clair057

Several months ago I was embroiled in an online conversation at a local forum I visit from time to time. The topic of discussion had twisted and turned until one of the participants…someone who normally makes it his job in life to rub everyone the wrong way…. made mention that there was no purpose for Latin. He said, “Latin is a dead language.” When I read what he had written I stared at my computer screen a little dumbfounded because in my eyes and in the eyes of several others Latin does live on since it is the root language for Italian, French, Spanish and English. It is also very much in use and spoken in the legal field, medical field, in academic circles, the Catholic church uses it for certain papal bulls and mass is often conducted in Latin, AND certain members of the clergy speak it very well, so it isn’t dead as a door nail, is it? I had a little fun sparring with my online friend as I sought to educate him a little regarding Latin, but you know? There are just some people yo...

Isn’t this a great image for Veterans Day? A very close childhood friend, Kim Rounseville Herrington, shared this image with me and many of her friends. My writer’s itch took hold when she advised the men in the picture were her father and son. Grandfather and grandson never knew each other but years apart they both answered their country’s call and served proudly. The image seen here is one of Kim’s most favorite images of her father. It was the last picture taken of him blended with a picture of her son Timothy the day he came home from his first tour in Iraq. My friend received the picture as a gift from her daughter-in-law. Kim tells me her father, Joseph W. Rounseville , was involved in the Tet Offensive in 1968 after enlisting in the Army at the age of 17. Unfortunately, he gave the ultimate sacrifice and was killed in action having attained the rank of First Sergeant in February, 1968. He was a "Master Blaster" in the Rangers, Airborne with the 82nd Division in Ft. Ca...

Puerto Rico is NOT a place you normally think about when you want to discuss violent uprisings, massacres, and plots to assassinate the president of the United States, but the Puerto Rico of the late 1940s and early 1950s was a much different place than it is today. My latest post over at American Presidents  gives you all the details. Click on through……

My niece and sister sent this link to me the other day. It is an obituary for the grandparent of one of my niece’s friends. This line caught my eye: [Mr.] Max [Howard Medert] was a WWII Army veteran who proudly served as one of “Merrill’s Marauders” in China, Burma and India. Following his military career, he served on the city of Atlanta Police Force , retiring after 25 years of service. Now, just the fact that Mr. Medert had 25 years of service with the Atlanta Police Force is commendable, but he also was a member of Merrill’s Marauders in China, Burma and India. Wow! What? You don’t know about Merrill’s Marauders? I’m not surprised. You see, the China-India-Burma theater of war during World War II is basically forgotten by the history books mainly because it did not follow the standard American command structure, but it is key in studying the push toward VJ Day and in realizing some of the roots of today’s modern army. It was during their Quebec meeting in August, 1943 when Preside...

When I was growing up the words said at bed time included ‘good night’ and ‘I love you’ along with the phrase ‘Tie-Tie’ and ‘Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite” ‘Tie-Tie’ came from me because as a little girl I couldn’t pronounce the words ‘night-night’…..all that came out was ‘Tie-Tie ‘and the phrase entered our family lexicon. If I said ‘Tie-Tie’ to my father or my sister they would know exactly what I meant. But what about that “sleep tight” thing? Where does that come from? Recently I posted a picture of a rope tightening key for Wordless Wednesday . The key was used to tighten rope mattresses common in colonial and post-colonial America. Here’s a video showing how the key was used to tighten the bed ropes. When you tour old colonial locations docents love to share with you the phrase “Sleep tight” came from the fact that you would want the ropes tight in order to get a good night’s sleep. It does make sense, doesn’t it? But upon closer study there is no definitive proof the ...

Yes, I know this is a piano, but look at the two china looking objects on top of the piano...... What are they????? What are they used for???? Here’s a hint….Something was placed in them as people walked by. Other bloggers post wordless images on Wednesday , too. Visit the main page HERE to find them.

Hmmmm….Why is that hunk of wood placed next to the bed? What is it for? Other bloggers post wordless images on Wednesday , too. Visit the main page HERE to find them. Last week's mystery explanation can be found here. Also YOU can become a fan of History Is Elementary on Facebook. Click the “like” button over in the right sidebar.