Humanities

A red herring and a fine or pretty kettle of fish are idioms with an interesting history. Both the literal meanings of the terms and the unexpected ones are fun to explore.

Hades is very interesting, because he rules the dead, or people who need periodic times of privacy with which they can use to think about whatever troubles them. Hades also has psychic powers.

Imagine a dog that never ate, drank, or aged, and who would mysteriously appear at critical moments of danger. Was St. John Bosco’s dog Grigio an angel clothed in a furry disguise?

The final four requested items on God's list, as it concerned the Tabernacle as recorded in Exodus 25, will be visited in this article along with its connection with salvation through Jesus Christ..

Industrialization began in Britain in the middle of the 18th Century, radically changing the world forever. Here are 10 Facts on the Industrial Revolution.

The story of Frances Wills, Harriet Pickens, and Mildred McAfee–Three pioneering female officers who helped integrate the US Navy.

6 Easy Rules with examples for punctuating quotation in dialogue and conversation. Includes examples, Words for Said chart and writing conversation tips.

Have some people taken the King James Version of "rightly dividing the word of truth" too far?

An infamous serial killer lived just down the street from little Ann Marie Burr, who vanished in 1961. Was this little girl Ted Bundy's first victim?

Was the recklessness showed by Custer at the Little Bighorn fueled by a humiliating rebuke from President Grant?

The Civil War Battle Of Vicksburg gave the North a great strategic advantage, and brought US Grant to the top among Union generals, positioning him to finally win the war.

Margaret Aylward was an Irish nun who spent 6 months in Prison in Ireland. History of Baby Farms where thousands of babies died. She was the founder and Mother Superior of the Irish Sisters of the Holy Faith

The hamburger is one of the most familiar foods to Americans and to many people worldwide. But where did the hamburger come from? Follow the history of the hamburger from its beginnings with the greatest conqueror of all time to its place in fast food restaurants and dinner plates.

British propaganda in WW1 accused the Germans of shipping their dead soldiers in a “corpse factory” where they would be rendered into oils, candles, nitroglycerin, and other products.

It would be impossible to visit Ireland's Dingle Peninsula without seeing a clochán, more commonly known as a beehive hut. Who built them, and how old are they?

Every person has a guardian angel. Only the rarest of souls have seen them. Padre Pio saw and spoke regularly with the guardian angels of his spiritual children.

This is part five of a series about the wilderness tabernacle and the spiritual application that accompanies it. This lesson in particular discusses the metals

This article summarizes the career of legendary explorer Colonel Percy Fawcett, who vanished in Brazil during 1925. The story also provides many theories explaining how and why he disappeared.

During the nineteenth century, the British and Russian Empires were engaged in a rivalry over control of Central Asia; there were casualties.

Sister Nazarena was an American Camaldolese nun, who lived like an Egyptian hermit in a Roman convent for forty-five years.

In World War Two, the 761st Tank Battalion (Black Panthers) comprised mainly of African-Americans, endured discrimination, saw extensive action in Europe, and performed magnificently.

The story has been around for years, but it still manages to captivate people.

A haiku is a nature poem consisting of three lines. It contains an observation or experience from a moment in time. It often contains a seasonal reference and juxtaposition as well.

Gutenberg's printing press was a great historical event. Before it, all books had to be laboriously hand copied. His invention sparked a cultural revolution that would change the world forever.

Fire and Ice by Robert Frost poem analysis, meaning, and themes.

The 1705 Virginia Slave Act turned indentured servants into slaves for life, removed legal protection against torture and murder of slaves, and required runaway slaves to be returned to their owners.

A criminal slang known as "Patter Flash" was used among pickpockets and thieves in 19th century London. This criminal slang was used to confuse police and create a secret mode of communication between thieves, who often worked in large gangs known as battalions.

An Italian noble family moved to British Columbia more than a century before Harry and Megan did the same thing.

A physician and a poet, William Carlos Williams, modernist, lived and worked in Rutherford, New Jersey most of his life. His poems deal with the everyday things in life, based on the local, becoming universal. Wheelbarrows, plums, people traits, starlings and flowers - No ideas but in things.

D. H. Lawrence's "Afternoon in School: The Last Lesson" features a teacher, who dramatizes the uninspired performance of his lackluster students. The teacher has become weary from vain attempts to instruct them as they refuse to learn.

During the Battle of the Bulge, one segregated unit nearly lost all its men and it took years to be recognized. By helping to defend both St. Vith and Bastogne, it deserves its place in history.

In "I measure every Grief I meet," the speaker examines the nature of human suffering. The poem is long by Dickinson standards, filling out a whopping ten quatrains.

Meet some of the characters of Grand Canyon's human history.

China has enjoyed many golden ages throughout history, but it has also repeatedly suffered under brutal tyrants. Here are the 10 most terrible Chinese Emperors to have ruled the Middle Kingdom.

