(Medieval people’s teeth were white, before sugar) Commercial television in the US is shrinking. Public sector programming is filling the void. High-quality dramatic episodes and historical documentaries from BBC, like Downton Abbey, are standard fare for millions. …
Shoplifting is easy to justify. You’re hungry and need some food. You’re thirsty and need some beer. You’re addicted to nicotine, so need a smoke. Maybe you’re the victim of social injustice. Perhaps ads and commercials have caused you to crave…
(The Day the ’60s Died airs tonight) Forty-five years ago (on May 4, 1970) America was facing an identity crisis that erupted in the Kent State shootings. During the 1960s, the rise of public television ushered in a medium that could…
by Duke Doering In the spring of 1944, members of South Dakota’s 109th Engineer Battalion were supporting the 34th Infantry Division as the “Red Bull” [below] landed at Anzio and began to push German and Italian forces north…
by Niall Ferguson It was March 1933. The national mood was feverish and yet expectant. In the wake of his sweeping election victory, the country’s charismatic new leader addressed a people desperate for change. Millions crowded around their…
by Duke Doering On April 14, 1942 during World War II the 147th Field Artillery Regiment had witnessed several Japanese air attacks on their camps in Australia. Air raids were frequent and defenses were not adequate. There were…
Countries come and go during wartime. Reshuffling of populations was rampant after World War II. Cities received different names. Centuries of expansion by Germans farmers toward the east was reversed. Where is Prussia today? Historum.com is a less…
There was a time in American democracy when people knew each other in small towns and rural communities, while candidates for public office tended to be the most respected and capable people available. Representatives…
by Duke Doering When Company A, 109th Engineer Battalion, Madison, SD, was called to active federal service on February 10, 1941 it had a strength off three officers and 94 enlisted men. When World War II ended this…
“Don’t trust anyone over 30” was the jocular injunction uttered by Jack Weinberg during the 1964 Free Speech Movement at the University of California in Berkeley. He wasn’t speaking in absolute terms, but only in a general…