The History of Christmas Ornaments

In A.D. 336, an early Roman calendar first mentions December 25 as the date of Jesus' birth. This date was likely influenced by the year-end pagan festivals to celebrate the harvest. Celebrations included specially prepared meals, decorating of homes, gift-giving and singing. Gradually, pagan traditions became a part of the Christian celebrations. Most Christmas traditions such as the Christmas tree and ornaments came from central Europe. The earliest German Christmas trees were decorated with food; apples, onions, pears, nuts, candies, and fruits were placed on a tree.

In the 1800s, glass ornaments were first made in the Lauscha, Germany. This cottage industry involved the entire family. Generally, men did the glassblowing, women did the silvering and the children helped to paint and finish them. These beautiful new glass ornaments began to replace edible decorations.

History

In Victorian times, Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, a German, brought the tradition from Germany to his new home in England. Soon all of England was in on it.

The History of Christmas Ornaments

In the 1840s, Europeans immigrating to North America brought with them their Christmas traditions. Prior to that time, Christmas was not widely celebrated in North America. As society became more prosperous, ornaments became larger in size and the colors become more vibrant to reflect the new wealth.

F.W. Woolworth was the first North American retailer to sell glass ornaments. The story goes that he was not too sure about this new product line. However, Woolworth changed his mind by 1890 when he was selling million worth of ornaments in his five-and-dime stores.

Until 1925, virtually all hand blown glass ornaments were manufactured in Lauscha, Germany. By 1935, more then 250 million Christmas ornaments were being imported to the United States. After WWII, the Lauscha area became a part of East Germany. Many glassblowers fled to West Germany and the industry declined. Around this time, Japan and Czechoslovakia began producing ornaments for the North American market

In the 1960's, glass ornaments went out of fashion when the aluminum tree adorned with ornaments of similar shape and color became the rage. Many traditional ornaments were thrown away during this period.

What to Look for in Antique Ornaments

If you're lucky enough to still have any vintage ornaments, hang on to them.

How to tell vintage versus new. Earlier ornaments were smaller than today's modern ornaments. They were usually done in soft colors with hand painted details. You'll notice that the paint may be faded or distressed in areas on vintage ornaments.

Hand blown versus machine made. Remove the stem from the base of the ornament. Ornaments that are hand blown will have an uneven base because the glass blower cannot make a clean break. Modern machine made ornaments will have a smooth even base.

Where to find vintage ornaments. Ebay, flea markets, church sales and garage sales are all good hunting grounds for vintage ornaments.

Prices

Prices can vary from - 0 depending on the ornament and where you buy it.

Symbolism

Fruit and vegetable shapes symbolize the harvest.

Birds represent the biblical messengers that bring God's love and peace to the world. Birds were also symbolic of good luck and good fortune.

Pickle shapes signify luck.

Fish shape is an early Christian symbol for Christ.

Reflectors ornaments (ornaments with geometric concave indentations) during Victorian times, were often called witches eyes and were placed on the Christmas tree to fend off any evil spirits.

Star shapes represent the Star of Bethlehem.

The History of Christmas Ornaments

Martin Swinton does antique appraisals and estate sales in Toronto, Canada. He has worked at an auction house, furniture restoration company and for ten years owned an antique shop. He does caning, cording and rushing repairs, teaches courses on antiques and appears at community events. He can be reached by visiting http://www.takeaboo.wordpress.com

History Of Gospel Music

Different individuals have various definitions of gospel music. But, for those who believe, this is a way for all to come together as one, honor the times of yore, look ahead to the future, and refurbish our faith. For those who believe, gospel music is a blissful noise for the Lord. It has also been said that gospel music can stir different emotions with its lyrics and tunes; hence, there is an increasing number of gospel music audiences around the world.

But when did gospel music really start? According to some studies, the history of gospel music dates back to the 18th century. This was an era where hymns were usually lined and repeated in a call and response fashion. On the other hand, the spiritual and work songs of the African slaves came along. These slaves were prohibited from many things and were punished for offending their masters. Such situations did not hinder them from worshipping and learning to create their own worship hymns, however.

History

From 1900 through the 1930s, gospel music was attributed to the social changes in the United States where blacks from the South were moving to other areas of the country with their own gospel music. After this period, noted people who are attributed to gospel music's success came into the picture.

History Of Gospel Music

During the 30s, Thomas A. Dorsey was given credit for the crucial development of gospel music. He created songs combining shouts of praise and emotional fervor with his won contemporary style. This was mostly unwelcomed in churches. This era in the history of gospel music was named the Dorsey Era and Thomas Dorsey was named the Father of Contemporary Gospel Music.

During the 1940s, gospel ensembles and quartets sprang to life. These groups traveled all over the U.S., creating a demand for this type of music. On the other hand, the 50s brought the piano and the organ to gospel music. Some performers on this era were The Clara Ward Singers, The Staple Singers of Chicago, and Albertina Walker.

Nowadays, gospel music is still evolving. Many gospel music artists even believe that it is now coming into the mainstream and that they are to introduce gospel music to the mainstream audience.

History Of Gospel Music

Gospel Music [http://www.i-GospelMusic.com] provides detailed information on Gospel Music, History Of Gospel Music, Southern Gospel Music, Gospel Music Lyrics and more. Gospel Music is affiliated with Download Christian Music.

History of Bhangra

Bhangra is a Punjabi folk dance which is massively popular all across the world. Historically, Bhangra was celebrated during the harvest festival of Baisakhi in Punjab. Basically a Punjabi folk dance, Bhangra expanded itself to incorporate the style of music used to come up with the original dance. Initially its reach was limited to Punjab only. But with the passage of time, it has attained huge fame outside Punjab also. Bhangra is a globally renowned style of dance and song.

Right from its origin to the date, Bhangra has always evolved itself. Considered as a dance as well as a musical style, Bhangra has truly gone international. Music scenario all over the world has changed. The forms of music has got a complete new look. This is the time of fusion. Most of the popular Bhangra songs have elements of hip-hop, rap and different other western form enfolded within it. Bhangra is considered as very expressive form of music though it uses small number of notes. Bhangra songs have a lyrical nature which makes it very melodious.

