History lessons is a grouping of historical stories and tidbits. The topics range from the American Civil War through interesting items from around the world. Please use the comments area to ask questions and make suggestions for future topics.
Last month, the anniversary of 9/11 was marked throughout the U.S. with prayers, speeches, memorials – and nearly 3,000 American flags planted on a sloping campus lawn in California. Pepperdine University in Malibu first installed the emotional display in 2007 after a student suggested the idea of honoring an alumnus who had died on Flight… continue
The odds are in your favor that the State of Nevada, home of gambling, will change its official flag. After all, it has done so repeatedly. When President Lincoln signed the document accepting the state into the Union 150 years ago, Nevadans came in waving nothing. As noted on its website, “the Legislature did not… continue
Two weeks ago, a brand-new flag ceremony occurred in Washington, D.C. To salute firefighters who have given their lives to save others, American flags waved from the dome of the U.S. Capitol. The banners marked the loss of nearly 100 heroes in 2013. Another nine were raised to honor, symbolically, those who had died in… continue
From baseball games to symphonic concerts, everyone in the U.S. has heard someone sing or play the National Anthem to honor the American flag. Very few, however, have seen “The Star-Spangled Banner” in pantomime. But a book exists that could change that. At one time, it was a bible for acting out Francis Scott Key’s… continue
The most famous three-part name linked to “The Star-Spangled Banner” is, of course, Francis Scott Key. In this bicentennial year of the composition of his ode to the American flag, it’s good to recall another name: Elsie Jorss Reilley, whose musical talent helped the poem become the National Anthem. From 1814 until 1931, when Congress… continue