Humanities

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

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.

One thing that sets humans apart from all other animals is our ability to gain language. Language is such a complex topic and often debated, especially whether it has come from nature or nurture.

Kate is an amazingly strong character displayed in Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew. Here you can see how Kate may actually be the tamest of the sisters.

There is a decision to be made. Which road to travel down, which path to take in life? Frost's thoughtful poem on free will and the choices it allows.

Imprisoned for helping the Jews and aiding the resistance in Nazi-occupied Holland, Cornelia "Corrie" ten Boom survived the Holocaust to found a worldwide ministry based on love and forgiveness.

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

During the Great War, the Japanese were allied with the Triple Entente. Though their casualties were miniscule, their navy patrolled half the world and even fought in the Mediterranean Sea.

Ruins of a Great House is Walcott's poem on colonialism, power and decay. History, Slavery and the English language combine to reveal a complex, ambivalent relationship between the speaker and the system that brought both cruelty and culture into the lives of once free people of the Caribbean.

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.

U.S. destroyer Johnston will go down in the annals of history for taking on destroyers, cruisers and battleships during WW2.

An overview of Sir Walter Raleigh's "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" and an analysis of the recurring motifs of mortality, lack of reasoning, love versus lust, and time.

The persistent inability of materialism to account satisfactorily for origin, nature and role of mind and consciousness in nature suggests that this view of the world may be false.

The Salem Witch trials was a horrendous event in American history where women were persecuted for being different. Many events led to the witchhunts, and many that occurred as a result.

'The Emperor's New Clothes' is a fairy tale for children, but it is also a perceptive commentary on the human condition. In this review I look at the story, its history and its great wisdom

The Mary Poppins books were written by Pamela Lyndon Travers. The magical nanny is very popular, but her character is very different in the books than in the famous "Mary Poppins" movie. The Disney movie "Saving Mr. Banks" offers a semifictionalized look at the life of P. L. Travers.

The Roman Baths complex in the city of Bath, England, is a major tourist attraction. It offers a fascinating look at the lives of Ancient Romans in Britain.

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.

In 1943, riots broke out in U.S. cities as servicemen and civilians attacked Mexican-Americans and other minorities.

This article explores the importance of both familial and extra-familial alliances in the story, "The Epic of Sundiata."

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.

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

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.

Spring And All is a poem William Carlos Williams wrote to back up his radical theory of poetics - basically the poem as a field of action - in which the here and now of things is portrayed through the imagination, written in the American grain. Life experience refreshed, impressions being the form.

Winston Churchill, future Prime Minister of Great Britain, spent six months in the trenches during World War I following the disaster at Gallipoli and his resignation as First Lord of the Admiralty.

Hopeful, rewarding, and highly informative, this book is a necessity for all who’ve begun the trilogy, following along with the journey of the weary travelers, as it is the satisfying ending of all who hoped to see good triumph over evil, and the hopes of Middle earth restored.

Edwin Booth, the great Shakespearean actor, achieved his fame through tragedy. Ironically, the tragic assassination of President Lincoln by his younger brother nearly undermined his success.

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

A mystic perceives spiritual realities that lay beyond the realm of ordinary human consciousness. Caryll Houselander is a modern mystic.

William Wallace is most often associated by many with the movie, Braveheart. William Wallace, however, was very real and this page looks at the truth behind the myths.

A quick overview and comparison of the four gospels in the New Testament.

Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone revolutionized 19th century communication and was the precursor to the development of of the satellite mobile communications revolution of today...

Magazines, books, art materials, toilet tissue, wall-coverings, tickets, posters, packaging and even money are all made from paper. But where does paper come from, who invented it and how is it made?

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.

Hephaestus was handicapped with a clubfoot, making him both the only Olympian who worked, and the only one who was not perfect. He was happy and creative, working with fire and metals in his forge.

Russian literature is known for its great psychological depth and a focus on moral dilemmas.

Learn how to describe yourself and identify your positive qualities. 180 positive words for job interviews, resumes, online profiles, online dating sites, and self confidence.

God's glory is heavy, as expressed biologically through the human liver and gold. Discover how the glory of God, the liver and gold are related in this article.

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.

To abolition activist Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln's commitment to ending slavery seemed weak and vacillating. But after the two men met, Douglass grew to appreciate Lincoln's true merit.

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.

Lost in the woods of the Ardennes, a lone American artillery lieutenant sets out to fight his own war against the Germans.

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.

A lavishly illustrated introduction to a diverse range of paintings from famous and lesser known Pre-Raphaelite artists.

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.

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.

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

Future time travel might be possible because it doesn’t break any laws of physics, but traveling to the past is doubtful because we can’t change what already occurred. Here’s a full discussion.

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.

The true story of how Japanese-American Iva Toguri D'Aquino was unjustly convicted of treason after WW2 because of her broadcasts of Japanese propaganda as the infamous Tokyo Rose.

