Tag Archives: history

From Battlefields to Oilfields

Posted on January 23, 2026 by Allen Mesch

Description From the discovery of oil at the Drake well in Titusville in 1859 to Ida Tarbell’s 1909 article about how Northern women “met the experience of war,” there has been a connection between the American oil and gas industry … Continue reading →

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Viewing Recommendations

Posted on January 12, 2026 by Allen Mesch

I recommend two new movies that are based on past events, but are as relevant today as they were then. The first is Nuremberg. It describes events during the 1940s trials of the chief Nazi war criminals. Nuremberg is a … Continue reading →

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Day of the Dead (Dia de Muertos) – La Catrina

Posted on December 11, 2025 by Allen Mesch

History of La Catrina La Catrina is a universal character associated with Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos), in Mexico and around the world. La Calavera Catrina (“The Dapper [female] Skull”) first appeared around 1910-1912 as a zinc etching … Continue reading →

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Succession? Seriously?

Posted on January 13, 2025 by Allen Mesch

Some Texans are talking about seceding. It is unlikely that the United States government would let Texas steal quietly away. It didn’t happen in 1861, so it’s unlikely that the separation would be viewed cordially. Before considering what Texas would … Continue reading →

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Death of Sitting Bull

Posted on December 16, 2024 by Allen Mesch

On December 15, 1890, Hunkpapa Lakota Chief Sitting Bull and eleven other tribe members were killed in Grand River, South Dakota, during a confrontation with Indian agency police. Sitting Bull (1831–1837) was a Hunkpapa Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against United … Continue reading →

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Abraham Lincoln on Elections

Posted on October 1, 2024 by Allen Mesch

On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln said that elections were like “‘big boils’ – they caused a great deal of pain before they came to a head, but after the trouble was over the body was in better health than … Continue reading →

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Fort York, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Posted on September 17, 2024 by Allen Mesch

Fort York is an early 19th-century military fortification in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was used to garrison British and Canadian soldiers and defend the Toronto Harbor entrance. The fort contains stone-lined earthwork walls and eight historical buildings, including two blockhouses. It is part of Fort … Continue reading →

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Pentagon Reviewing Medals of Honor for Wounded Knee

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Allen Mesch

The Wounded Knee Massacre, also known as the Battle of Wounded Knee, occurred on December 29, 1890, near Wounded Knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. It was the deadliest mass shooting in American history, … Continue reading →

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