Category: History

TV Docuseries Review: ‘Waco: American Apocalypse’: Was It Government Overreach or Legal Enforcement?

 TV-MA | 2h 22min | Documentary, U.S. History | 22 March 2023 (USA) Thirty years ago, first the United States and then the rest of the world watched in guarded fascination for the outcome of a 51-day standoff at the Branch Davidian Compound in Mt. Carmel, some 20 or so miles northeast of Waco, Texas. Inside the compound was David Koresh,…


Sanctuary of a Prussian King: Germany’s Palace of Sanssouci

No other palace represents the personality of Frederick the Great as much as the magnificent Sanssouci. Originally designed as a summer residence near Potsdam (now Germany), it represents Frederick’s ideals through its elegant Rococo architecture. Sanssouci (“without care”) was not only Frederick’s favorite place to stay, but it was also his retreat and sanctuary. Built…


How Theodore Roosevelt Saved the Grand Canyon: ‘Keep It for Your Children’

What makes the United States special? Not everyone agrees. A growing number of people think that it is not special at all. But in at least one respect, they are dead wrong: America is home to unique land formations of unparalleled beauty. These sacred spaces used to embody the essence of what it means to…


Freedom Fighter With a Pen: Mercy Otis Warren and American Liberty

Any American with a high school diploma should recognize the names and deeds of our country’s most renowned Founders, patriots like Washington, Jefferson, and Abigail and John Adams. Some former students may recollect less familiar figures from that era who appear in most history texts, like Nathan Hale, Lafayette, Molly Pitcher, and John Paul Jones….


Lessons From Epictetus: On Mastering the Will

“Wish the things which happen to be as they are, and you will have a tranquil flow of life.”—Epictetus, Roman philosopher It’s advice that’s alien to the modern mentality. Shouldn’t everyone want everything to be better? But when we consider various people’s definitions of “better” and how the logical conclusion of certain forms of progress is…


Profiles in History: W.W. Keen: The President’s Surgeon

By the time 1893 rolled around, W.W. Keen (1837–1932) was arguably the most prominent doctor in the country. That year, more than any other, would require his best work, because the stakes could not have been higher: The fate of America’s leader and, possibly, the country’s entire economy rested on his shoulders. Keen graduated from…


Elgin Marbles Should Not Be Loaned Back to Greece Until British Museum’s Ownership Accepted: Historian

One of the world’s leading historians has rejected claims the Elgin Marbles were illegally removed from the Parthenon in Athens and has recommended they not be loaned back to Greece unless they accept the British Museum’s ownership of the sculptures. The Greek government has been campaigning for decades for the 2,500-year-old artefacts—sometimes referred to as…


North Bend: An Antebellum Home With Its History Intact

If rooms and furnishings could talk, the home referred to as North Bend in Charles City, Virginia, would be in perpetual chatter mode. Throughout its history, many significant occurrences took place within the Greek Revival-style home, starting with its construction in 1801 by John Minge for his wife, Sarah Harrison, the sister of William Henry Harrison,…


Book Review: ‘Never Give An Inch: Fighting for the America I Love’ by Mike Pompeo

As of this writing, former Kansas Congressman and director of the CIA and Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has not announced that he is in the race to be the Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election. The memoir of his time in the Trump administration, “Never Give An Inch: Fighting for the America I…


The Educator Who Shaped the Destiny and Morality of a Nation

Passionate teachers can light a flame in their students that will burn long into the future. Few of them, however, can claim to have helped shape the destiny and moral character of a nation. Beginning in 1835, in conjunction with the Cincinnati publishing firm Truman and Smith, professor William Holmes McGuffey (1800–1873) wrote four readers…