History

One of the most interesting thing about Bhangra is that its not just a single dance but it encompasses large number of sub genres as well. The major sub genres of Bhangra are Dhamal, Jhumar, Daankara, Luddi, Giddha, Julli, Gatka, Saami and Kikli. All these sub genres follow different dance formats and together they combine to form a kaleidoscopic view of original Bhangra. The musical instruments used in Bhangra make rhythm of Bhangra very energetic and catchy. Main instruments used in Bhangra are; Sarangi, Dafli, Tumbi or Ektar, Dholak, Chimpta, Dhol and Damaru.

History of Bhangra

Bhangra's popularity on an international scale can be credited to expatriates living in Britain. Bhangra provided them with a reason to celebrate by indulging in the music of their land of birth. Its reputation is such that, we can afford to call it a subculture which represents songs, dance and a life style.

History of Bhangra

The glimpses of the Bhangra can also be seen in Bollywood movie songs right from old hindi songs to the latest hindi songs.

History Of Halloween and Origin Of Halloween

The origin of Halloween is fascinating and anyone interested in finding out about the history of Halloween and where this American tradition was founded, will find the information in this article to be eye-opening. Knowing the history of Halloween can help many people decipher what to let their children take part in, and what to keep their children away from. Knowing the origin of Halloween can also help Christians view the adult, youth, and child activities associated with Halloween celebrations under the light of Christ's truths. The history of Halloween has been a mystery for too many years, and the origin of Halloween has confused many.

For years now, families have struggled with ever-increasing bad effects of a night spent exalting horror. Hospitals and authorities advise that parents examine or x-ray treats and that people be in their homes by 10 pm. Candies are poisoned, properties damaged, and vandalism has increased, all in the name of an ancient spiritual custom, the origin of Halloween. But, not so ancient is the modern day Halloween practices of occults and satanic worship that happen on the frightful fall evening. The modern day Halloween has become a mixture of several religious practices and a children's holiday. Take a look at the history of Halloween, and see how mixed up this confusing holiday has really become.

History

The origin of Halloween dates back before Christ. The Celtics' mythology taught that with the coming of winter, a season of the dead, came a night in which the spirits of the dead could freely roam about with humans. Some of these spirits would inflict suffering and violence upon man. To appease the spirits and the gods that were worshipped, the Celtic people would put out their best food offerings on the doorstep. Celtic priests would also offer sacrifices, animal and human, to the gods to ask for a return of the sun and in hopes that the gods would chase away the evil, frightening spirits. Often, the Celtics would wear dreadful costumes, hoping to fool an evil spirit with the disguise. There are practices from the history of Halloween that are still being practiced today. Click the links below to take a Halloween Quiz.

History Of Halloween and Origin Of Halloween

While the history of Halloween explains much about where modern day Halloween customs come from, (the origin of Halloween customs were brought to this country in the 1800's by the Irish) what about the modern day practices of the occults? Occults find their rituals associated with the same source, a time when the dead can easily communicate with the living therefore making divinations and sacrifices during the fall season opportune. In truth, the origin of Halloween has its root in Satan, the author of deception. ".... for he (the devil) is a liar and the father of it." (John 8:44)

It is interesting how much the modern day American practices and the modern day witchcraft have in common with the ancient beliefs of the Celtic people. Considering that Satan is the father of lies for all time, it can be seen how we are continually deceived. "There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through fire, or that useth divination or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch." (Deuteronomy 17:10) Study more about the history of Halloween and how the origin of Halloween negatively affects how we honor God today.

History Of Halloween and Origin Of Halloween

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History of Cheerleading

The history of cheerleading originates from the United States in the late 1880's with your average crowd yelling and chanting to encourage their team. No one is quite sure how they documented that it was the first cheer ever but credit is given to Princeton University in 1884 for coming up with a Princeton cheer and marking there place in cheerleading history.

Then a few years later, the Princeton grad Tom Peebles brought cheering to the University of Minnesota. But it wasn't until 1898 that fellow University of Minnesota student Johnny Campbell directed what was the very first cheer ever in November of 1898. The story is that Minnesota was having such a terrible football season that people felt the need to come up with positive chants and cheering was born. Minnesota went on to organize a male cheer squad in 1903 and organized the first cheerleading fraternity in the history of cheerleading, Gamma Sigma. Ironically enough cheerleading started out as an all male sport, it was felt there deep loud voices were more projecting than a woman's voice. It wasn't until the 1920's that women became much more involved in cheerleading and began to incorporate gymnastics, pyramids and throws. Today, youth cheerleading is predominantly made up of female cheerleaders however college cheerleading is still about fifty percent male.

History

Well, the students cheered all they could for Minnesota yet they still got beat. It was a student's scientific thesis that positive fan support would actually help send positive energy toward there team and assist them in winning. Well, the cheer wasn't enough to garner a win but it did create a new sport. University of Minnesota stuck with the idea and eventually began to have an organized group of cheers at every game

History of Cheerleading

The evolution of cheerleading to a sport was again developed by The University of Minnesota as the women became known for there athletic ability by including gymnastics in their routines. Then in the 1930's the sport developed into much more of a display of showmanship as the athletes become much more entertaining and fun to watch. The megaphone would become the next big addition to cheerleading history in the early 1900's and the pom pom which was introduced by Lawrence Herkimer really gave cheerleading a symbol to hang its hat on.

Herkimer has to be seen as the grandfather of cheerleading. He has done so much for the history of cheerleading by founding the National Cheerleading Association at S M U and holding cheerleading schools way back in 1946 and '47. Herkimer's camps have now grown to over twenty thousand attendees.

Today the sport has evolved into a highly athletic and competitive field displaying males and females of incredible talent. Herkimer and University of Minnesota have carved out a unique history of cheerleading.

History of Cheerleading

Author is from http://recruitcity.com

History of Abstract Art

Abstract art is a form of art in which an object or a form is developed in either a simplified way or an exaggerated manner. Abstract art is one of the major forms of art design which attracts a wide variety of people and art lovers. This form of art developed long back with a significant history comprising of various popular artists. Abstract landscape art, 3D abstract art, and fantasy abstract art are the most popular varieties of abstract art.