In 1905, the former Governor of Idaho was murdered, the result of a bitter labour dispute.

Thousands of years ago, Doggerland connected Britain to Europe where the North Sea exists today. The area had a rich Mesolithic culture, which researchers are exploring.

Obsessed with fairy tales and building castles King Ludwig II had almost bankrupted Bavaria when he was found dead, under circumstances which remain mysterious to this day.

God reveals Himself by many names throughout the scriptures that express a quality of His character that is vital for us to know. One in particular stands out to me lately in reference to the miracle of the five loaves and two fish as told in all four of the Gospels (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:10-16, and John 6:5-14) - signifying a lesson that applies to every sphere of our life. El Shaddai the "All Sufficient One" is the name that reminds me of the Lord at this event.

Bl. Solanus Casey was an American Capuchin priest. His seven-star virtues cause him to shine in the firmament.

To drive the Germans out of the city of Zwolle in the Netherlands, the Canadian Army was prepared to level it. French-Canadian Private Leo Major had other plans.

Let’s take a look far back into humanity’s past, through the hundreds of thousands of years, to examine the life of those who made us who we are. This is the life of the Long Ago Man.

"Star of the Sea" has long been a popular interpretation of the name Mary. How did this understanding develop and what is the spiritual significance?

Martin Luther King Jr.'s impact is apparent over 50 years after his untimely death. Here are some facts about the great man.

Is Wikipedia a reliable source of accurate information? Most of the time it is. But there are times when it definitely is not.

Imagine a future where emotions hardly exist, babies are hatched, social destiny is preconditioned and casual sex has displaced violence. Welcome to Huxley's Brave New World, a dystopian novel in which everyone is blissfully happy and never question their place in society. Or do they?

James Monroe, aka the last cocked hat, was the fifth president of the United States. He had a significant impact on our country, playing an integral part in the Louisiana Purchase.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial salutes Veterans who died during the war. The Wall has an interesting history surrounded by controversy. The Three Servicemen Statue and Womens Memorial are also in the park.

An oral storytelling performance can be entertaining and educational. Prose, poems, and songs can tell a story. Myths and traditional tales are often shared orally.

An in-depth analysis of William Shakespeare's King Lear that scrutinizes how Shakespeare used what we know to be as a fool to show wisdom and how even kings can be quite foolish.

St. John of the Cross is the patron of Spanish poets. His most illuminative poetry emerged from the darkness of imprisonment.

A discussion of the pros and cons of including the Apocrypha in the Bible. I also explain three stories from these books and why they're relevant for today.

The Armistice on November 11, 1918 did not end the hostilities of World War I until 11:00 AM. That morning almost 11,000 men were killed, wounded or went missing.

The New World was the next logical step for trade merchants of the Armenian Diaspora in the 17th century.

I learned that language-less people in the deaf community have cognitive abilities despite their lack of language. This article is a review of my research.

The vast forest of Pennsylvania’s Stony Valley, earlier called Saint Anthony's Wilderness, harbors the remains of a once great establishment. Long lost to memory are the missionaries, mining towns, lumber camps, railroads, and lakeside resort of a past era.

The man who was to become Britain’s King George IV was self-indulgent, petty, wildly extravagant, and unpopular.

Henry "Box" Brown escaped from slavery in Richmond, Virginia by hiding himself inside an express package and sending the box as freight to Philadelphia

Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, never once acknowledged Jefferson Davis as the president of the Confederate States. Here’s why.

This article explores death and the afterlife according to Christian and other viewpoints.

Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois both fought in different ways for African American equal rights. But Du Bois accused Washington of counseling blacks to accept second class status.

Emily Dickinson's poem, "The Brain - is wider than the Sky," compares and contrasts the human brain with the sky, the sea, and God.

Hermes was the Greek God, a trickster, messenger between realms, and a soul guide. He was the son of Zeus, brother of Apollo, and lover of Aphrodite. The Hermes archetype is a successful person.

Wordsworth's Ode Intimations of Immortality focuses on an ideal childhood in which freshness and celestial light gave all things a blissful quality. The speaker, older, now philosophic, explores the changes since those halcyon days, how the glory and the dream have gone but truths that wake remain.

The most efficient branch of the U.S. Army in World War II was the artillery. 20 years of innovations between the wars helped make it the best in the world.

In Victorian England poison could be bought freely over the counter. Unregulated, it often found its way into foodstuff whether by accident or design.The Bradford sweet, chocolate cream poisonings and fruit cake murder of Caroline Ansell caused public outrage and a long overdue change to the law.

Many religions suggest that there is a creator of life and the universe. This article is a discussion of theological and physical concepts to offer alternative views.

In the Civil War Robert E. Lee was a defender of slavery, while Ulysses S. Grant did all he could to destroy it. But it was Lee who thought slavery was morally wrong, while Grant seemed not to care one way or the other.

