Hello my friends,
Once again I have to apologize. This last month and a half has been insane. I have been working non-stop, trying to get the house ready for winter, yard work and planning a trip to Tucson. Anyway, please bear with me. I'll be trying to post more regularly soon. Thanks again.
Blue Skies,
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Duck March
Hello all. I thought I would post something tonight a little on the light-hearted side today. I was at work last night, and one of my co-workers handed me a pen that was labeld "The Peabody". I instantly thought of another bit of useless/random trivia, and I decided to share it with you.
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| Duck March circa 1940 |
The Duck March tradition began at the Peabody Memphis. In 1933, the General Manager Frank Schutt, and a friend returned from a weekend hunting trip. The two gentlemen had a little too much of Jack Daniel's finest and thought it would be funny to place some of their live decoys (it was legal then to use live animals as decoys) in the fountain. As the legend has it, patrons of the hotel thought it was a nice addition. So, Schutt decided to use three English call ducks as "guinea pigs" to see if it would interest his guests. The ducks reception was nothing less than enthusiastic.
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| Duck palace |
Eventually 5 American Mallards would replace the English ducks and the tradtion was born. In 1940, a bellman named Edward Pembroke, who coincidentally was a former circus trainter, offered to help deliver the ducks to and from the fountain each day. He was the man who taught them the now famous Peabody Duck March. Mr. Pembroke was the Duckmaster for 50 years, until his retirement in 1991. The Duck March is still a tradition at the Peabody, the current Duckmaster is Jason Sensat, who will march the ducks to the fountain everyday at 11AM, and then march them back to the Duck Palace at 5PM.
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| Edward Pembroke, the original Duckmaster |
I have to admit, I wish there were more hotels that had tradtions like that. I mean, how many hotels are still some things the way they did in the 1940's? I'll try to get back to the world-changing history soon, but I couldn't pass the opportunity to share this with you.
Blue Skies!
Hey Kaitlynn, show this one to Grandma!
Monday, October 11, 2010
9/11
Greetings to you all. Let me first apologize for the long hiatus I had to take. This last week was insanity. This post is going to be more of a rant than a lesson, but I think you will understand why I was upset. As many of you know, I work 2 jobs. My main job as a Department Manager for Menards, and as a crew member at A.C.E.S. flight simulation (clearly my favorite).
Well, over the weekend I was working at A.C.E.S. What we do there is give people a great experience by running a flight simulation for them. This past weekend, I had a group of kids who wanted to fly the F/A-18 Hornets. We got them in and they were on their way to dogfighting history. As their flight progressed and they flew farther away, one of the pilots came on a city. He then rammed his aircraft into a building (deliberately) and was screaming "Twin Towers! Ahhhhh!" All the while laughing maniacally. What the hell have we been teaching our kids that a horrific tradgedy like the events of 9/11 would be comical. Do these children understand that nearly 4000 American men and women were murdered in a completely unprovoked attack on OUR SOIL?
I was so angry. I understand that they are there to have fun, but was that really necessary? So for all of you out there, never forget 9/11! It was a tragic day in our history not to be forgotten, and certainly not one to find comical. Sorry about the rant, I'll have a new history lesson soon.
Well, over the weekend I was working at A.C.E.S. What we do there is give people a great experience by running a flight simulation for them. This past weekend, I had a group of kids who wanted to fly the F/A-18 Hornets. We got them in and they were on their way to dogfighting history. As their flight progressed and they flew farther away, one of the pilots came on a city. He then rammed his aircraft into a building (deliberately) and was screaming "Twin Towers! Ahhhhh!" All the while laughing maniacally. What the hell have we been teaching our kids that a horrific tradgedy like the events of 9/11 would be comical. Do these children understand that nearly 4000 American men and women were murdered in a completely unprovoked attack on OUR SOIL?
I was so angry. I understand that they are there to have fun, but was that really necessary? So for all of you out there, never forget 9/11! It was a tragic day in our history not to be forgotten, and certainly not one to find comical. Sorry about the rant, I'll have a new history lesson soon.