The three major forms of abstract art are cubism, neoplasticism, and abstract expressionism. Several artists are credited with the foundations of abstract art. Among those artists, the most famous cubists were Pablo Picasso and Georges. Piet Mondrian's works are one of the best examples of neoplasticism. Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock are excellent examples of abstract expressionism.

History

The history of abstract art involves more than 20,000 artists along with their interesting art backgrounds. Images and in-depth information of these artists are available in their biographies. History states that the abstract form of art design developed in the early 1900s. Neo-plasticism (1920-1940), abstract expressionism (1940-1955), conceptual art, contemporary realism, photorealism, and hyper realism (1960-1975), and neo-expressionism (1970-1990) are some of the major developmental stages in the history of abstract art.

History of Abstract Art

Post-Modernism is a stage which began around 1975, and still considered very famous in abstract art form. Ancient history reveals the truth that abstract art had been used in decorations for textiles and pottery, even in the early twentieth century abstract patterns. In the twentieth century, abstract art type was widely accepted. The first original abstract art form was developed by Wassily Kandinsky in 1910. In 1912, he wrote a theory based on abstract art called On the Spiritual in Art. This theory stated that portrayed art should be based on spiritual realm, and not just the things we see ordinarily as the visual world.

History of Abstract Art

Abstract Art provides detailed information on Abstract Art, Modern Abstract Art, Abstract Art Paintings, Abstract Art Galleries and more. Abstract Art is affiliated with African Wildlife Art.

Coca Cola in History - A Brief History of the Company

The Coca Cola history extends back to 1885, when John Pemberton invented the original recipe for a new cocawine. He named it Pemberton's French Wine Coca, which was believed to be inspired by Vin Mariani, a popular cocawine invented by Angelo Mariani. Pemberton developed Coca-Cola, a non-alcoholic version of his original cocawine, when Fulton County passed prohibition legislation. Carbonated water was added later by accident when Pemberton was mixing drinks for a friend and incidentally included it. His friends loved the new taste, so he altered the original formula to incorporate it.

Coca-Cola was said to cure many diseases, including headaches, impotence, and the powerful morphine addiction. Three versions of Coca-Cola were on the market by 1888, sold by three separate companies. One company, Candler, purchased exclusive rights to the Coca-Cola formula from Woolfolk Walker, John Pemberton, and Margaret Dozier to cut out the competition.

History

This made the first big break in Coca Cola history. Candler incorporated The Coca-Cola Company in 1982, and began marketing the product. The drink achieved the status of national icon for the USA by its 50th anniversary. Bottles of Coca-Cola were sold starting in 1894, and cans in 1955. The first bottle was sold in Vicksburg, Mississippi. In 1899, Chattanooga, Tennessee became the first site of a Coca-Cola bottling company.

Coca Cola in History - A Brief History of the Company

In Pemberton's original formula, he added five ounces of coca leaf (cocaine) per gallon of syrup. Candler claimed that he altered the formula and only added a tenth of the amount. Coca Cola once contained an estimate of nine milligrams of cocaine per glass. It wasn't until 1903 that it was removed from the drink altogether, replacing it with coca flavoring.

"New Coke" came out in 1985 after Coca-Cola attempted to change the original formula. Most consumers preferred the taste of the original Coca-Cola, and many ceased purchasing the product until the company switched back to the original formula. It was renamed Coca Cola Classic to show consumers that the drink had reverted back to its original formula.

By the 21st century, Coca Cola history took another leap in the market. In 2005, the company launched "Diet Coke", sweetened with artificial flavors. Later in 2005, it announced "Coca Cola Zero", sweetened with aspartame and acesulfame potassium. Since then, the company has produced other products containing the same Coca-Cola formula with minor differences.

Coca Cola is now being sold around the world, in more than 200 different countries. The Coca-Cola company now sponsors an assortment of events, including the "Olympic Games", and "NASCAR". In England, it is the primary sponsor of "The Football League". It is also featured in several television shows including "The Gods Must Be Crazy."

Coca Cola history has come a long way since Pemberton invented the original recipe, and continues to grow by leaps and bounds. It is no surprise that it is one of the leading soft drinks of the market.

Coca Cola in History - A Brief History of the Company

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about coca cola history [http://collectcocacola.info/coca-cola-in-history-a-brief-history-of-the-company], please visit Collect Coca Cola [http://collectcocacola.info] for current articles and discussions.

The History of Labor Unions

A labor union, or trade union, is an organization of workers who have joined together to achieve goals in areas such as wages and working conditions. The union negotiates contracts and conditions with employers, keeping employee satisfaction high and protecting workers from unsafe or unfair working conditions. Most unions claim a right to exclusivity and reserve the right to admit or deny membership to potential union members based on factors such as worker status and their type of trade or skill.

Union history traces back to the guild system in Europe that sought to protect certain professions by controlling of skill mastery and advancement. Although the relationship between guilds and unions is not perfectly linear, and is therefore sometimes disputed, guilds as the forerunners of unions makes sense - it is the first example of workers organizing according to their own rules rather than those of their employer.

History

The industrial revolution during the eighteenth century in Europe prompted a new surge of new workers to enter the job market that had previously remained at home and now needed representation. In the United States, early workers and trade unions played an important part in the role for independence. Although their physical efforts for the cause of independence were ineffective, the ideas they introduced, such as protection for workers, stuck in American culture.

The History of Labor Unions

Trade unions really exploded in the United States during the nineteenth century with the founding of the first national union, the National Labor Union. It was created in 1866 and was not exclusive to any particular kind of worker. Although this union crumbled and made no significant gains for workers' rights, its founding was an important precedent. Next, the Knights of Labor was founded in 1869. Their membership peaked around 700,000 members, with some of their key issues being child labor opposition and demands for an eight-hour day. The most famous American union was probably the American Federation of Labor (AFL), founded in 1886 by Samuel Gompers. At its pinnacle, the union had about 1.4 million members. The AFL's working principle was "pure and simple" unionism, which sought immediate work environment improvements such as wage increases and enhanced safety within the workplace.

