Conquering Queen

When you think of women’s rights, I doubt the medieval time period comes to mind. Religion played a huge role in society during this time. That led to a more patriarchal culture, so it’s understandable. However, if an observer digs deeper into history, the medieval era provides examples of women who left behind memorable lives that promote equality. Such as Matilda, queen to William the Conqueror. Through the circumstances of her birth, marriage, and legacy, Queen Matilda is a historical figure who deserves more recognition.

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Quiet Gallantry: Gen. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

I was in my early teens when they released the movie Gettysburg (1993). My family rented it as soon as it hit the local video store. We settled down for a deeply moving, relatively accurate depiction of the battle at Gettysburg that turned the tide of the American Civil War in favor of the Union.

A Feeling of Justice: Robert Kennedy

On the night of April 4, 1968, in a poverty-stricken Indianapolis neighborhood, Robert Kennedy climbed on a flatbed truck and gazed through the darkness at an angry, jeering crowd. He grabbed a microphone, took a deep breath, and delivered one of the greatest speeches in American history.

Master Shipbuilder: The Legacy of Thomas Andrews

The gale rocks the scaffolding beneath you. The sweat on your hands causes you to lose your grip on the iron rail. You came up to straighten the boards. Your heart pounds. One foot forward at a time. You can do this. TITANIC needs you. Her iron hull rises beside you. The next brutal gust rocks the narrow platform so much, you cannot take another step. Stranded eighty feet above the ground, you panic.

“Hold on,” someone shouts beneath you. “I’m coming up.”

You focus on breathing. The boards have shifted. You’re too terrified to try climbing down. You sit and wait until a cheerful face appears over the edge. “Hello, Archie,” your pal Thomas Andrews says with his usual grin. “Got yourself in a bind?”

You manage a nervous chuckle. Andrews helps you climb down before he secures the boards himself.

John the Baptist: The Faith to Step Back From His Own Glory

Just a Voice, Just a Servant, Just a Signpost

“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?” Jesus asked.

No. They went out to see a prophet, a holy man, a man who spoke God’s words; his name was John. His words riveted the crowds. They marveled at the conviction behind them! If only we lived as though we (like John) were ready for God to do some shocking new thing. As if God will come to this earth where we live. (He will.) And if only we would read and think about the scriptures in the way John did. (As though God gave them.)

The Sweater Wearing Good Guy

Today you are not in the year 2019. Today you have time traveled back to an ordinary afternoon in 1996. No, you have not entered the Twilight Zone. But what you are about to witness is a true story. You are looking into a living room with a dark-paneled wall, a wood-burning stove, and an old square television set with dials. Seated in front of it is a little girl with scraggly blonde pigtails wearing a pink turtleneck under a jumper-dress. She fixes her eyes on the screen. The tall, thin man with grey hair she is watching on the screen removes his red sweater and hangs it in the closet, replacing it with a suit jacket. As he does so, he sings part of a song, “I’ll be back, when the day is new. And I’ll have more ideas for you. And you’ll have things you’ll want to talk about. I will, too.” And just before the man leaves through the front door of his home, the little girl leans forward and kisses him on the cheek… or rather, the static-y screen of the TV.

May / June 2019: Favorite Historical Figures

This month, we invited our writers to tell us about their favorite historical figure. It was quite a choice for many – after all, if you love history, you come across many heroes and heroines to admire! But over the next two months, we will introduce you to some of the chosen ones.

Posts go live every Saturday morning, and certain Wednesday nights! Grab a glass of iced lemonade or iced tea and delve into recent, ancient, and all the history in-between!