The first day of summer arrives with the solstice this year on Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at 10:58 a.m. EDT. The summer solstice is the time at which the sun reaches its maximum declination. More practically for most of us, the summer solstice is the longest period of daylight in the year. The term “solstice” …
Monthly Archives: June 2023
Historical Tidbits — District of Columbia
When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. June 20, 1790 – During a dinner meeting with Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison drafted a bill to move the Federal Capital to a …
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Perhaps the most important surveyors in American History were Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
The Pinckney treaty of 1795 had resolved friction between Spain and the United States over the right to navigate the Mississippi and the right for Americans to transfer their goods to ocean-going vessels at New Orleans. This détente was threatened by Napoleon Bonaparte’s plans to revive the French empire in the New World. Bonaparte planned to recapture the …
Beer is Good for You
Okay this is weird but as the Regimental Brewmeister I feel compelled to inform you that the Mayo Clinic has suggested (not proved but only suggested) that may be preventative for Alzheimer’s Disease. For those of you who may have forgotten (pun intended), Alzheimer’s often causes memory loss and personality changes. It generally afflicts the …
Historical Tidbits — Great Seal of the United States of America
When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. June 20, 1782 – The US Congress officially adopts the Great Seal of the United States of America to be affixed to treaties and presidential proclamations. Both sides of …
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Noted Surveyor and Astronomer, Benjamin Banneker a Real Self-made man
Benjamin Banneker was an African-American farmer, self-educated mathematician, astronomer, and surveyor but most importantly, Benjamin Banneker was a FREE MAN not a slave, despite living in a slave state during the early years of the republic. Although he received little schooling, Banneker demonstrated exceptional scientific ability and taught himself advanced mathematics and astronomy. In 1789 …
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Why I March with the Color Guard
“THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman….” Thomas Paine, The Crisis (19 December 1776) So, I just had a stupid argument …
If we tried to have a revolution today, would we succeed?
If we tried to have a revolution today, would we succeed? Do we have what it takes? I hear boasts at reenactments all the time and everyone thinks they have what it takes to rebel but are we willing to “dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another,”[1] or are we more likely …
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Historical Tidbits — Washington chosen as Commander-in-Chief
When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. June 19, 1775 Washington chosen as Commander-in-Chief. When George Washington arrived at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia on May 9, 1775, he was placed on several committees …
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Thomas Jefferson was a Surveyor
Surveying was a family business for Thomas Jefferson. Both he and his father Peter Jefferson were land surveyors for the King of England. Although Thomas Jefferson didn’t continue to survey as a profession, the skills he acquired as a surveyor were a solid foundation for his subsequent success. In the early 18th century, much of …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 