Today, unions still serve the same purposes for which they were originally founded. Current union agendas include ending child labor, increasing wages, raising the standard of living for the working class, and providing more benefits to both workers and their families. If you are interested in learning more, information about modern unions can help.

The History of Labor Unions

Joseph Devine

History of Crochet 1500 BC - 1820

Little is known of crochet's early history. It seems likely that the earliest crochet was made using fingers, rather than the hooks used today. There are theories that crochet could have existed as early as 1500 BC, as part of nun's work, which included needlepoint lace and bobbin lace.

There are three main theories for the origin of crochet. Some believe that it originated in Arabia and spread eastward to Tibet and then westward to Spain, finally following the Arab trade routes to other Mediterranean countries. Alternatively, it's thought to have originated in South America, where a primitive tribe used crochet adornments in puberty rites. Another alternative stems from the fact that in China, early examples were known of dolls worked in crochet.

History

However, there is no solid evidence as to how old crochet is or where it originated. The evidence of it appearing in the sixteenth century is slight, and hotly disputed. There are references to a type of "chained trimming" made around 1580. However this appears to have been a type of cord, sewn onto fabric like an ornamental braid.

History of Crochet 1500 BC - 1820

During the Renaissance, women crocheted several strands of thread producing fabrics similar to lace.

The earliest evidence of crochet, as we know it, is first commonly seen in the second half of the eighteenth century. Crochet may have developed from Chinese needlework, an ancient form of embroidery known in Turkey, India, Persia and North Africa, which reached Europe in the eighteenth century, and was referred to as tambouring. The main theory behind the origin of crochet seems to be that it began when it was realized that chains worked in a pattern would hang together without background fabric. At the end of the eighteenth century, tambour evolved into what the French called crochet in the air, when the background fabric was discarded and the stitch worked on its own. Tambour hooks were as thin as sewing needles, and therefore the work must have been done with very fine thread.

Crochet began to emerge in Europe in the early nineteenth century, boosted by Mlle Riego de la Branchardiere, well known for her ability to take needle and bobbin lace designs and turn them into crochet patterns that could be duplicated. She published numerous patterns and also claimed to have invented lace-like crochet, today called Irish crochet.

A type of lace called cheyne lace was made with a hook from the late eighteenth century and a primitive form of crochet called pjonting can be found from about 1820.

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History of Crochet 1500 BC - 1820

Providing Tips and Help with Crochet for the beginner and more experienced. Crochet History Part 2 [http://www.officialguidetocrochet.com/crochet-history-part2.html]

Free Criminal History Checks - Where Can You Find Them?

Why are criminal background checks so important? You feel like you have known someone for a long time, so why is it necessary to dig into their past and find things about them that should have been buried long ago.

Because not everybody is honest. If you are living next to a burglar who has committed hundreds of offenses, and is still on parole, would you feel comfortable? Probably not. How about if that person has multiple assault convictions? Even worse, is a registered sex offender?

History

But how can you go about finding this out? Did you know that arrests, jail time, and convictions are public record? It's true. All of this is public information and can be obtained rather easily, but you might have to pay for it since a person has to physically maintain a database. There is nothing wrong with that since you can not put a price on safety.

Free Criminal History Checks - Where Can You Find Them?

Never assume someone else has done this work already. Not all background checks are created equal. Some have very limited information, some don't check out of state, and some are missing important details. You need to know this!

By performing your own check, you can be assured that a full search was done, and you can know first hand exactly what this person has been convicted of. Maybe it is nothing, but maybe what was ignored by the employer is a big deal to you, and changes your view.

Your security is worth it. Your family also depends on this. Don't let problems go unnoticed. Know who you are living around and get this information before it is too late.

Free Criminal History Checks - Where Can You Find Them?

Get the criminal history of anyone easily with a criminal background check. Click Here and get all the info on anyone.

History of the Curling Iron

History of the curling iron. Is there such a thing or is the curling iron just a modern invention? Each generation is the same. We think we have invented something new when perhaps all we have done is to modify "old inventions" by applying modern technology. Let us begin to investigate the history of the curling iron or, as it is also known, the curling tong.

Let us begin with the definition of a curling iron. It is a tool, a cylindrical metal appliance, used to change the structure of the hair by applying heat to a lock of hair that has been curled around it. It is natural to think with a modern mind and assume that the heat is generated by electricity. However, the curling iron goes way back before the introduction of electricity.

History

We only have to look at carvings from the ancient world to see that people cared about the style of their hair and that a popular style involved creating curls. Babylonian and Assyrian men dyed their hair and square beards black and crimped and curled them with curling irons. Persian nobles also curled their hair and beards, quite often staining them.

History of the Curling Iron

Egyptian nobles, men and women, cropped their hair close but later, for coolness and cleanliness in their hot climate, shaved their heads. On ceremonial occasions, for protection from the sun, they wore wigs. The wigs would be short and curly or long and full of curls or braids. The Science Museum has an example of curling tongs used by rich Egyptians to prepare their wigs.

In classical Greece it is known that the upper classes used curling irons.

Through time there have been many methods devised to curl hair and to keep the curl in place. For example, in 1906 Charles L. Nessler, a German hairdresser working in London, applied a borax paste and curled hair with an iron to produce the first permanent waves. This costly process took twelve hours. Eight years later, Eugene Sutter adapted the method by creating a dryer containing twenty heaters to do the job of waving more efficiently. Sutter was followed by Gaston Boudou, who modified Sutter's dryer and invented an automatic roller. By 1920, Rambaud, a Paris beautician, had perfected a system of curling and drying permed hair for softer, looser curls by using an electric hot-air dryer, an innovation of the period made by the Racine Universal Motor Company of Racine, Wisconsin. A significant breakthrough came in 1945, when French chemist Eugene Schueller of L'Oréal laboratories combined the action of thioglycolic acid with hydrogen peroxide to produce the first cold permanent wave, which was cheaper and faster than the earlier hot processes. To control the amount of curl, varying diameter of rods were used for rolling. Technology to hold hair in place was advanced in 1960 when L'Oréal laboratories introduced a polymer hair spray to serve as an invisible net.

