My favorite law is the Law of Unintended Consequences. With a consequential election coming up, I’ve found another reminder of the importance of keeping up with current events, researching candidates, and then critically examining the statements they make. My inspiration this time is an article in The Atlantic magazine entitled “The Jews Who Voted for
We tend to look at things through prejudicial lenses. Especially in early civilizations, we naturally assume the rulers were all men. But what if they weren’t? We do know of some exceptions. Hatshepsut ruled Egypt, ruling from 1479 to 1458 BCE as one of the few female pharaohs. Her record survived because her accomplishments overwhelmed
“History repeats itself. That’s one of the things wrong with history.” — Clarence Darrow As a history nerd, I would agree that history does repeat. For example, this country has had several periods of turmoil regarding immigration. I wrote about one of these, the Know-Nothing movement, in a January, 2024 column (https://www.bobwelbaum-author.com/revisiting-the-know-nothings/). I was reminded
It’s interesting how our cultural practices change over time. For example, our weddings. It’s customary for the bride and groom to have attendants: bridesmaids, groomsmen, and a best man. But how did these customs originate? I recently found an eye-opening article on the Mental Floss website regarding the idea of having groomsmen and a best
Is it a good thing when your employer takes an interest in your personal life? If you were an employee of the Ford Motor Company in the mid-1910s, you could expect a home visit from the Social Department, which employed investigators who checked for heavy drinking, gambling, and other immoral behaviors. Such was the progressive
“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.” — Winston Churchill It’s important to remember that the accuracy of historical accounts always depends upon the historian. For example, have you ever heard of the Matilda Effect? It publicizes when men receive credit for women’s accomplishments. The term was introduced in 1993
Can you imagine being arrested for possessing a copy of the most popular novel of the age? Samuel Green was a free Black man living in Dorchester County in eastern Maryland in the mid-19th century. Manyland’s location was unique: it was a slave state bordering free states. Consequently, it was relatively simple for slaves to sneak
Social mores sure do change. Introducing yourself to the opposite sex has always been challenging (at least for me), but we can take some solace in knowing that this has been a problem throughout history. This is especially true during times when many women needed a chaperone to be seen in public. So it’s interesting
In honor of Black History Month, I’m reposting this, which I originally wrote in May, 2017. While driving back from Boston, I happened to listen to a very interesting story about a real pioneer. His name was Paul Revere Williams. Paul R. Williams (as he was known) was born in Los Angeles on February 18,
“Essential for anyone who wants to understand the America we live in today, and the threads of its history, from the awful to the inspirational.” “I purchased because my daughter had to read this unsubstantiated, hollow and falsehood comic book. “ “This is one of the best books I have read. Full of history, compassion, suffering,