Many people who would like religion taught in public schools often cite the fact that the First Amendment does not actually use the words “separation of church… Read more “The Jefferson Bible”

Papal trivia: Although the last Pope named John was number XXIII (23), there have actually only been 21 Popes named John. John XVI (16) was an antipope… Read more “Historical Counting Errors, Popes and Kings”

Everyone knows that Francis Scott key wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner.” It was on September 14, 1814, to be exact, during the War of 1812 while awaiting the… Read more “A History of the “Star-Spangled Banner””

I’ve written original musical arrangements of three traditional ballads, “Greensleeves,” “Scarborough Fair,” and “Auld Lang Syne.” Those scores, if you’re interested, may be found by clicking on… Read more “A BRIEF HISTORY OF THREE TRADITIONAL ENGLISH BALLADS”

The world didn’t end with the first millennium, and alas for my readers, neither did this blog entry. The second thousand years are easier than the first,… Read more “HISTORY IN PERSPECTIVE, PART II”

I like to put history in perspective for folks, just to show who lived when. Therefore, I thought it might be interesting to create an unbroken line… Read more “HISTORY IN PERSPECTIVE, PART I”

In a previous blog I posted a composite picture of what Jack the Ripper might have looked like, based on witness descriptions. Society has a morbid interest… Read more “I STILL DON’T KNOW JACK, BUT I KNOW ABOUT PEOPLE WHO DID”

Those of you who know me know that I have a bit of an obsession with figuring out who Jack the Ripper was. Everyone has heard of… Read more “I Don’t Know Jack (But I Know What He Looked Like)”

This column was originally printed on February 15, 1999, in the UNI Library’s newsletter Rod & Staff. (See, the real name of the library is the Rod… Read more “History Stuff”