This incredible footage of Berlin in the aftermath of WWII!
Here’s amazing color footage of Berlin from just after the Nazis were defeated – Yahoo Finance.
“Remembering our Greatest Mission” | History News Network
William Lambers marks the anniversary of the U.S. air drop of food to the Netherlands (May 1945) with a plea to help the civilians trapped at the Yarmouk refugee camp near Damascus: “As we mark the anniversary of the great World War II mission that saved the Netherlands, we must keep that spirit alive. They are starving people today that are days way from death unless food can be brought to them. We, the international community, need to summon every ounce of strength and determination to help save them. That is our mission.” Read the entire article here:
History News Network | Remembering our Greatest Mission.
The Consequences of Ignoring the Lessons of History: “Stand Your Ground Makes No Sense” – NYTimes.com
What has been the impact of the “Stand your Ground” laws since their enactment? This is the subject of an article in The New York Times today. After examining several new studies on the subject, Robert J. Spitzer concludes that “[n]ot only have these laws failed to increase public safety, they have also turned the clock back to the mythologized mayhem of the Wild West.” And he points out, “We’ve learned this lesson before, in our own violent past, when strict regulation of concealed gun carrying was the near-universal and successful response to gun violence. As early as 1686, New Jersey enacted a law against wearing weapons because they induced ‘great Fear and Quarrels.’ Massachusetts followed in 1750. In the late 1700s, North Carolina and Virginia passed similar laws. In the 1800s, as interpersonal violence and gun carrying spread, 37 states joined the list. Tennessee’s 1821 law fined ‘each and every person so degrading himself’ by carrying weapons in public. Alabama’s 1839 law was titled ‘An Act to Suppress the Evil Practice of Carrying Weapons Secretly.’ Why must we relearn a lesson we codified centuries ago? How dumb are we?” It’s unlikely that these laws will be repealed any time soon. Evidence means little to the NRA and its zealous followers.
Stand Your Ground Makes No Sense – NYTimes.com.
John-Patrick Thomas, The New York Times (May 4, 2015)
“Two Things You Don’t Know About Roe v. Wade that Will Surprise You” | History News Network
James Robenalt, in his new book January 1973, argues “that this controversial change in how the case was decided had a dramatic impact on American politics. The Roe decision activated the so-called Religious Right. But more importantly, because abortion is an issue about which many will not compromise—it is a life and death decision to some—the whole concept of “no compromise” as a political strategy entered our political bloodstream. Along with the other great events of January 1973—Truman’s death, end of the Vietnam War for the US, Watergate burglars’ trial, Nixon’s Second Inaugural, Roe and the death of Lyndon Johnson (on the same day as Roe)—the conditions set up for a government of deadlock.” To find out the two things about Roe that will surprise you, read his article:
History News Network | Two Things You Don’t Know About Roe v. Wade that Will Surprise You.
“How Did Asians, Long Reviled, Become America’s Model Immigrants?” |History News Network
This is interesting:
History News Network | How Did Asians, Long Reviled, Become America’s Model Immigrants?.
Lessons From History: “A War to End Jihad” – NYTimes.com
Examining the history of the Ottoman Empire, Eugene Rogan concludes: “With the fall of the Ottomans after the First World War, the Arab world entered a century of conflict. Caught between foreign domination and the rival appeals of nationalism and Islamism, the Middle East has yet to emerge from the shadow of jihad. But perhaps there is a caution in this narrative. In a striking parallel to events a century ago, the threat of far-reaching jihad — most recently in the name of the Islamic State — continues to play on the minds of Western leaders. But it does so far beyond any evidence of wide appeal among a vast majority of the globe’s Muslims. So Western leaders can learn from the experience of a century ago. When they overreact to the threat of religious war, they concede power to the very enemies they seek to overcome, with consequences impossible to predict.” Read the entire article here:
A War to End Jihad – NYTimes.com.
What Old Nazis Make Us Remember – NYTimes.com
Reflecting on the current trial of the Nazi Oskar Gröning, who is accused of complicity in the murder of 300,000 people at Auschwitz, Anna Sauerbrey wonders, “How will he understand his own responsibility, as a German, to combat ideologies of hatred and prevent crimes against humanity?” And concludes that “[w]e must find a new narrative, a new way to ensure “never again.” Not through ideology, but through action — for example by more generously helping the refugees that seek asylum in our country. Instead of trying to transfer a vague feeling of inherited guilt to yet another generation, we should change from remembering what we must never forget to knowing why.” Read her thoughtful piece here:
What Old Nazis Make Us Remember – NYTimes.com.
A More Complex Picture of the Fall of Rome: “The Origins of the Early Medieval State” | History Today
Why study the fall of Rome and the emerging states that arose in the aftermath?
The historian Paul Fouracre explains the problems with the mythic version of the fall of Rome and the aftermath. In conclusion, he feels the need to justify the study of this period: “Most West Europeans do live in states that had their origins in what grew out of the Roman Empire and do want to know how this came about. The task is to write about this in a clear and accessible way that comprehends the complications and avoids the crusty value judgments of old. David Rollason has shown the way forward in his recent textbook, Early Medieval Europe 300-1050 (2012), which opens with the question: ‘why study this period?’ Well, because in its complications we see how the complex world in which we live first took shape. Oh, and it is fascinating.” Rollason’s answer applies equally to all other areas of history. It’s unfortunate that we as historians feel compelled to justify what we do, but the value of history is not apparent to many people.
To read Fouracre’s article go here:
The Origins of the Early Medieval State | History Today.
The Sacking of Rome (5th century)
“Secret Warriors of the First World War” | History News Network
In his new book, Taylor Downing, writes about the unsung heroes of WWI. He recounts the stories of the spies, scientists, and code breakers who changed the world through their work. “[T]hese ‘secret warriors,’” he declares, “were a remarkable group and their stories deserve to be rediscovered. The First World War was not just a war of trenches, slaughter and sacrifice. It changed the scientific and technological landscape of the century to follow.” Read his summary of the book at:
History News Network | Secret Warriors of the First World War.
There Is One More Thing We Need to Remember About the Civil War | History News Network
Those who played music during the war. Timothy Walch entreats us to remember them. See his argument at:
History News Network | There Is One More Thing We Need to Remember About the Civil War.
Band of the 10th Veteran Reserve Corps. Washington, D.C. April, 1865 — Wikipedia
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