Benjamin Franklin Mini-Series Starring Michael Douglas Debuts on Apple TV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA2Q4HfkNpk "Franklin," an eight-episode mini-series starring Michael Douglas, streams in April 2024 on Apple TV. In December 1776, Benjamin Franklin is world-famous for his electrical experiments, but his passion and power are put to the test when he embarks on a secret mission to France, with the fate of American independence hanging in the balance. …

US Begins 250th Anniversary Celebrations With Gusto

Boston Tea Party Reenacted on December 16, 2023. "Heading toward the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, the United States has begun major observances and re-enactments of events leading up to that fateful day. These celebrations are not only a time to recall history but to reflect on how far …

‘King Hancock: The Radical Influence of a Moderate Founding Father’

Independent scholar Brooke Barbier has a doctorate in American history from Boston College. The author of Boston in the American Revolution: A Town versus an Empire, she founded and operates Ye Olde Tavern Tours, a popular guided outing along Boston's renowned Freedom Trail. In a new biography of John Hancock, she sums up the influence …

The North Was Built on Slavery: New England’s Hidden History

"In the year 1755, a black slave named Mark Codman plotted to kill his abusive master. A God-fearing man, Codman had resolved to use poison, reasoning that if he could kill without shedding blood, it would be no sin. Arsenic in hand, he and two female slaves poisoned the tea and porridge of John Codman …

How Mad Was King George III?

7 Minutes in History is a Youtube channel. This video is actually 8:42. "George III was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25th October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms in 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death in 1820. …

British Empire, 1497-1776 in 10 Minutes

History Matters "covers the birth and rise of the British Empire from the reign of Henry VII all the way to the American Revolution. The first part deals with the Tudors and their response to empire in Spain (as well as the Spanish Armada). The second part deals with England's (and later Britain's) establishment of …

Russia’s Legendary ‘Potemkin Villages’ May Have Relevance to War With Ukraine

The powerful czar or monarch Catherine the Great, who ruled Russia from 1762 to 1796, appointed one of her boyfriends, Grigory Potemkin, to rule over Ukraine and Crimea. He reported that the people were happy and flourishing and invited her to visit. In preparation for the visit, he created model, portable settlements along the Dneiper …

What Caused the French Revolution?

Jack Rackam: "Welcome to my channel, filled with the Wikipedia-cited "great man" history your teachers warned you about. I think we're going to have a good time here." He uses light-hearted humor to describe momentous events. The Life & Times of Louis XVI, "the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during …

Catherine the Great: Enlightened Princess

"Catherine II, most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the last reigning Empress Regnant of Russia (from 1762 until 1796) and the country’s longest-ruling female leader. She came to power following the overthrow of her husband and second cousin, Peter III." Wikipedia. Interestingly, she reigned at the time America was going through the Revolution and the …

Ben Franklin: A New Interpretation By Ken Burns

PBS has broadcast a two-part, four-hour series by Ken Burns on founding father Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), which is creating discussion. Most school children learn that he was a "writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and political philosopher," as Wikipedia points out. The documentary is available via streaming. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJtYoq0HH9c Burns calls Franklin "the most interesting of …