Friday, October 1, 2010
A New Direction...
Hello all.
I have to apologize to my readers for not posting much so far. I have been so bogged down with work, house projects that I haven't had time to get a new lesson planned for you. I am going to switch gears this week, and we'll be jumping ahead a bit. To WWII. I haven't decided where we'll begin, but maybe Guadalcanal. So, please bear with me. I'll get more for you soon. Thanks!
Blue Skies
I have to apologize to my readers for not posting much so far. I have been so bogged down with work, house projects that I haven't had time to get a new lesson planned for you. I am going to switch gears this week, and we'll be jumping ahead a bit. To WWII. I haven't decided where we'll begin, but maybe Guadalcanal. So, please bear with me. I'll get more for you soon. Thanks!
Blue Skies
Monday, September 27, 2010
General Thomas Jackson
I decided that I would continue with the Civil War theme. And, I've also decided that posting everyday is going to be darn near impossible for me right now. Many people have heard of General Jackson, but don't know much more than his nickname. Thomas Jackson began his military career at the US Military Academy at West Point. His early schooling did not adequately prepare him for the rigorous academic program he would face there. Jackson began his pursuit of a commission at the bottom of his class. His fierce and gritty determination to succeed would help him in his rise through the academic ranks, when he would utimately graduate 17th in his class. (1846). Upon accepting his commission (2nd LT) he was assigned to the 1st US Artillery Regiment and would see action in the Mexican-American War. During his time in Mexico, he would meet Robert E. Lee, and begin to earn his reputation as a very difficult man to push off the battlefield.
After the Mexican American War, Jackson would take a post teaching Natural and Experimental Philosophy, and would also be an Artillery Instructor. As great and revered a commander he would eventually become, he was not well liked by his students. He was considered a droning pedagogue who memorized his lectures and then recited them back to his class. Questions would be answered word for word as they were recited. Questions asked again would result in discipline for insubordination. Long before his "stonewall" nickname, he was dubbed "Fool Tom" by his students.
In November of 1859, at the request of the Governor of Virginia, a contingent of the VMI Cadet Corps was sent to Charlestown to provide an extra military presence at the hanging of militant abolishonist John Brown. After the Raid on the Harper's Ferry Aresenal, Major Jackso was placed in command of the Artillery consisting of 2 Howitzers and 21 Cadets. On April 27th, 1861 the Governor ordered Col. Jackson to take command at Harpers Ferry. He took control of the Brigade consisting of the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 27th, and 33rd, Virginia Regiments. Promoted to Brigadier General in June of 1861, he would lead his brigade at the first Battle of Manassas. As the Confederate Lines began to crumble, Jackson's brigade provided crucial reinforcements on Henry House Hill. Demonstrating great discipline, General Bernard Bee exhorted his own men by shouting: "There is Jackson standing there like a stonewall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer. Rally behind the Virginians!"
After the First battle of Manassas, Jackson would be promoted to Major General. He and his brigade would gain the familiar nickname, "Stonewall". After a very rocky Valley campaign, including the Seven Days battles, Jackson's brigade would participate in several engagements before he would make his most famous success. The battle of Chancellorsville would be a remarkable success for Jackson, and the end of his life. While grossly outnumbered in the Wilderness, Jackson took his entire corps on a wide flanking movement south and west of the Union Army. His mission was to find the rear, and right flank of the Union army. It was a gamble. He left General Lee with only 14,000 men to defend against nearly 55,000 men. The ruse worked, Jackson found the extreme right and rear of Hookers Army lightly defended by only 2 cannon.
Jackson would charge sweeping through the rear eschelons of Hookers Army. He would rout one entire corps of the Army of the Potomac, and it was a great victory. Darkness came, and as he was heading back to his headquarters, he and his staff were attacked by his own men who thought they were Yankee calvary. Jackson was shot 3 times, twice in the left arm, and once in the right hand. He would lose his left arm, and though his wounds would heal, he died of pneumonia. General Lee, could not see him, he sent a message to him via his Chaplain: "Give General Jackson my affectionate regards, and say to him: he has lost his left arm but I my right. "Give General Jackson my affectionate regards, and say to him: he has lost his left arm but I my right."
