Cahokia, a Native American City in Illinois, Thrived A Thousand Years Ago, And Few Remember It

In AD 1250, a city in North America was larger than London at the time, yet few have ever heard of it. The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is the site of a pre-Columbian Native American city directly across the Mississippi River from modern St. Louis, Missouri. (Wikipedia.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcbC7V5KC9o History Channel: "Join Lawrence Fishburne as he uncovers the truth behind the strangest …

The Incredible Journey of Medieval Adventurer Ibn Battuta

Heroes and Legends: "When most people are asked to name an epic traveller from history, they usually come up with names like Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, Magellan, or any number of other well-known European explorers and adventurers that come to mind. Very few could name an explorer or traveler outside the realm of medieval and …

The Remarkable Travels of Marco Polo in the 1200s and 1300s

Myth: Venetian blinds were invented in Venice, Italy. (Check it out at History's Myths.) If Marco Polo had traveled North or West instead of East to Persia and China and South to Egypt where he traded things for window blinds, the story goes, "it would have been curtains for all of us." That's a legend, …

Why is the Heir to the British Throne Called the Prince of Wales?

The Generalist Papers: "The son of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, is of course called the Prince of Wales. But why is that, when he's part of the English royal family? Well, it has to do with a story of war, political intrigue, and conquest." Related: Prince of Wales (Wikipedia). Conquest of Wales By Edward I …

England’s King Edward III, One of their Greatest Monarchs

Edward III, also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after the disastrous and unorthodox reign of his father, Edward II. Wikipedia The People's Profiles offers this …

First Four Ottoman Sultans Spanned 100 Years

The Ottoman Empire, which grew out of the Seljuk Empire, ruled over Southern and Eastern Europe, Western Asia and Northern Africa for more than 600 years. Without it, there would only be a few hundred thousand Muslims in the world instead of at least a billion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9c4Y7Vf7G0&t=47s It was a hereditary dynasty. An Ottoman ruler …

Braveheart or William Wallace: The Man Behind the Myth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=15&v=wj0I8xVTV18&feature=emb_logo Sir William Wallace (1270-1305), better known as Braveheart, "was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in September 1297." Wikipedia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZcfyJOOyOc&t=42s Drill Deeper: History of Scottish Independence: Was Unity Inevitable? …

Time Traveler’s Guides to England in 1300s, 1500s, 1700s, 1800s

British historian Ian Mortimer (website; Wikipedia; Youtube.com) specializes in medieval history. Basing his books on the premise that "the past is a foreign country," he has created a series of books as if humans could travel back in time, and how to prepare for life in another century. He is best known for A Time …

Rise of the Ottoman Empire in the 1300s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnOS90_cwQA&t=13s Ted-Ed: "Explore the early days of the Ottoman Empire, as shrewd political rulers grew the principality into an intercontinental empire. -- In the late 13th century, Osman I established a small principality sandwiched between a crumbling Byzantine Empire and a weakened Sultanate of the Seljuk of Rum, in what is now Turkey. In just …

How Do Pandemics Change Us and Societies? We Are Eyewitnesses to History

I've created a little photo essay to preserve my history of the pandemic. Neighbors, unable to communicate in person, communicated by writing messages in chalk on the sidewalk. One neighbor created a rock garden with little messages. The Bynum Bridge in Chatham County, NC over the Haw River, long a place for high school students …