Death and the Debit Card: A Fable
Death issues a new human a debit card, loaded with a lifetime of days.
History to aMuse
History can be intriguing, and sometimes it’s really funny. I called my website History Muse, intending it to be a thoughtful and sometimes amusing look at history. Now I’m starting to think: What does it do for my readers?
Elizabeth, Mary, and Sexist Mythology
You’ve probably seen at least one movie about Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. Dramatists love a story of beautiful, doomed, feminine Mary, and her scheming, stone-hearted rival Elizabeth, who had Mary killed because she was jealous. Sure, such productions give strong actresses some rare juicy parts, but the significance of their struggle gets lost.
Slavery, Indenture, and My Family
The governor of Virginia recently referred to the Africans brought to Virginia as slaves in 1619 as “indentured servants.” There was a big difference between slavery and indentured service, and you can see it in the history of my Duncan ancestors in Virginia.
The Evil We Must Name
We see this evil all the time—abuse by powerful people of those who have less power. It happens in places of worship, governments, even families. And it doesn’t even have its own name.
Finding a Way Through the Fog
People who have dementia say it’s like a sudden fog descending, when suddenly your brain won’t work the way you need it to. One extraordinary British woman has found a way to live with dementia. Wendy Mitchell shows us that someone with dementia can find a way through the fog.
What Hanukkah Shows Us All
Hanukkah started out as a minor Jewish holiday, with a little dubious history behind it. But now,those eight candles can light the way for all of us.
Making It Real With Historical Fiction
Historical fiction can bring history to life in ways non-fiction does not.
Leonardo da Vinci Would Have Loved Contact Lenses
Leonardo actually tried to invent contact lenses. What he tried didn’t work, but he kept thinking, kept learning, and he keeps amazing us today.
How History Changes
It’s true we can’t change the past. But history changes all the time. And what happened may not be what we think.