General Jackson was a hero in his own right. Not always the most effective commander, but his great discipline would allow him to win many battles. His tactics are still taught at VMI today. General Jackson would be revered as much as General Robert E. Lee. Just a little over a month after his death, The Confederate forces would be very badly damaged at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Whew, that was a long one again.
Blue Skies!
After the Mexican American War, Jackson would take a post teaching Natural and Experimental Philosophy, and would also be an Artillery Instructor. As great and revered a commander he would eventually become, he was not well liked by his students. He was considered a droning pedagogue who memorized his lectures and then recited them back to his class. Questions would be answered word for word as they were recited. Questions asked again would result in discipline for insubordination. Long before his "stonewall" nickname, he was dubbed "Fool Tom" by his students.
In November of 1859, at the request of the Governor of Virginia, a contingent of the VMI Cadet Corps was sent to Charlestown to provide an extra military presence at the hanging of militant abolishonist John Brown. After the Raid on the Harper's Ferry Aresenal, Major Jackso was placed in command of the Artillery consisting of 2 Howitzers and 21 Cadets. On April 27th, 1861 the Governor ordered Col. Jackson to take command at Harpers Ferry. He took control of the Brigade consisting of the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 27th, and 33rd, Virginia Regiments. Promoted to Brigadier General in June of 1861, he would lead his brigade at the first Battle of Manassas. As the Confederate Lines began to crumble, Jackson's brigade provided crucial reinforcements on Henry House Hill. Demonstrating great discipline, General Bernard Bee exhorted his own men by shouting: "There is Jackson standing there like a stonewall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer. Rally behind the Virginians!"
After the First battle of Manassas, Jackson would be promoted to Major General. He and his brigade would gain the familiar nickname, "Stonewall". After a very rocky Valley campaign, including the Seven Days battles, Jackson's brigade would participate in several engagements before he would make his most famous success. The battle of Chancellorsville would be a remarkable success for Jackson, and the end of his life. While grossly outnumbered in the Wilderness, Jackson took his entire corps on a wide flanking movement south and west of the Union Army. His mission was to find the rear, and right flank of the Union army. It was a gamble. He left General Lee with only 14,000 men to defend against nearly 55,000 men. The ruse worked, Jackson found the extreme right and rear of Hookers Army lightly defended by only 2 cannon.
Jackson would charge sweeping through the rear eschelons of Hookers Army. He would rout one entire corps of the Army of the Potomac, and it was a great victory. Darkness came, and as he was heading back to his headquarters, he and his staff were attacked by his own men who thought they were Yankee calvary. Jackson was shot 3 times, twice in the left arm, and once in the right hand. He would lose his left arm, and though his wounds would heal, he died of pneumonia. General Lee, could not see him, he sent a message to him via his Chaplain: "Give General Jackson my affectionate regards, and say to him: he has lost his left arm but I my right. "Give General Jackson my affectionate regards, and say to him: he has lost his left arm but I my right."
General Jackson was a hero in his own right. Not always the most effective commander, but his great discipline would allow him to win many battles. His tactics are still taught at VMI today. General Jackson would be revered as much as General Robert E. Lee. Just a little over a month after his death, The Confederate forces would be very badly damaged at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Whew, that was a long one again.
Blue Skies!
Friday, September 24, 2010
The War for Southern Independence?
So after I took a look back at some of my old history text books, I decided to begin with a posting on the Civil War. What ultimately made my decision was this: One chapter of 23 pages was dedicated to a conflict that lasted 5 years. Wow, it's amazing I learned anything at all. The question I ask, what was the Civil War about?
We begin in the summer of 1860. State governments are much more powerful than they are today. Each state had more pull with their citizens, almost as though each were a sovereign nation. With the abolitionist movement gaining strength throughout the North, it slowly began making it's way into Congress and the Senate. As the representatives of the northern states began pressuring the South to abolish slavery, many of the southern states began to resent the Federal Government. Finally, it came to a boiling point in December of 1860.
