Death was everywhere during the American Civil War. Approximately 750,000 Americans died in the fighting — that was about 500 people a day, and 2.5% of the American population over the course of the conflict. …
Let’s take a look at what the Ohio House of Representatives did in the week before Thanksgiving. …
Climate change is a devastating problem; it threatens to kill millions of humans and ravage the rest of the living world, catapulting the biosphere into a mass extinction. It will impoverish every society on earth and change countless systems in nature.
Here’s what worries me — we’ll learn to live…
Are you virtuous?
I’m sure you’d like to be. There are a lot of ways to be a good person. You can do things in your private life — be kind to your neighbors, forgive your enemies, and practice humility. But the fact of the matter is that we live…
It’s that time of year.
The high school seniors that I teach are swinging back and forth between exhaustion and stress. They’re in the middle of a college admissions season that started last school year with college visits, dominated the entire first quarter of their senior year, and will hang…
The left is simultaneously winning and losing the culture war in America. On the one hand, the social change in this country has been remarkable. Just look at the changes in the status of LGBTQ+ people over the last 20 years, or our understanding of and response to police violence…
Socrates is one of the most famous people in the history of the world, and one of the most important figures in the history of philosophy. He was a powerfully wise philosopher who explored the most profound truths about life and the universe. …
Nowadays, we know what’s in our food. Every package has an ingredients list and nutritional information. Sure, I have no idea what “soy lecithin” actually is, but the fact that food companies have to list it gives me some peace of mind as a consumer. Our food safety system isn’t…
Everything is weird right now in the American economy.
It’s so weird, in fact, that we can’t really agree on what is happening. Is there accelerating inflation, or are we just shaking out the last few COVID-related kinks in the supply chain? Are we experiencing the “great resignation,” in which…
In 1799, George Washington was enjoying his retirement on his estate at Mt. Vernon, Virginia. He had been out of the presidency for two years, although he still technically held the title of Commanding General of the Army and Chancellor of the College of William and Mary. He was immensely…
Illuminating forgotten corners of history and using them to think about the present. Shorter entries at www.worldhistoryfacts.com. Write me: whfacts at gmail.
