Some of the greatest conversations I had on the Hour of History Podcast were about the Camino de Santiago. I walked the Camino Ingles in 2018 and look forward to someday returning to Spain to walk additional routes. If you are curious about the Way of St. James, there are tons and tons of resources.… Continue reading The Camino de Santiago
Tag: History
To Cook a Bear
I recently read the outstanding novel, To Cook a Bear, written by Mikael Niemi. It is more brutal and gruesome than the books I typically read, but it blends detective mystery around Lars Levi Laestadius, a revivalist pastor leading a movement in the arctic circle in the 1850s. It involved the Sami people who have… Continue reading To Cook a Bear
John Locke’s Pancakes
As we get closer to the beginning of a new school year I will share some of the resources that I have used to make interesting classes in the past. I will start with the recipe for pancakes written by John Locke. This was collected by Dr. Keith Korcz at the University of Louisiana, who… Continue reading John Locke’s Pancakes
Archival Images
This year is five years since I got my second masters degree. It makes seven since I started graduate studies. In that time I have been to archives in multiple countries, several states, and a number of different institutions. Some archives resulted in hundreds of photos that I have kept and categorized for future research.… Continue reading Archival Images
The End of Old Shanghai
In my conversation with James Carter, we talked about his new book Champions Day: The End of Old Shanghai. It was nice to have a historian of China on the Hour of History Podcast and interesting to learn about China in the 1930s. The Shanghai International Settlement is a fascinating example of twentieth century empire… Continue reading The End of Old Shanghai
El Chino de la Charada
One of my smaller projects was the Hour of History Cities Podcast. I recorded short informational lectures based on items that defined important cities in the world. The most popular, it seems, is my discussion of El Chino de la Charada in Havana. There are some cool sources on this out there, but I haven’t… Continue reading El Chino de la Charada
St. Patrick’s Day
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! The first ever Hour of History episode was an experimental conversation about the origins and history of the patron saint of Ireland, who is the inspiration for the celebrations that take place all around the world on March 17. We came a long way from that first episode, and re-released it… Continue reading St. Patrick’s Day
A Book and a Backpack
I have written frequently in the past about books I’ve read and places to which I’ve traveled. In my upcoming posts, I will recount some of my favorite places and the books that accompanied me on my travels. This won’t be limited to places that I’ve been, but will also highlight places that I’d like… Continue reading A Book and a Backpack
“The Dig” and Sutton Hoo
Just watched “The Dig” on Netflix and it reminded me of a fun conversation I had with Dr. Courtnay Konshuh on the Hour of History Podcast. We talked about Anglo-Saxons and where archaeology meets history and art. I still haven’t read Beowulf, but I will someday!
Teaching the First Opium War
Growing up, I was a huge fan of James Clavell’s novel Tai-Pan. Although the novel might be a little outdated today, it serves as an excellent fictional introduction to the British perspective of the Opium Wars. When I teach the Opium Wars now, I use the Opium Wars essay written for MIT’s Visualizing Cultures series.… Continue reading Teaching the First Opium War