On the 20th of December, 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union. They would not be the last. As the Southern states began to secede, it threatened to destabilize the entire country. The War Department began to raise an army to quell the "Rebel" threat. Just days before the secession of the State of Virginia, Colonel Robert E. Lee of the Union Army was offered command of the entire Union Army. Col. Lee stated he could not raise his sword against his home. He then left the meeting, and the day that Virginia seceded from the Union, Lee took control of the Army of Northern Virginia. (There's more to this story, and I'll hit that in a later post spotlighting Lee).
Why did South Carolina secede? They, like many other southerners felt they were being oppressed by the northern government. An analogy that General George Pickett liked to use was: "Let's say we were all members of a Gentleman's club. And after some time, other members begain to intrude in our private lives. Wouldn't we have a right to resign? I mean, just resign?" I think that's really how they felt. They wanted the freedom to live their lives the way they wanted to. Now I would never presume to think their reasons were anything less than genuine, but, how could they want freedom from what they considered a tyrannical power, when they would deny the slaves that same freedom?
This War began as a war of secession, preservation of the Union, but became a war about slavery too. The common misconception of this war was simply that it began because of the Emancipation Proclimation. Well, that's not accurate. The Emancipation Proclimation was delivered in 2 parts. The first, Sept. 22, 1862, and the second naming 10 specific Confederate staes was delivered on Jan. 1, 1863. (I'll cover this in more detail later). The Attack on Fort Sumter (The "official" beginning of the war) was April 10, 1861. The War would last another 4 years before attrition would end the South's fight for freedom. Slavery, however, wasn't made illegal until December of 1865.
Now, this posting was about how the war started, and what it was about. Clearly there is much more to this war. I will be getting better at this blogging thing, and if you feel I left something out, (Which I did in this...cause let's be serious, its a 5 year conflict...) please let me know. I'll be spotlighting major players in the war, battles, and other topics. If there is something specific you'd like me to discuss, please let me know.
Blue Skies!
We begin in the summer of 1860. State governments are much more powerful than they are today. Each state had more pull with their citizens, almost as though each were a sovereign nation. With the abolitionist movement gaining strength throughout the North, it slowly began making it's way into Congress and the Senate. As the representatives of the northern states began pressuring the South to abolish slavery, many of the southern states began to resent the Federal Government. Finally, it came to a boiling point in December of 1860.
On the 20th of December, 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union. They would not be the last. As the Southern states began to secede, it threatened to destabilize the entire country. The War Department began to raise an army to quell the "Rebel" threat. Just days before the secession of the State of Virginia, Colonel Robert E. Lee of the Union Army was offered command of the entire Union Army. Col. Lee stated he could not raise his sword against his home. He then left the meeting, and the day that Virginia seceded from the Union, Lee took control of the Army of Northern Virginia. (There's more to this story, and I'll hit that in a later post spotlighting Lee).
Why did South Carolina secede? They, like many other southerners felt they were being oppressed by the northern government. An analogy that General George Pickett liked to use was: "Let's say we were all members of a Gentleman's club. And after some time, other members begain to intrude in our private lives. Wouldn't we have a right to resign? I mean, just resign?" I think that's really how they felt. They wanted the freedom to live their lives the way they wanted to. Now I would never presume to think their reasons were anything less than genuine, but, how could they want freedom from what they considered a tyrannical power, when they would deny the slaves that same freedom?
This War began as a war of secession, preservation of the Union, but became a war about slavery too. The common misconception of this war was simply that it began because of the Emancipation Proclimation. Well, that's not accurate. The Emancipation Proclimation was delivered in 2 parts. The first, Sept. 22, 1862, and the second naming 10 specific Confederate staes was delivered on Jan. 1, 1863. (I'll cover this in more detail later). The Attack on Fort Sumter (The "official" beginning of the war) was April 10, 1861. The War would last another 4 years before attrition would end the South's fight for freedom. Slavery, however, wasn't made illegal until December of 1865.
