The ancient Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia in mid-February, usually from the 13th-15th, in an effort to avert evil spirits and purify the city. The celebration started in a cave known as Lupercal where, tradition said, Roman founders Romulus and Remus were nursed by she-wolf Lupa. Inside the cave lay an altar, where drunk, … Continue reading Blood, Whipping, and Chaucer: The Truth Behind St. Valentine’s Day
history
Black Sunday
April 14, 1935. Palm Sunday. The start of the holiest week of the year for Christians in Boise City, Oklahoma and all around the world. Dresses and suits were pulled from the closet and wiped free of dust, although years of drought and poverty had left most with frayed cuffs and thin fabric. But it … Continue reading Black Sunday
The Beginning of a Dream
"I have a dream." Perhaps one of the most famous lines in all of American history. On August 28, 1963, a mere 5 years before his death, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered these words on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, painting … Continue reading The Beginning of a Dream
A Wonderful, Awful Idea
"Why for 53 years I've put up with it now!" So laments the Grinch, the titular character of Dr. Seuss's holiday masterpiece How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The book was an instant classic when it was released in 1957, the same year its author turned...53. It's not a coincidence. Yes, fans of the lovable, silly, … Continue reading A Wonderful, Awful Idea
The Propaganda Experiment
By 1935, the Plains were in shambles. The crops were withering, the dust was swirling, and the drought showed no signs of slowing. Thousands of people were suffering in poverty, dying from from too much dust or not enough food. The war with Mother Nature was inherently lopsided, and the residents of the Dust Bowl … Continue reading The Propaganda Experiment
A World of Country to Settle
In the early 1820's, Stephen F. Austin led a group of approximately 300 families to an area that is now modern-day Texas. By 1836, after several bloody skirmishes, including the famous battle at the Alamo, the land had broken free from Mexican oppression, becoming the newly formed Republic of Texas. At the time, the countryside … Continue reading A World of Country to Settle
“This rusty car creaking along the highway to the west…”
In 1935, facing mounting pressure from Congress about the "Dust Bowl" problem, and thanks in part to Hugh Bennett's passionate plea to save the Plains, President Roosevelt created the Resettlement Administration. The main purpose of this entity was to give a buy-out, about seven hundred dollars per family, for people affected by the drought and … Continue reading “This rusty car creaking along the highway to the west…”
The Winged Plague
A black cloud on the horizon races towards your homestead. In the life of an Oklahoma farmer during the Dust Bowl, this was not an unusual sight. You'd herd what livestock remained into the barn and gather your family inside your house, stuffing wet sheets into the cracks to keep out the incoming dust. Then, … Continue reading The Winged Plague
#ShareYourRejections, Oz Style
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. To me, the title alone stirs up images from my childhood, curled in bed as my mother made the story come alive or hiding my face behind the pillow every single time Margaret Hamilton's neon face came on screen during the classic film adaption. It's a tale universally known by … Continue reading #ShareYourRejections, Oz Style
The Man Who Saved The Plains
In the 1930s, as drought and dust ravaged the Great Plains, many came forward with solutions to the "Dust Bowl" problem. New Jersey's Barber Asphalt Company offered to pave over the area for a bargain price of just $5 an acre...for the entire 100 million acres. Similarly, a Pittsburgh steel manufacturer suggested installing some of … Continue reading The Man Who Saved The Plains
