Click the links [on the History Channel site] to view the Awards Ceremony during a LIVE Webcast on Thursday, June 14th at 8:30am [EDT]. The History Channel is a proud sponsor of National History Day.
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Posted by Ed Darrell
June 13, 2007
When was the last time you saw something like this, “This is the way science should always work,” in a history journal?
If it were your error, would you be big enough to publicize it loud and far, as Dr. Hall has done?
Is there some medal for honesty that we could award Dr. Hall?
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Posted by Ed Darrell
June 12, 2007
If you’re in the Washington, D.C., area, get on over to the University of Maryland tonight for the junior performance and documentary finals, or tomorrow morning for the senior performance and documentary finals of the National History Day competitions.
Finalists, and their scheduled project presentations, are listed here at the National History Day site. Winners will be announced Thursday evening.
A few of the entries in the junior, individual performance category suggest just how good high school historians can be:
- Is the Night too Dark?
- The Triumph and Tragedy of the Ohio Canal System
- Freedom from Fear: Triumphing over the Tragedy of Polio
- They Called Her Tokyo Rose: The Tragedy and Triumph of Iva Toguri
- Turning Tragedy into Triumph: The Fight to Eradicate Poliomyelitis
- Douglas MacArthur and Harry Truman: Changing Perceptions of Their Triumphs and Tragedies
- Philippines
- Taking the Lid Off a National Scandal: Teapot Dome and the Politics of Power
- Play Ball! A Triumph for Women Begins Amidst the Tragedy of World War II
- “Deterred But Not Defeated:” The Duluth Tragedy and Triumph Over Racial Hatred
- The Color of Blood: The Tragic Effect of Racial Barriers on Dr. Charles R. Drew’s Triumphant Innovations
- One Woman’s Voice From the Oregon Trail: Abigail Scott Duniway’s Traumatic Journey and Triumphant Fight for Women’s Suffrage in the New Frontier
- Operation Dynamo: Transforming Tragedy to Triumph on the Beaches of Dunkirk
- Hershey’s Bittersweet Legacy
In that list is two semesters’ worth of enrichment for any classroom.
The National History Day webcast is also scheduled for Thursday, but I’m not sure when.
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Posted by Ed Darrell
June 11, 2007
Can you figure out some way to make this work in a classroom?
Science Daily reports that a team at UCLA working with a lot of others completed an 11-year project to map out Rome as it appeared when it was the commercial and political capital of the western world, three centuries into the first millennium:
“Rome Reborn 1.0″ shows almost the entire city within the 13-mile-long Aurelian Walls as it appeared in A.D. 320. At that time Rome was the multicultural capital of the western world and had reached the peak of its development with an estimated population of one million.
“Rome Reborn 1.0” is a true 3D model that runs in real time. Users can navigate through the model with complete freedom, moving up, down, left and right at will. They can enter important public buildings such as the Roman Senate House, the Colosseum, or the Temple of Venus and Rome, the ancient city’s largest place of worship.
As new discoveries are made, “Rome Reborn 1.0” can be easily updated to reflect the latest knowledge about the ancient city. In future releases, the “Rome Reborn” project will include other phases in the evolution of the city from the late Bronze Age in the 10th century B.C. to the Gothic Wars in the 6th century A.D. Video clips and still images of “Rome Reborn 1.0” can be viewed at http://www.romereborn.virginia.edu.
Now we need to wonder: Will it be available for classroom use?
More below the fold.
Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Ed Darrell
June 11, 2007
President Bush proclaimed the week of June 10 through 17 National Flag Week, in anticipation of Flag Day, June 14.
Fly your U.S. flag all week!
Of course, you may fly your state and local flags, too.
June 14 commemorates the day the first resolution was passed designating the stars and stripes as the national flag of the united colonies, June 14, 1777. This is another event occurring even prior to the creation of the United States by the Constitution.
Full text of the proclamation, and photo credit and explanation, below the fold. Read the rest of this entry »
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1 Comment | Boy Scouts of America, Flag ceremony, Flag etiquette, History, Patriotism | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub 
