Category: History

Profiles in History: Mary Miller: The Lady Steamboatman

Mary Millicent Miller (1846–1894) was born at the height of the steamboat era. Her affinity for steamboats was fueled, or perhaps created, by the fact she was born in Louisville, the city that lies right next to the Ohio River which separates Kentucky and Indiana. She grew up on the river and around the newest…


Book Review: ‘Waffen-SS Soldier Versus Soviet Rifleman: Rostov-on-Don and Kharkov 1942–43’

The myths behind the German and Soviet soldiers are true, in the sense that the former were victorious by their military acumen and the latter were victorious by sheer mass. Nazi Germany’s military might is often referred to as the German War Machine, as it was a well-oiled machine practically top to bottom (ironically, the…


Book Review: ‘A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland’

Grover Cleveland often gets categorized as a president of trivial significance. Trivial as in trivia. He is known as the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms, the only president to get married inside the White House, and a president who underwent a secret and potentially life-saving surgery on a yacht. He was also the…


Mikaela Shiffrin Closes in on World Cup Skiing History

History beckons for Mikaela Shiffrin on Friday when the American skier competes in one of her best events. Shiffrin is seeking a record-tying 86th win on the World Cup skiing circuit, a number that would equal Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark’s mark from the 1970s and 80s. Shiffrin earned win No. 85 six weeks ago. She…


How Much Does the West Owe the Vikings?

The Vikings have inspired the creation of movies, TV shows, video games, and books, although that inspiration is almost always in the stereotypical sense of war, plundering, and pillaging. But aside from the stereotypes—which are stereotypical because they are true—the Vikings actually contributed to Western civilization in ways we often don’t consider. Arthur Herman, historian…


Book Review: ‘La Duchesse: The Life of Marie de Vignerot, Cardinal Richelieu’s Forgotten Heiress Who Shaped the Fate of France’

I’ve reviewed several books in the past focused on inspiring and powerful women like Florence Finch, a Filipina-American who risked her life to help American prisoners of war in Manila during World War II, and Maryland’s Virginia Hall who was a spy during that same war for the British and the Americans. And then there…


History Off the Beaten Path: A Natural Wonder With Distinguished Ties

On my way up to see Pennsylvania family and friends from my home in western North Carolina, I spotted a small road sign in Rockbridge County, Virginia on Interstate 81 that piqued my interest. I pulled down a simple road and into a parking lot that indicated it was the entranceway to the official state…


Profiles in History: James A. Folger: The California Coffee Rush

James A. Folger (1835–1889) was the second youngest of nine children. Born on Nantucket to a well-to-do family whose roots went back to the earliest of colonists, he would soon get the chance to make it on his own as a businessman. When word spread across the continent that gold had been found in California…


House Subcommittee Announces First Hearing on COVID-19 Origins

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic has announced that it will hold its first hearing on the origins of COVID-19 on March 8. The committee’s chairman, Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), said in a March 1 statement announcing the hearing that Americans “deserve real answers” on the origins of the virus, having suffered through…


Our English Cousin: William Shakespeare and the Shaping of America

Shakespeare. Bring up that name in conversation, and the reactions of your audience are likely to be mixed. To some of your listeners, that most famous name in all of English literature will likely arouse unpleasant memories of a dreary week or two in a high school class lost in a jumble of lords, ladies,…