Mary Elizabeth Bowser operated as a Union spy in the household of Confederate president Jefferson Davis. Never caught, she was one of the most productive Union operatives of the Civil War.

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.

The Battle of the Bulge was the largest land battle fought by the U.S. in World War II. It was also was the baptism of fire for an entire American Infantry Division.

Sarah Forbes Bonetta was an orphaned African princess given as a gift to Queen Victoria by the King of Dahomey. Victoria became Sarah's godmother, and received her into the royal extended family.

HMS Perseus, a British submarine with 61 souls on board, sank in the Mediterranean in December 1941. One man, John Capes, escaped a watery grave against impossible odds.

This article explores the lives and legacy of the Bielski Brothers during World War Two, and their efforts to save nearly 1,200 Jews from Nazi persecution in Eastern Europe.

Private William Hunter, who enlisted in the British Army in 1914 when he was 16, after repeated absences from his regiment, was shot at dawn for desertion on Feb 21, 1916.

Mental disorders affect many people, including those whom we'd least expect. This article considers four saints who struggled with mental illness.

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?

How events paved the way for the Norman conquest of Britain.

Anne Sexton's poetry is unique in that it confronts mental illness head on, gives direct access to the heart and soul of a troubled mother, artist and poet. 'I hold back nothing,' she wrote. So true.

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..

Everyone's heard of the Wild West, but what was it that made it so wild? Lawlessness? Crazy characters? New inventions? The lure of gold? Wars between natives and settlers? Read on to find out.

Great and easy topics for your cause-effect paper. This article includes topic questions, videos, and links to help you find out how and what to write.

Overshadowed by the larger and more desperate U-boat war around the British Isles, the successes of the British submarine flotilla in the Baltic is largely forgotten.

Examples of architecture designed, constructed or renovated with malice by a seriously annoyed and very determined individual. A fun page of quirky buildings!

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

Emily Dickinson's American (innovative) sonnet reveals an attitude dramatized in the Shakespeare sonnets: the poet's confidence in her creation of a world of beauty that will last forever.

Painted screens are a unique folk art tradition of Baltimore, Maryland that gave inhabitants of narrow streets privacy. Includes how to paint a screen as well as a gallery of decorated screens.

The Voynich Manuscript is an ancient relic that no one can decipher. It is said to be the most mysterious book in the world. After a century the riddle of the manuscript has left historians and experts bewildered.

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.

Whether or not one loves or hates the writing of Ernest Hemingway is never much of a consideration regarding his stature, as his stature as one of the finest of America's writers is cemented in history. The life of Earnest Hemingway was complex, and full of danger, intrigue, and adventure, just like his writing, the man was totally unique.

Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" seems simple, but its nuanced phrase, "And miles to go before I sleep," offers much about which to speculate.

Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales has impacted literature, history, and many other amazing parts of western civilization.

False reasoning leads to false conclusions and precludes rational thinking and debate. Learn how to recognize and avoid logical fallacies and how to defend yourself against them.

A line-by-line analysis of the elements used by Robert Frost within his poem "After Apple Picking" that give it depth and meaning.

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

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.

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?

While Sgt. Alvin York achieved fame in World War 1 for single-handedly capturing 132 German soldiers, unsung hero Marine Private Guy Gabaldon, captured nearly 1,500 Japanese in World War 2.

Learn about 5 of the most significant battles of the American Civil War and how their outcomes changed the fate of a nation on the brink of ruin.

Europe is rising from the Middle Ages, looking back on the darkness and into the light of new ideas, new inventions, and new...worlds? I explore the reasons Europeans wanted to explore and colonize.

Explore the lives of these six lesbian women in history and answer the question: were they, or weren't they?

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.

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.

Robert Smalls’ capture of a Confederate ship made him a Civil War hero. But during Reconstruction, he fought just as heroically for equal rights for African Americans.

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.

Based on my research of reports written by teachers of language-less people in the deaf community, they have cognitive abilities despite their lack of language.

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

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.

Before Jackie Robinson wore #42 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, he was a US Army officer court-martialed after refusing to go to the back of the bus.

There is nothing in Scripture that is without significance. The colors and fabric examined in this lesson will form a tapestry of meaning as it concerns the Gospel.

Evolution is one of the best-supported bodies of knowledge in science. Creationism, Creation Science, and Intelligent Design are religious concepts, not science.

"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?

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

Just when it looked like the Allies might win the Battle of Gallipoli, the actions of a single Turkish minelayer, called Nusret, halted the armada.

A compelling tale of conflict set in Mississippi in 1946, when city-born Laura clashes with the crushing poverty and ingrained racism unearthed by her husband's dream of a rural farming life.

A comparison of the short stories in Blow-Up by Julio Cortázar to the show The Twilight Zone. Similarities and differences are analyzed.

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?