The curling iron has remained a favoured tool in spite of all the chemical inventions. We have moved on from the metal rods heated by insertion into hot coals or heating on gas or electric stoves. With no control of the heat of the iron there must have been many cases of singed hair, not to mention burnt fingers and scalps! Modern day styles demand more control and flexibility of hair style with hair looking loose rather than "glued into place". Electrically heated and electronically controlled irons and tongs are now available. The barrels come in varying sizes enabling a tight curl or loose falling curl finish. Some have a smooth easy-glide ceramic barrel to create a super smooth finish and you can also purchase drop curl hair tongs with a cone shaped tong to create loose, tumbling waves and tousled curls. The fluctuation in hair styles from curly to straight and back again means manufacturers will continue to dream up new innovations to attract both professional hair stylists and the consumer.

So who "invented" the curling iron? Inevitably you find many references to "invented" and "patented by" or "introduced by". The original inventor is lost in the mists of time but examples of the previous sentence are:

In1866, Hiram Maxim, who designed the machine gun bearing his name, applied for and obtained the first of many patents at age 26 for a hair-curling iron.

Four years later in 1890 two Frenchmen, Maurice Lentheric and Marcel Grateau, used hot-air drying and heated curling tongs to make deep, long-lasting Marcel waves.

The Straightening comb however, is actually credited as first being invented by the late 19th century French hairdresser, Marcel Grateau, who also, invented the curling iron, the permanent wave and later the Gillette safety razor which became popular in Germany after World War I.

In related developments, Rene Lelievre and Roger Lemoine invented an electric curling iron in 1959.

The pressing/curling iron was patented by Theora Stephens on October 21, 1980.

In August 1987 the Wahl Clipper Corporation introduced to the professional market the ZeeCurl. This flat-barrel curling iron gave stylists a tool to create new hairstyles with Z-shaped curls, adding texture and body to all types of hair. In 1988, FrenZee, the consumer version, was added.

There is little doubt that fashion will demand and dictate new innovations to ensure continuation of the history of the curling iron.

Rodger Cresswell

History of the Curling Iron

Rodger is Managing Director of Avondale Consultancy Limited and Consultant to JC Regali

History of the Celtic Druids

The Druids were an ancient order of Celtic priests in the societies of Western Europe, Britain and Ireland. The Celtic Druids served their communities by combining the duties of seer, priest, poet, philosopher, historian, scholar, teacher, doctor, astronomer and astrologer. The Celts had developed a highly sophisticated religious system, with three divisions of men who were held in exceptional honor; the lowest division were called the Ovates, the second division were called the Bards and then the Druids. The ovates were the healers and seers; the bards memorised the songs, poems, and stories of the tribe (historians); while the druids taught moral philosophy and were experts in the workings of natural science.

The Celtic Druids were advisers to the rulers of that time, acted as judges in the event of disputes, supervised executions and even controlled the legal system. They were held in such respect that if they intervened between two armies they could stop the battle. The Druid priests and priestesses acted as mediums through which the spirits could be summoned and heard, with rituals throughout the history of the Celtic Druids being enacted in sacred groves of oak trees and circles of standing stones

History

The first surviving and fullest account of the druids and their religion is that given by Julius Caesar in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico, book VI, written in Gaul in 59-51 BC. Overall, not much can be said of the druids with assurance as the sources of information about them is limited. However they continued to feature prominently in later sources of Irish myth and literature. Thus, the history of the Celtic Druids presents many obscurities and our main literary sources date back to the 2nd century BC with Pliny and The Commentaries of Caeser.

History of the Celtic Druids

"The principal point of their doctrine", Caesar wrote, "is that the soul does not die and that after death it passes from one body into another."

Caesar continued:


"With regard to their actual course of studies, the main object of all education is, in their opinion, to imbue their scholars with a firm belief in the indestructibility of the human soul, which, according to their belief, merely passes at death from one tenement to another; for by such doctrine alone, they say, which robs death of all its terrors, can the highest form of human courage be developed. Subsidiary to the teachings of this main principle, they hold various lectures and discussions on astronomy, on the extent and geographical distribution of the globe, on the different branches of natural philosophy, and on many problems connected with religion".
-Julius Cesar, "De Bello Gallico", VI, 13

After the first century BC the continental druids disappeared entirely and were referred to only on very rare occasions. However, there is some evidence that the druids of Ireland survived into the mid- to late-seventh century. In the De Mirabilibus Sacrae Scripturae of Augustinus Hibernicus, there is mention of local magi who teach a doctrine of reincarnation in the form of birds.

During the first millennium, Celtic and Druid spirituality was preserved by the Christian clerics who performed the valuable service of recording many of the stories and myths by which the oral teachings of the Druids were conveyed. People who think that Druidry was destroyed with the coming of Christianity fail to understand the resilience of spiritual teachings when they are encoded in myths and stories: and it is thanks to the clerics' recording of these tales that we can be inspired by them today. St Patrick also recorded all of the old Druid laws in Ireland - providing us with invaluable information on the ethics and social structure of Celtic Druid culture.

DRUID'S CIRCLES
A Druid's Circle is a popular name for circles of standing stones such as Stonehenge, which is the most famous example. These are also known as the "Temples of the Druids". Great mounds of earth were also built where the practice of seeking rebirth within the Earth was performed (in which initiates would sit in darkness awaiting the time of their rebirth). The best example of this is found at New Grange in Ireland, where a shaft is oriented to the Winter Solstice sunrise, so that the dawn rays can bathe the initiate in sunlight after his or her vigil through the night.

History of the Celtic Druids

Irish Astrology is about bringing awareness of the Celtic Symbols used in the Druid belief system. They were used as early as the Vedic, Greek, or Roman systems. Click here for more info on Celtic Symbols and here for lovely Free Screensavers

A Brief History of Gymnastics

Gymnastics is a graceful and artistic sport that requires a combination of strength, balance, agility, and muscle coordination, usually performed on specialized apparatus. Gymnasts perform sequences of movements requiring flexibility, endurance, and kinesthetic awareness, such as handsprings, handstands, split leaps, aerials and cartwheels.

