History

Category

When Ireland was the end of the world

WHEN IRELAND WAS THE END OF THE WORLD

Nuair a bhí Éire deireadh an domhain. Before the famous Greek geographer Pytheas of Massilia (c.325) discovered Thule several centuries prior to the common era, and prior to the Viking explorer Naddoður casting his eyes on what we know as Iceland in the ninth century, there was Ireland.  Preceding the voyage of Erik Thorvaldsson better known as Erik the Red (circa 950 AD – circa 1003 AD) to Greenland and earlier than Columbus landing on Guanahani (San Salvador) in the Bahamas, Ireland was known to the world as...

Early German Christmas Traditions

EARLY GERMAN CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

My parents were born in Germany in the first decade of the twentieth century, though they did not meet until many years later after they arrived in America. My mother was a Lutheran from Prussian and my father was Bavarian and Catholic, and since different parts of Germany had different Christmas traditions, my life as a child was a bit confused when the Holidays were upon us.  It was if a Episcopalian from Massachusetts married a holy-roller from Arkansas.  But since my...

When Éirinn first rose

WHEN ÉIRINN FIRST ROSE

This is the history of Ireland. When Éirinn first rose, the waves of the Iapetus Ocean1 tossed about to and fro in anxious anticipation.  This was ~420 million years ago according to paleogeologists.  Two continent-sized masses–Laurentia and Gondwana—neither of which exist today, collided and one was pushed over the other.2 This act of creation made cousins out of the mountains of Donegal and the Appalachian Range in the eastern U.S., each of which share a common ancestor and amazing similarities. This is how Ireland...

Folie à deux

Folie à deux

At the moment, my mind is racing.  As I get older (and I’m on the upside of 75), it becomes more of a challenge to organize one’s thinking and write academically, and this post will be particularly difficult because it involves a comparison and contrast between two nations in two different time periods, a discussion of an unusual form of mental illness (Folie à deux), and a movie review.  About the only thing missing here is my mother’s recipe for Sauerbraten, though I’ll include it...

My mother was an illegal immigrant

HOW I CAME TO LOVE AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT

The years 1902-1929 were known as the Progressive Era in the U.S.  The doors to politics and political participation were thrown open wide to many more people, such as women who were disenfranchised, and it would henceforth be the People, not the states who would decide who served in the U.S. Senate. Immigration exploded as people from non-English European speaking countries started arriving in even greater numbers at our shores, and many were Catholic, or not considered to be white (or both.)  In particular,...

MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN

With the 2024 general election barely five months away, I wanted to explore the theme of Donald J. Trump’s campaign, “Make America Great Again.”  Win or lose, it has remained the same since he ran for president in 2012.  It has become a brand among Mr. Trump’s followers and a mantra for any Republican politician who hopes to keep his job or avoid threats against his family. Nor have women of integrity in the political hierarchy of the Republican Party (such as Liz Cheney) been...

The First Passover

THE FIRST PASSOVER

Passover (pesach or חַג הַפֶּסַח) begins this Monday, April 22 and runs until Tuesday, April 30th. The word “pesach” means literrally to “skip,” “pass over” or “omit.” Passover lasts for seven days (eight in certain circumstances.) The length of Passover also has a certain significance. The children of Israel left their ghetto in Goshen the first day of the Passover, and arrived at the Red Sea on the seventh day, when the sea parted for Moses and Egypt was just...

Lights

LIGHTS

Deena and I are planning a trip to Maine in May.  There are many reasons we enjoy excursions to “The Pine Tree State.”  There is the sheer charm and natural diversity of the state, the seafood cuisine, Maine’s culture and history, the rocky, rugged shores and, of course, the many lighthouses that dot the coast of the state.  The coast of Maine, itself, is barely 230 miles long as the crow flies, but if you include the many navigable channels, bays and inlets...

THE USES OF CHILDREN IN WAR: A BRIEF HISTORY

For a blog that began primarily as a discussion of different topics in Christianity, I’ve branched out over the years to include other areas of interest (such as travel, current events, heath, literature, history, science and politics.)  I’ve also translated some posts into Chinese, Russian or German.  I don’t believe this has come at the expense of my original focus.  Someone who visits my blog to learn about Europa or the Chinese New Year may come across an appeal to experience a new...

Signs & Wonders

SIGNS & WONDERS

People in the Ukraine, Hungary and Slovakia who looked to the heavens last evening saw a blood red sky. In England and elsewhere across Europe the sky was painted green, pale yellow or a faded pink instead. But over Kyiv, Ukraine, it was red. Blood red. A thousands years ago this might have been seen as sign of an impending doom. Even so today, in this modern age, it is still pretty creepy. In this post, I’d like to describe...

Verified by MonsterInsights