First Impressions

When I was younger, and I suppose even now, I loved princesses. My favorite princess was surprisingly not a Disney heroine. Forget Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Belle - the whole lot of them! I loved to watch the Royal Diaries movies from our library. These three movies told the stories of Elizabeth 1 of England, Cleopatra, and Isabel of Spain. Isabel was my favorite, hands down. She was SO cool! 

Awesome clothes, a great prince, etc etc etc. When I first read about her in history, she became 10 points cooler because she allowed Columbus to discover America. So far as princesses and queens went, she was definitely tops.

And then I read Lysbeth: A Tale of the Dutch by H. Rider Haggard. And I found out the truth.

Today is the anniversary of my former favorite's marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon. The awesome prince in the movie. The cruel Catholic Monarch in real life. Through the Spanish Inquisition, Ferdinand and Isabella saw to the burning of thousands of Christians in order to purify their country. Catholicism and Catholicism alone would be the religion of Spain if they had their say. The torture methods used on the Christians of Spain were indescribably terrible. I remember crying as I read some of the stories in a history book I checked out at the library. 

My first impressions were wrong. 

How many other times have I been wrong in my first impression? More times than I could count. It's important to search out a matter before coming to conclusions, whether it's judging people you've just met or hearing stories about old friends. Searching things out really applies to a lot in life. Sometimes it's what's beyond the surface that makes all the difference.

Hooray for History!!!

Today is the anniversary of one of my favorite stories in all history. I do kinda have a lot of favorites, but this is near the top of my favorites list. :)

A lot of people I talk to have never heard of Sergeant Alvin York. Maybe you never heard of him yourself. But his is a story that I would highly recommend.

I was first introduced to Sergeant York through the old black and white film, which I love. Because his story interested me so much, I got the book that includes York's journal.

Al York was a crack shot, but he had a drinking problem. He wasn't really a great guy, to tell the truth. But then he got saved. It made all the difference in the world. Getting his life cleaned up and serving in church, he really had become a new creature.

Not too long after York accepted Christ he was drafted to fight in World War One. Because he was intent on following Christ and knew that killing was against the Bible, York appealed the draft. After a denial, he went to training camp.

Long story short (because I'm a bit busy with Florida life), York found that sometimes the only way to prevent killing was to kill. When most of his troop was wiped out in France, he almost single-handedly captured 132 German soldiers. I can't even tell you how incredible the story is. Of course, the movie makes it even more incredible than it really was. Movies tend to do that.

Anyhow, if you're not familiar with Sergeant York, you should read the book and watch the movie! They're both pretty good. =)

Some Magic and a Dam

Today is the birthday of Mozart's The Magic Flute. It was one of the last operas that Mozart composed and was first played on September 30, 1791. Here is the Magic Flute Overture, which I happen to really really like: =D



September 30, 1935 was the dedication of the Hoover Dam.

This Dam took about five years to construct and 112 deaths occurred related to the building of the dam. There were 112 deaths associated with the construction of the dam. Included in that total was J. G. Tierney, a surveyor who drowned on December 20, 1922 while looking for an ideal spot for the dam. He is generally considered to be the first man to die in the construction of Hoover Dam. His son, Patrick W. Tierney, was the last man to die working on the dam's construction, 13 years to the day later. There was also a 5 day period where 14 deaths occurred due to a heat wave.

In spite of the death toll of those who helped to build the Hoover Dam, this giant structure has performed it's duty well for over 70 years. There are controversies surrounding the dam, however, and it has had a negative impact on the Colorado River Delta and on several species of animals who had been dependent on the yearly flooding that the dam stopped.

Messing Around With Some Pics

Hey, everybody! Friday night a friend of my family's had a fifties themed birthday party. It was so much fun to get dressed up for it, and I decided to try for an old hairstyle, too. I'm afraid my hair was a little more 40's than 50's, but I'm not 100% sure. I had a bazillion bobby pins in my "bangs" because I had a *lot* of hair to roll up. Okay, maybe not all that much, but compared to just curling some bangs under it was a lot. Here are a couple of the pictures I took:

Here I am at 18 and a half years old and wearing lipstick for the first time. Maybe the last time, too. =)

For Us History People

I don't have time to do a whole post on this topic, but it's interesting enough that I thought I should at least mention it.