Gymnastics as we know it dates back to ancient Greece. The early Greeks practiced gymnastics to prepare for war. Activities like jumping, running, discus throwing, wrestling, and boxing helped develop the muscles needed for hand-to-hand combat. Additional fitness practices used by the ancient Greeks included methods for mounting and dismounting a horses and a variety of circus performance skills.

History

Gymnastics became a central component of ancient Greek education and was mandatory for all students. Gymnasia, buildings with open-air courts where the training took place, evolved into schools where gymnastics, rhetoric, music, and mathematics were taught. The ancinet Olympic Games were born near this time.

A Brief History of Gymnastics

As the Roman Empire ascended, Greek gymnastics for was more or less turned into military training. In 393 AD the Emperor Theodosius abolished the Olympic Games completely. The games had become corrupt, and gymnastics, along with other sports declined. For centuries, gymnastics was all but forgotten.

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries two pioneer physical educators, Johann Friedrich GutsMuth and Friedrich Ludwig Jahn created exercises for boys and young men on sseveral apparatus they had designed. This innovation ultimately led to what is considered modern gymnastics. As a result, Friedrich Jahn became known as the "father of gymnastics". Jahn introduced the horizontal bar, parallel bars, side horse with pommels, balance beam, ladder, and vaulting horse.

In the early nineteenth century, educators in the United States followed suit and adopted German and Swedish gymnastics training programs. By the early twentieth century, the armed services began publishing drill manuals featuring all manner of gymnastic exercises. According to the US Army Manual of Physical Drill, these important drills provided proper instruction for the bodies of active young men.

As time went by, however, military activity moved away from hand-to-hand combat and toward fighter planes and contemporary computer-controlled weapons. As a result of the development of modern warfare, gymnastics training as the mind and body connection, so important for the Greek, German, and Swedish educational traditions, began to lose force. Gymnastics once again took on the aura of being a competitive sport.

By the end of the nineteenth century, men's gymnastics was popular enough to be included in the first modern Olympic Games held in 1896. The sport was a little different from what we currently know as gymnastics however. Up until the early 1950s, both national and international competitions involved a changing variety of exercises the modern gymnast may find a bit odd such as synchronized team floor calisthenics, rope climbing, high jumping, running, and horizontal ladder just to name a few.

Women first started to participate in gymnastics events in the 1920s and the first women's Olympic competition was held in the 1928 Games in Amsterdam, although the only event was synchronized calisthenics. Combined exercises for women were first held in 1928, and the 1952 Olympics featured the first full regime of events for women.

By the 1954 Olympic Games apparatus and events for both men and women had been standardized in modern format, and scoring standards, including a point system from 1 to 10, were implemented.
Modern Men's gymnastics events are scored on an individual and team basis, and presently include the floor exercise, horizontal bar, parallel bars, rings, pommel horse, vaulting, and the all-around, which combines the scores of the other six events.

Women's gymnastic events include balance beam, uneven parallel bars, combined exercises, floor exercises, vaulting, and rhythmic sportive gymnastics.

Until 1972, gymnastics for men emphasized power and strength, while women performed routines focused on grace of movement. That year, however, a 17-year-old Soviet gymnast named Olga Korbut captivated a television audience with her innovative and explosive routines.

Nadia Comaneci received the first perfect score, at the 1976 Olympic Games held in Montreal, Canada. She was coached by the famous Romanian, Bela Karolyi. Comaneci scored four of her perfect tens on the uneven bars, two on the balance beam and one in the floor exercise. Nadia will always be remembered as "a fourteen year old, ponytailed little girl" who showed the world that perfection could be achieved.

Mary Lou Retton became America's sweetheart with her two perfect scores and her gold medal in the All-Around competition in front of the home crowd in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

These days gymnastics is a household name and many children participate in gymnastics at one time or another as they grow up. Olga Korbut, Nadia Comaneci, and Mary Lou Retton, along with all those gymnasts since, have helped popularize women's competitive gymnastics, making it one of the most watched Olympic events. Both men's and women's gymnastics now attract considerable international interest, and excellent gymnasts can be found on every continent.

A Brief History of Gymnastics

Denise Villani is an author and the webmaster of several websites and article directories. Find more articles and information on gymnastics at Gymnastics-Stuff.com.

History of Online Banking

The concept of online banking as we know it today dates back to the early 1980s, when it was first envisioned and experimented with. However, it was only in 1995 (on October 6, to be exact) that Presidential Savings Bank first announced the facility for regular client use. The idea was quickly snapped up by other banks like Wells Fargo, Chase Manhattan and Security First Network Bank. Today, quite a few banks operate solely via the Internet and have no 'four-walls' entity at all.

In the beginning, its inventors had predicted that it would be only a matter of time before online banking completely replaced the conventional kind. Facts now prove that this was an overoptimistic assessment - many customers still harbor an inherent distrust in the process. Others have opted not to use many of the offered facilities because of bitter experience with online frauds, and inability to use online banking services.

History

Be that as it may, it is estimated that a total of 55 million families in America will be active users of online banking by the year 2010. Despite the fact that many American banks still do not offer this facility to customers, this may turn out to be an accurate prediction. The number of online banking customers has been increasing at an exponential rate.

History of Online Banking

Initially, the main attraction is the elimination of tiresome bureaucratic red tape in registering for an account, and the endless paperwork involved in regular banking. The speed with which this process happens online, as well as the other services possible by these means, has translated into a literal boom in the banking industry over the last five years. Nor are there any signs of the boom letting up - in historical terms, online banking has just begun.

History of Online Banking

Online Banking provides detailed information on Online Banking, History of Online Banking, Online Banking Services, Future of Online Banking and more. Online Banking is affiliated with Offshore Banking Accounts.

The History of Culinary Arts

Cooking was once seen as either a hobby or a chore. Up till now, it is regarded as a highly skilled line of work within a multi-billion industry. Students taking up culinary arts are equipped with different levels of skills and knowledge, but they all share the same thing and that is the passion for cooking. You will never go further and study culinary arts if, in the first place, you don't have interest in cooking, now would you?

Food is the one thing that has always been and will continue to be a big part of our daily lives as a result of the family recipes that we carry with great care from many generations passed. For some, they learn new cuisines while others even go to culinary schools to perfect their skills and experience and obtain a degree in culinary arts. Knowing that everybody needs food is so much easy to understand, but aren't you interested to know as to when and where do the different types of taste, presentations and features of the food started? If you are, then lets us discover the history of culinary arts.

