Tag: history

  • Learning About Russia

    The Russian-initiated war in Ukraine is continuing into its second year, and it’s hard to believe not only the harsh and cruel realities of that conflict which are ongoing, but also the dismal prospects for both regional and global peace at this point in human history. (March 2023) It’s a good time for all of…

  • Fred’s Resurrected Interview

    It’s Spring Break for me this week, and I’m working on FINALLY finishing the “Pocket Share Jesus” book I’ve been working on VERY infrequently since 2010. As I was proofreading the “Audio Interviews” chapter today, I realized several audio recordings were missing from the “Family Oral History” page of our “Learning Signs” family learning blog.…

  • Podcast477: Remembering Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane in Deadwood, South Dakota

    Welcome to a special episode of “Moving at the Speed of Creativity,” recorded from the Mt Moriah cemetery in Deadwood, South Dakota on June 26, 2021. Members of our family went on the “Boot Hill Tours Historical Tour of Deadwood,” and I audio recorded the culminating portion at the graveside of both Wild Bill Hickock…

  • Political Philosophy and Media Literacy Cornerstones

    Propaganda and disinformation can have real, destructive effects in society and government. That is one of many lessons we can draw from the past week in Washington D.C., when we saw large numbers of protesters storm the United States Capitol building on January 6, 2021, in a riot which resulted in deaths, injuries, as well…

  • Reflections on Comancheria, Identity and Frontier Terrorism

    I never thought much about my own family bloodlines and ancestry until we moved to Oklahoma in 2006. As I got to know teachers and school staff members in my role (at the time) working as an “education advocate” for AT&T, I learned that all public schools in Oklahoma have “Indian Education” programs and students…

  • Learning About Early Pottawatomie County, Kansas History

    Today I had an opportunity to share several presentations at the Kaw Valley Academy of Technology and Education (KVATE) in St. Marys, Kansas, 30 minutes from Manhattan where I grew up and my parents live. On the way back, I saw a sign just west of Belview for an Oregon Trail historical marker. Often when I’m…

  • Lessons Gleaned from the Life of Joseph Priestley

    Tremendous benefits await those who generously share their ideas with others. Leaders should not shy away from the challenges of developing professional expertise in multiple domains. Regular collaboration and networking over excellent food and drink can prepare the mind as a fertile field for the cultivation of life-changing thoughts. New technologies can present novel opportunities…

  • Lessons Learned using Storycorps iPhone App for Family Oral History Interviews

    Today I interviewed my mom and my dad about some of their life experiences using the free Storycorps iPhone app. Our son used the app last fall during his Boy Scout Eagle Project, which involved interviewing local senior citizens about their lives. Alex didn’t have any problems with the app for the interviews he and…

  • Podcast426: Civil War History at Harpers Ferry

    This podcast features an audio recording of a presentation by U.S. Park Ranger Creighton Waters on July 1, 2015, at the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Creighton mainly tells the story of the brief capture of Harpers Ferry in 1862 by Confederate forces led by General Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson. 12,419 Federal troops surrendered to Jackson, which made this…

  • Spinning a Revised History of Genghis Khan with Media and Exhibits

    Shelly, Rachel and I are in Philadelphia for several days attending the ISTE Conference, and spent a couple hours this evening exploring the new Genghis Khan exhibit at the Franklin Institute. I was especially keen to experience this exhibit since I  downloaded and listened to most of Dan Carlin’s enthralling “Wrath of the Khans” series on…