Twenty-seven years ago today was the biggest prison escape in British history. Thirty-eight prisoners escaped from H Block 7 of the Maze prison. One of the guards died of a heart attack due to the massive escape and twenty others were injured by the escapees.

Over half of the men were recaptured within the week. You can read the whole story here.

The H-blocks of the Maze Prison:

Keeper of Promises

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Know what this is? It's a promise straight from Heaven. A promise made many years ago. A promise that is still being kept. God promised to bless those who bless His people and to curse those who curse His people.

On September 15, 1935, German Jews were deprived of citizenship in Nazi Germany when the Nuremberg Laws were enacted. At the same time, Germany's flag was changed to the "black spider" which symbolized cruelty and terror to many who saw it.

From Wikipedia:

On the evening of September 15, 1935, two measures were announced to the Reichstag at the annual Party Rally in Nuremberg, becoming known as the Nuremberg Laws.
The first law, The Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honour, prohibited marriages [...] between "Jews" (the name was now officially used in place of "non-Aryans") and "Germans" and also the employment of "German" females under forty-five in Jewish households. The second law, The Reich Citizenship Law, declared those not of German blood to be Staatsangehöriege (state subjects) while those classified as "Aryans" were Reichsbürger (citizens of the Reich). Between November 1935 to July 1943, thirteeen implementation ordinances were issued dealing with the enforcement of Reich Citizenship Law that progressively marginalized the Jewish community in Germany.

The actual law:

The Laws for the Protection of German Blood and German Honour
(September 15, 1935)

Entirely convinced that the purity of German blood is essential to the further existence of the German people, and inspired by the uncompromising determination to safeguard the future of the German nation, the Reichstag has unanimously resolved upon the following law, which is promulgated herewith:

Section 1
Marriages between Jews and citizens of German or kindred blood are forbidden. Marriages concluded in defiance of this law are void, even if, for the purpose of evading this law, they were concluded abroad.
Proceedings for annulment may be initiated only by the Public Prosecutor.

[...]

Section 3
Jews will not be permitted to employ female citizens under the age of 45, of German or kindred blood, as domestic workers.

Section 4
Jews are forbidden to display the Reich and national flag or the national colours.
On the other hand they are permitted to display the Jewish colours. The exercise of this right is protected by the State.

Section 5
A person who acts contrary to the prohibition of Section 1 will be punished with hard labour.
A person who acts contrary to the prohibition of Section 2 will be punished with imprisonment or with hard labour.
A person who acts contrary to the provisions of Sections 3 or 4 will be punished with imprisonment up to a year and with a fine, or with one of these penalties.

Section 6
The Reich Minister of the Interior in agreement with the Deputy Führer and the Reich Minister of Justice will issue the legal and administrative regulations required for the enforcement and supplementing of this law.

Section 7
The law will become effective on the day after its promulgation; Section 3, however, not until January 1, 1936.

This is was only the beginning of the persecution God's chosen people were about to face at the hands of Hitler and his regime. In spite of everything the Jews went through, God was still faithful to His promise: "I will curse them that curse you."

Hitler and many of his top officials committed suicide, were brutally murdered, or were executed. The German people lost control of almost everything they had gained in World War Two. The years of fighting and persecution ended with the enemies of God's people hanging their heads in shame.

This promise of God's is pretty major. It involves an entire nation! But what I find mind-blowing is the fact that He remains equally faithful even to His more "minor" promises. "I will never leave you or forsake you." "I will supply your every need." "My grace is sufficient for you."

It's pretty neat to look and see God's fulfilled promises in history, but it's the everyday ones that mean the most. When I look at them and see how faithful He is, all I can do is be awed.

