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. …

Bring Back the Whigs?

Timothy Noah on Substack: "Is it too late for Henry Clay to enter the New Hampshire primary? The Whigs were a political party in Great Britain that fought for expanded political rights in Parliament; their chief rivals were the monarchist Tories. The word is Scottish in origin (“whiggamore”) and made reference to Presbyterian rebels against the …

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 …

A Mini-course: US Democracy Is Better Off Than A Year Ago, But Still Fragile

A year ago on Independence Day, I worried that Americans might abandon their birthright, democracy, “government of the people, by the people, and for the people,” in Abraham Lincoln’s famous phrase. Half the country believed that democracy wouldn’t survive in the long term, and a substantial faction seemed to have already lost faith in it, advocating for …

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 …

How Polish General Pulaski Saved George Washington’s Life. He Was Also, Likely, Transgender

Casimir Pulaski (1745-1779 "is remembered as a hero who fought for independence and freedom in Poland and the United States. Numerous places and events are named in his honor." He "was a Polish-American nobleman, soldier and military commander who has been called, together with his counterpart Michael Kovats de Fabriczy, "the father of the American …

American Revolution: 20 Questions That Address Significance

What was the Extraordinary Significance of the American Revolution? Who and what were the Most Significant Players and Events in the American Revolution? Was American Revolution A Mistake? Suppose the American War for Independence Could Have Been Avoided? What was the Shot Heard Round the World? Explain Multiple Perspectives on the Sons of Liberty and the Boston Massacre. Watch and summarize …

Distortions of American History: Betsy Ross and the First American Flag

This meme, popular on Facebook since 2019 when Nike purportedly cancelled a sneaker design after protests from social justice warriors, is mostly false, according to Snopes.com and other sources. (Click.) Did Betsy Ross really make the first American flag? "The well-known story that Ross sewed the country's first flag at the behest of George Washington …

French and Indian War of the 1750s Is Far More Significant Than Is Usually Taught

The French and Indian War, or Seven Years War, is generally taught as a prelude to the American Revolution, or in world history as one of a series of wars among empire-seeking European powers that advanced the British Empire. But it was far more than that. Some historians characterize it as the first world or global …