Today in 1966, the National Historic Preservation Act became law, and it launched a massive effort to save historic buildings around the country that were in danger of encroaching urban sprawl and demolition. (You can read the act here. It is a well written defense of history.) In thinking about the effects of this momentous…
Author: Zach Morgan
Are you willing to die?
Today is National Medal of Honor Day. This year, it happens to also be Good Friday, which seems especially appropriate, given Jesus’ words the night before his crucifixion: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life…
Why Jefferson Davis’ statue should remain
Some people have recommended that the statue of Jefferson Davis be removed from the rotunda of the Kentucky state capitol. I would like to present an alternate option that does more credit to our great Commonwealth. The matter is currently under review by the Kentucky Historic Properties Advisory Commission. They recently called for public comment…
Time capsules
Two days ago a fascinating project came to my attention. Levi Bettweiser collects undeveloped rolls of film, develops them, scans the negatives, and archives the discoveries online. His project, “Rescued Film,” is getting some press because he just released some photos from a batch of 31 film rolls from World War II. This collection is…
3 Reasons Why Typewriters Seduce Us
They are a thing of the past, and yet, we can’t seem to let them go. Tom Hanks recently released a typewriter app, and the clash between old and new technologies got me thinking about why we bother with the clunky machines anymore. (I gave my last typewriter, my beloved Selectric, to a typewriter repairman…
This Day in History: Jena-Auerstädt
The Napoleonic wars have a magnetic pull, and I often find myself studying them when I should be doing other things, like taking a shower, or cutting down trees. The magnetism is due in part to the grand scale of the battles, the magnificent uniforms, and the fact that the wars were part of the…
Death, censorship, and reality
This morning I was sent a link to this article in The Atlantic, which describes a photo taken by war photographer Kenneth Jarecke at the end of Operation Desert Storm. The photo was not chosen for publication in the U.S., based on its graphic nature. This prompted me to examine more closely how Americans view…
Museum: Kentucky Military History Museum
Not long ago I relocated to my home state, Kentucky, and had the pleasure of revisiting the Kentucky Military History Museum. It reopened recently, after a five-year renovation project. Here are my thoughts about what I found: Quality of research The text was generally minimal (which I like), but I thought it was also spot-on….
This Day in History: India and Pakistan
This day in 1947, India became an independent state from Great Britain, and August 14th, 1947, Pakistan had also become independent. How is this information useful? Understanding these two countries helps us understand the region, and current events. Let’s learn more… End of the empire Prior to independence, the Indian subcontinent had been under British…
“Lessons Learned” Part 2
The current meltdown in Iraq has me revisiting the “Lessons Learned” topic I covered several months ago (see the post here). I’d like to address some of the readers’ comments from that post, and add some observations which have occurred to me since then. I will be discussing these thoughts in tandem with ideas from…