My God is an awesome God!

Heroes

I wrote this poem a couple of years ago and thought I would share it today.

Heroes

An image I’ll remember when my memory is gone

The heroes in the picture, immortalized, live on

The flag of a great country

Raised on the somber plain

The faces of the heroes

Born in a nation’s pain

In the rubble of the towers

All was dead and gray

But from those heaps of rubble

Champions rose that day

Years from now the memories

Will still cause tears to fall

But so will many heroes come

To stand up brave and tall

At every fall we rise again

Taller than before

The spirit of America

Lives on from shore to shore.

The picture does not belong to me, but the poem does.

August 31 Through The Years

I haven't done a history post for awhile because the emails I get from Wikipedia haven't been as interesting as I usually find them. Either that or I didn't have time to post about the topic because my opinions were screaming to be shared. =P But today I will share some history with you instead of doing the normal youtube video(s).

Today in 1422, Henry the Sixth became the King of England at the ripe old age of eight months when his 35-year-old father, Henry the Fifth, died unexpectedly.

A quick biography from Wikipedia:

Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious. His periods of insanity and his inherent benevolence eventually led to his own downfall, the collapse of the House of Lancaster, and the rise of the House of York.

On this date in 1888 the body of Mary Ann Nichols was discovered at 3:40 in the morning in Whitechapel, about 150 yard from London Hospital. Her murder was the first in a set of five Whitechapel murderers which were attributed to the legendary "Jack the Ripper."

An interesting note from Wikipedia:

Unlike murderers of lesser fame, there is no waxwork figure of Jack the Ripper at Madame Tussauds' Chamber of Horrors, in accordance with their policy of not modelling persons whose likeness is unknown. He is instead depicted as a shadow. In 2006, Jack the Ripper was selected by BBC History magazine and its readers as the worst Briton in history.

The last one I'm going to mention is perhaps the most famous. In 1997 Princess Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris. A lot of controversy has surrounded the accident and Diana's death, but it was determined in court in 2008 that the drunken driver was solely to blame.

Wanna be a Teacher?

1. You will not marry during the term of your contract.
2. You are not to keep company with men.
3. You must be home between the hours of 8p.m. and 6a.m. unless attending a school function.
4. You may not loiter in downtown ice cream parlors.
5. You may not travel beyond the city limits without permission of the Chairman of the Board.
6. You may not ride in a carriage or automobile with any man unless he is your father or brother.
7. You may not smoke cigarettes.
8. You may not dress in bright colors.
9. You may under no circumstances dye your hair.
10. You must wear at least two petticoats.
11. Your dresses may not be shorter than two inches above the ankle.
12. To keep the schoolroom neat and clean you must: sweep the floor at least once daily; scrub the floor at least once a week with hot, soapy water; clean the blackboards at least once a day; start the fire by 7 a.m. so the room will be warm by 8 a.m.

So... obviously this doesn't apply today. But maybe it should, huh? These are the rules for the schoolmarm of a town in Colorado where my best friend happens to live. They are 100 years old. A lot has changed, has it not?!

April is the Month

I love history. A lot. A lot a lot. So it's no surprise that I'm subscribed to Wikipedia's "This Day in History" email. I get it every day and enjoy reading the headlines from hundreds of years ago. Sometimes I get frustrated because they leave stuff out... but that's besides the point. =P

Anyhow... April is a good month for things happening! You've got the liberation of major concentration camps in the 1940s... the sinking of the Titanic in 1912... the end of the American Civil War... Columbine... the beginning of the American Revolution... King Henry the VIII ascending to the throne (that's today, by the way. I mean... today a long time ago!)... Abraham Lincoln assassinated... etc etc etc

Okay... I could be writing about King Henry, but I'm not. Instead, I'm choosing another famous thing that happened on April 21.

The Red Baron!