History

The history of culinary can be traced back in the 1800s when the very first cooking school in Boston was teaching the art of American cooking along with preparing the students to pass on their knowledge to others. The first cookbook ever published was written by Fannie Merrit Farmer in 1896, who also attended the Boston cooking school and whose book is still widely used as a reference and it remains in print at present.

The History of Culinary Arts

The next phase in the history of culinary arts was taken through the television where in 1946 James Beard, who is also recognized as father of the American cuisine, held regular cooking classes on the art of American cooking. On the other hand, the French cuisine was brought to life in the American society by Julia Child in 1960s when, through the power of the radios, she entered all the kitchens nationwide.

Later on the history of culinary, the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) was founded and was the first culinary school to hold career-based courses on the art of cooking. Its first location was in the campus of Yale University in Connecticut, which was later moved in 1972 to New York. But before the CIA was established, those who wanted a career in culinary arts normally had to go through apprenticeships under seasoned chefs to gain on-the-job training. This learning method was a traditional course in Europe, but rather a challenging arrangement as organized apprenticeships were a quite new concept in the history of culinary arts in the US. However today, apprenticeships continue to offer an excellent culinary experience to aspiring chefs.

The History of Culinary Arts

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The History of Obesity

Obesity is simply fatness in a degree higher than being overweight. The energy intake coming from food is stored as fat because the body does not use it. Obesity has quite an impact in one's physical health that many degenerative diseases are directly and indirectly linked to obesity as observed in the history of obesity. It may even have a much worse impact on a person's mental health. Throughout the history of obesity, its reputation varies from appreciation and the opposite among cultures and in time.

Take a look in the history of obesity and we'll learn that this is truly an age-old health condition. Ancient Egyptians are said to consider obesity as a disease, having been drawn in a wall of depicted illnesses. Perhaps the most famous and earliest evidence of obesity is the Venus figurines, statuettes of an obese female torso that probably had a major role in rituals. Ancient China have also been aware of obesity and the dangers that come with it. They have always been a believer of prevention as a key to longevity. The Aztecs believed that obesity was supernatural, an affliction of the gods. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, was aware of sudden deaths being more common among obese men than lean ones as stated in his writings. In certain cultures and areas where food is scarce and poverty is prevalent obesity is viewed as a symbol of wealth and social status. To date, an African tribe purposely plumps up a bride to prepare her for child bearing. Before a wedding can be set, a slim bride is pampered to gain weight until she reaches the suitable weight.

History

Throughout the history of obesity, the public's view and status of obesity changed considerably in the 1900's. It was regarded as unfashionable by the French designer, Paul Poiret who designed skin-revealing clothes for women. About the same time, the incidence of obesity began to increase and become widespread. Later in the 1940's, Metropolitan Life Insurance published a chart of ideal weights for various heights. They also advocated that weight gain parallel to age is not ok. The government and the medical society became more hands-on with obesity by initiating a campaign against it. This was preceded by a study of risk factors of cardiovascular diseases revealing obesity among the high ranks. Since then various diet and exercise programs have emerged. In 1996, the Body Mass Index (BMI) was published. This statistical calculation and index determined if a person is obese or not. At this time, obesity incidence have soared, led by children and adolescent obesity, tripling in just a few short years, greater than any number in the history of obesity.

The History of Obesity

Perhaps the most controversial is the independent film, Super Size Me. Released in 2004, Super Size Me was written, produced and directed by American independent filmmaker, Martin Spurlock in an exploration of the prevalence of obesity in the USA. He documented 30 days of his life in an experiment of eating only McDonald's food with completely no exercise. He began the project as healthy and lean but ended up overweight. It was later followed by several other documentaries and a few changes in the McDonald's menu. The history of obesity should be well studied so precautions can be practiced and thus prevent obesity from spreading.

Over the years and in the history of obesity, it seems to worsen despite growing awareness and combating techniques that it has been called an epidemic.

The History of Obesity

Milos Pesic is an expert in the field of Weight Loss and Obesity and runs a highly popular and comprehensive Obesity [http://obesity.need-to-know.net/] web site. For more articles and resources on Obesity and Weight Loss related topics, symptoms and treatments visit his site at:

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History Of Soccer - Interesting Facts

Soccer has become increasingly more popular in the United States in the last 30 years, with nearly 3 million children between the ages of 5-19 now playing in youth soccer leagues throughout the nation.

Soccer began in England in the mid-1800's, and was originally played by the higher, more aristocratic English classes in their boarding schools and private clubs. The ease and inexpense of the sport quickly moved it ahead as a sport for the masses however. Today soccer is ranked as one of the world's leading sports for commoners.

History

The London Football Association was founded and 1863 and is responsible for standardizing game rules throughout Europe. In less than 20 years, professional players and teams were hitting the field.

History Of Soccer - Interesting Facts

Soccer began to spread throughout Europe almost immediately, with Spain, Germany, Italy, and France all taking up the game b the early 20th century. As interest in the sport grew throughout the world, so did an interest in formal competition. In 1900, the first soccer game was played at the Olympics, with medals introduced just eight years later. Professional players, however, were exempt from competition in the Olympic Games for more than 80 years.

In 1904, The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), was formed, followed by the first World Cup international competition in 1930. A round-robin style tournament that pits teams from individual nations against each other every four years, the World Cup has grown into an international affair, with nearly 200 teams now seeking admittance. Only 24 are permitted to compete.

Although it took the United States years to enter the soccer arena on a widespread basis, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) was formed in 1913. Unfortunately, most Americans preferred watching (and playing) a different form of the sport -- American football -- until a Brazilian named Pele, (considered to the greatest soccer player of all time), joined the N.Y. Cosmos team in 1975. With such an amazing player to watch in America, popularity of the sport grew throughout the states, until his retirement in 1977, when soccer once again took a backseat to football. Following Pele's retirement, the North American Soccer League slowly lost fan support, finally dissolving in 1985.