How did our forebears record the precious moments in life before the advent of photography? They took out their brushes and painted, or commissioned someone who was up to the job. Here are some of those paintings from years gone by.

Rudolf von Eschwege was the only German fighter pilot on the Balkan Front. He was so successful that the British finally resorted to setting a diabolical trap for the “Eagle of the Aegean Sea”.

President Andrew Jackson, nicknamed Old Hickory, lived a hard left, but through his hard work and outgoing personality, he became quite successful in all of his endeavors.

The Puritans fled England to escape religious persecution, but were the Puritan colonies in the Americas bastions of religious tolerance and freedom of thought?

40 Facts about Tamerlane - Timur the Lame conquered half the world despite his debilitating injuries. However, he is largely forgotten in popular history.

Is death the end of consciousness? Why are there so many documented cases of people having out-of-body experiences and being conscious of their surroundings while near death? Let's examine this question.

Edward Jenner infected people with cowpox to protect them from smallpox. Mary Montagu gave people a mild case of smallpox to protect them from a serious one.

In the first of a series of articles on Medal of Honor winners from the artillery branch, we look at three heroes from World War II.

Get to know The Wife of Bath, one of the pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales. She is a strong willed woman, married five times and on the look out for number six! Never dull, she wants equality with men.

See eleven photos and read about the artists who created these European masterpieces from the 1400s to the 1800s.

When you want to learn about World War II, hear it from people who were there.

How does language affect our thinking? Do we even need a language to think? How do deaf people think if they never heard speech? Do animals think without language? I researched this to try to answer these questions.

Before the Civil War, William T. Sherman helped found the military academy that became Louisiana State University. He was still loved by Confederate former students even as they fought against him.

This article explores the arguments for and against the idea that Charles Bukowski was a misogynist. It includes an assessment of Bukowski's background, criticism of his novel, Women, and the infamous kicking incident filmed during a Barbet Schroeder interview.

A look into the history of the Titanic and the legacy of its passengers. Stories of those people who died and those who survived when the Titanic sank on April 14th 1912. The third-class passengers had the most deaths.

In 1897 Anita Hemmings became the first black graduate of Vassar. But because she was passing for white, when her race was discovered she almost wasn’t allowed to graduate.

How Abraham Lincoln mentored his generals in the Civil War through the letters he sent them.

Sam Patch, a mill worker from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, captivated the American public in the 1820s with his spectacular, death-defying leaps off waterfalls and other high, dangerous places. Patch became known as the "Jersey Jumper" and the "Yankee Leaper," as he conquered the Great Falls in Paterson, New Jersey, Niagara Falls, and the Upper Falls of the Genesee River in Rochester, New York. He died making his second jump at the Genesee falls, but he became an American folk hero.

Overcoming fierce racial discrimination, Hugh Mulzac became the first African American to command a Liberty Ship in World War II.

"The Secret Garden" is a story about a seemingly magical garden that has healing powers. The garden has been hidden for ten years when a young girl discovers it.

An overview of the political ans social landscape that shaped and determined the events of Jesus Christ's life and death

Be very greatful that we live in the times we do. Imagine what it was like in days gone by when you had to wipe your bottom with leaves and moss!

Some saints traveled to Heaven by way of an illumined path. Others, no less holy, journeyed in darkness. These saints teach us how to bear with doubts.

Charles Bukowski was a prolific writer who produced a lot of poetry books in his lifetime (there are over sixty books currently in publication at the last count). It wasn't easy to choose, but here are what I believe to be the 5 best Charles Bukowski poetry books.

The Beast in the Jungle, by Henry James, is a poignant story about a man who is expecting a great event that never happens. He wastes his entire life, awaiting this, and misses out on life as a result.

The artillery personnel in World War II were some of the most skilled soldiers in the US Army and their Battalions were built to fight.

In December 1968, while fighting in Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam, Second Lieutenant Robert S. Mueller earned the Bronze Star for rescuing a fellow Marine. His time in Vietnam set the stage for a career in service to his country.

Despite being written in 1948, many parts of George Orwell's fictional dystopian society have become reality. The prevalence of surveillance and loss of privacy, the state of perpetual war with shifting landscapes and changing enemies, the truncation of language and fake news are the new norm.

In the Civil War Robert E. Lee fought fiercely to protect slavery, while Ulysses S. Grant fought just as hard to destroy it. But their personal attitudes toward it were the opposite of what you might expect.

St. Philip Neri revived Rome during the Renaissance, earning him the title of “Apostle of Rome,” but his most endearing quality is his joy.

In 1968 Peanuts, the most popular comic strip in history, was still all white. But a concerned schoolteacher convinced Charles Schulz to bring a black kid into the cast.

Confederate civilians trapped in Vicksburg during General Ulysses Grant’s 1863 Vicksburg campaign dug caves to avoid the shelling, and were reduced to eating dogs, cats, and rats.