Oh... wrong one. LOL ;)

This is Manfred Albrecht von Richthofen, known to most people as "The Red Baron" or "The Red Devil." He was a German pilot during the second world war and has been credited with at least 80 victories in air combat. That's pretty much a record. The only thing I don't like about this guy is that... he was working for the wrong team. Something I found interesting: "After his first confirmed victory, Richthofen ordered a silver cup engraved with the date and the type of enemy machine from a jeweller in Berlin. He continued this until he had 60 cups, by which time the supply of silver in blockaded Germany was restricted." [This is a quote from wikipedia] Hmm... maybe a bit of a pride issue or something? Anyhow... he was shot and killed on April 21.

Anyhow, the reason I'm doing this post is because I have a question: Why Red Baron? I mean... the pizza. Why would an American-based food company want to name their product after a Nazi pilot? The Nazi government was everything that Americans have fought against from the beginning.

I turned to my best friend, Google, for the answer. And I honestly didn't come up with much. But I do have an idea. Look at the Red Baron pizza box. Look at the picture beneath. Same guy? Ahm... No. As one person put it, the Pizza Baron is "substantially unlike Richthofen." So my idea is this: maybe the hero on the pizza box is called the Red Baron just to make everyone think he's invincible, but he really has nothing to do with the German pilot? LOL What do you think?

P.S. I haven't been getting many comments lately... are my posts that bad? I know I'm not taking as much time on them, but I'm trying to graduate in a few weeks, everybody! =P I don't have time to do well-thought posts!

P.P.S. Thanks to those of you who have commented! You're the best!

Youtube Tuesday - Grace

I was seven years old and I didn't really understand why my mom was so sad. I enjoyed our long drive down to Denver, but I was really bored with the whole memorial thing. So a bunch of people had died? I didn't know any of them, so I didn't really care. Mom hadn't known them either. Or Dad. Nobody I knew had ever seen these kids. So why were we wasting our time here? And then... my attitude changed. I'm still not sure which of the victims it was, but when we stopped by her memorial, I saw a stuffed animal that was the same as my favorite. Something clicked inside of me. Even though I didn't know these victims, other people did know them. The girls liked stuffed animals, reading, nail polish, etc.

Each of those pictures represented a life that had been ended by the brutal rampage of two teenage boys.

It was eleven years ago today that Columbine High School became a national headline. The murderers and the murdered are still remembered today. The grief of the loved ones who were left behind is still there, even eleven years later. But for some, the grief is mixed with the joy that they will see their child in Heaven. God's grace has helped some families to overcome the effects of the worst day of their lives.

In other portions of the country, other families have relied on God's grace in similar situations. A recent movie showed this, taking us to Pennsylvania and the Amish families affected by the school shooting that took place over three years ago.

This movie wasn't completely accurate, but what movie is? And it carries a great message of forgiveness. I'd recommend it to anybody! And... if you're even just a little bit like me, make sure you have a box of kleenex within reach. I cried from start to finish!

[Note: As far as I know, there are no plans to release this on DVD. Go here to watch the movie online. I had my grandpa record it for me. =)]

A Hodge-Podge Post

First off, the pictures I promised! =D In case you're not sure what I'm referring to, I was able to go to a banquet on the 8th. Here are some pictures from the banquet!

My amazing friend Bailey and myself

The back of my dress =D

Me

Bay, her mom, and her aunt all worked to make this happen:

Anyhow... It was a great night! Soooo much fun! And just in case you're curious: I got the dress at the thrift store for a really great price! The jacket is from JCPenney.

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Erica was gone all last week for the AACS (American Association of Christian Schools) Fine Arts Tournament. Our Bible Quizzing team took 2nd in the nation! Way to go, guys!

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I got my hair cut last Thursday. Almost 5 inches off! I'm so relieved to be able to say that I like it! If ya'll want, I can post pictures of that, too.

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On this day in history:

The Oklahoma City Bombing (1995)

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere (1775)

The Shot Heard 'Round the World (1775)

"By the rude bridge that arched the flood,

Their flag to April's breeze unfurled;

Here once the embattled farmers stood,

And fired the shot heard 'round the world."

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (1943)