Now, this posting was about how the war started, and what it was about. Clearly there is much more to this war. I will be getting better at this blogging thing, and if you feel I left something out, (Which I did in this...cause let's be serious, its a 5 year conflict...) please let me know. I'll be spotlighting major players in the war, battles, and other topics. If there is something specific you'd like me to discuss, please let me know.
Blue Skies!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
The Beginning...
Hello all.
My name is Rob. The handle that I use "Annoyed Historian" is, I think, fairly accurate. Recently, I have been droning on about history (so my friends say). It's not just about history. It's about the lack of knowledge of the past that seems to have infected our school system, and the young people of our great nation. The story of how this blog came to be is not very long, though it covers a long time span. Several months ago, I was having a conversation with a co-worker. The subject of WWII in the Pacific came up. I had mentioned that General MacArthur refused to leave Corregidor in the Phillippene Islands. His response was: "Who?"
I was floored. "General Douglas MacArthur? Supreme Commander Allied Forces Southwest Pacific Ocean Areas?" (Okay, that was a long title not needed, but I was trying to make a point). Now I realize that MacA wasn't as well known as say FDR, but REALLY!? So I asked, if he knew who commanded the confederate forces at the Battle of Gettysburg, and to my shock and horror, he had no idea. What are these young people being taught in school? How can they not teach the major players in the Civil War, WWI, WWII? So, back to the story. I began regailing the tale to many of my friends (My age). After several angry tirades, and much complaining, my friends had had enough.
"Rob, shut up. Seriously. We get it. If you want to bitch, write a blog. We don't care anymore."
So here I am. I will be writing everyday...hopefully. With the hope that some young people may find this blog to be informative and informational...well, maybe at the very least entertaining. I will be posting on anything and everything. I will attempt to spotlight certain historical figures, Generals, Presidents, Heroes, and other great Americans who have had a profound impact upon our Country's development. If you have any topics you would like discussed, please comment, and I will do what I can. So, with that I leave you with a quote that I have heard several times, though I have no idea who said it...(yeah, I am a bit annoyed about that too).
"Those who do not learn the lessons of history, are doomed to repeat them".
Please comment with any suggestions.
P.S. Thanks Kristi...
My name is Rob. The handle that I use "Annoyed Historian" is, I think, fairly accurate. Recently, I have been droning on about history (so my friends say). It's not just about history. It's about the lack of knowledge of the past that seems to have infected our school system, and the young people of our great nation. The story of how this blog came to be is not very long, though it covers a long time span. Several months ago, I was having a conversation with a co-worker. The subject of WWII in the Pacific came up. I had mentioned that General MacArthur refused to leave Corregidor in the Phillippene Islands. His response was: "Who?"
I was floored. "General Douglas MacArthur? Supreme Commander Allied Forces Southwest Pacific Ocean Areas?" (Okay, that was a long title not needed, but I was trying to make a point). Now I realize that MacA wasn't as well known as say FDR, but REALLY!? So I asked, if he knew who commanded the confederate forces at the Battle of Gettysburg, and to my shock and horror, he had no idea. What are these young people being taught in school? How can they not teach the major players in the Civil War, WWI, WWII? So, back to the story. I began regailing the tale to many of my friends (My age). After several angry tirades, and much complaining, my friends had had enough.
"Rob, shut up. Seriously. We get it. If you want to bitch, write a blog. We don't care anymore."
So here I am. I will be writing everyday...hopefully. With the hope that some young people may find this blog to be informative and informational...well, maybe at the very least entertaining. I will be posting on anything and everything. I will attempt to spotlight certain historical figures, Generals, Presidents, Heroes, and other great Americans who have had a profound impact upon our Country's development. If you have any topics you would like discussed, please comment, and I will do what I can. So, with that I leave you with a quote that I have heard several times, though I have no idea who said it...(yeah, I am a bit annoyed about that too).
"Those who do not learn the lessons of history, are doomed to repeat them".
Please comment with any suggestions.
P.S. Thanks Kristi...
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