It wasn't until the men's World Cup competition, was held in the United States in 1994, that soccer interest was renewed among American youth. The Major League Soccer (MLS), was founded in 1993, and began its first season in 1996 with 10 teams and 32 regular season games. More than 3 million fans watched the playoffs that year. By 1991, women were finally allowed to play on a professional level, when the Women's World Cup competition was introduced for the first time.

The interest in youth soccer remains strong throughout the United States today. Sports teams and leagues are now available in nearly every American community. From pee-wee players who aren't even in school yet, to semi-professional high school teams, players of all interest and abilities are now hitting the soccer field for both spring and fall competition. The U.S. Youth Soccer, a division of the USSF, now includes nearly 3 million official players.

History Of Soccer - Interesting Facts

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Caribbean Food - A Little History

The Arawak, Carib, and Taino Indians were the first inhabitants of the Caribbean islands. These first inhabitants occupied the present day islands of British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Trinidad, and Jamaica. Their daily diet consisted of vegetables and fruits such as papaw, yams, guavas, and cassava. The Taino started the process of cooking meat and fish in large clay pots.

The Arawaks are the first people known to make a grate of thin green wood strips on which they slowly cooked meat, allowing it to be enhanced by the flavor of the wood. This grate was called a barbacoa, and the word we know today as barbeque is taken from this early Indian cooking method.

History

The Carib Indians added more spice to their food with hot pepper sauces, and also added lemon and lime juice to their meat and fish recipes. The Caribs are said to have made the first pepper pot stew. No recipes exist since every time the Indians made the dish, they would always add new ingredients. The Carib had a big impact on early Caribbean history, and the Caribbean sea was named after this tribe.

Caribbean Food - A Little History

Then the Caribbean became a crossroads for the world . . .

Once the Europeans brought Africans slaves into the region, the slaves diet consisted mostly of food the slave owners did not want to eat. So the slaves had to be inventive, and they blended their traditional African foods with staples found on the islands. The Africans introduced okra, callaloo, fish cakes, saltfish, ackee, pudding and souse, mangos, and the list goes on.

Most present day Caribbean island locals eat a present diet that is reflective of the main ingredients of original early African dishes, and includes cassava, sweet potatoes, yams, plantains, bananas and corn meal.

African men were hunters in their homeland, and often away from home for long periods of time. They would cook spicy pork over hot coals, and this tradition was refined by the early slaves in Jamaica. The technique is known today as "jerk" cooking , and the secret involves a slow meat cooking process. Jamaica is famous for jerk chicken and pork, and you'll find jerk all over the island.

After slavery was abolished, the Europeans went to India and China for labor, and more cooking styles were introduced. Much of the Indian cooking culture remains alive and well in the Caribbean of today with the introduction of curried meats and curry powder. Indians call it kari podi, and we have come to know this pungent flavor as curry.

The Chinese introduced rice, which is always a staple in home cooked island meals. The Chinese also introduced mustard, and the early Portuguese sailors introduced the popular codfish.

Most visitors to the Caribbean have no idea that the fruit trees and fruits so familiar to the islands were introduced by the early Spanish explorers. The fruit trees and fruits brought from Spain include orange, lime, ginger, plantains, figs, date palms, sugar cane, grapes, tamarinds and coconuts.

Even the Polynesian islands play an important role in Caribbean cooking. Most of us remember the movie "Mutiny on the Bounty", but do not know that particular ship carried breadfruit, which was loaded on board from the islands of Tahiti and Timor. In the movie the crew took over the ship, forced the captain into a small boat to fend on his own, and they threw the breadfruit, which they considered "strange fruit" overboard. Another ship was more successful in bringing breadfruit from Polynesia to Jamaica and the St Vincent and the Grenadines. Breadfruit is a staple diet in the current day Caribbean

America is responsible for introducing beans, corn, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, and chili pepper to the Caribbean. In fact these particular foods had never been seen in Asia, Europe or Africa, so America actually introduced these foods the rest of the world via the Caribbean.

So it's no wonder Caribbean cooking is so rich and creative with the flavors of Africa, India, and China, along with Spanish, Danish, Portuguese, French and British influences. Food served in the Caribbean islands have been influenced by the cultures of the world, but each island adds its own special flavor and cooking technique.

Caribbean Food - A Little History

Linda Thompkins is a Caribbean travel consultant and owner of Travel 2 the Caribbean online agency. Linda and her husband reside in Indianapolis, Indiana and have traveled extensively throughout the Caribbean.

Travel 2 the Caribbean has been in business for seven years and offers secure online booking, and travel agent booking.

[http://www.travel2thecaribbean.com]

The History of STDs

The STD epidemic is not limited to today's youth - oh no. Some STDs (and their painful, scientifically dubious treatments) date back several hundreds of years. Let's take a look at some of the older ones and the myths about them that caused some pretty unorthodox treatments throughout the history of STDs:

Herpes

History

Herpes has been around since ancient Greek times - in fact, we owe the Greeks for the name, which roughly means "to creep or crawl" - presumably a reference to the spread of skin lesions. Although local STD testing wasn't available until long after the virus was identified in 1919, early civilisations could see that it was a real problem - the Roman emperor Tiberius introduced a ban on kissing at public events to try and curb the spread. Not much is known about early attempts to treat the disease, but be grateful you weren't around during the physician Celsus' experimental phase: he advocated that the sores be cauterised with a hot iron!

The History of STDs

The problem certainly never went away - Shakespeare referred to herpes as "blister plagues", implying the extent of the epidemic. One common belief at the time was that the disease was caused by insect bites, which seems like an obvious explanation given the sores that the sexually transmitted disease creates.

Syphilis

Mercury was the remedy of choice for syphilis in the middle ages - the understanding of the sexually transmitted disease's routes and this treatment gave birth to the expression: "A night in the arms of Venus leads to a lifetime on Mercury". This was administered orally or via direct contact with the skin, though one of the most unlikely methods involved fumigation, where the patient was placed in a closed box with only their head poking out. The box contained mercury and a fire was started beneath it causing it to vaporise. It wasn't hugely effective, but was very, very uncomfortable. Because Syphilis sores have a tendency to vanish on their own after a while, many people believed they were cured by just about any remedy in the STD's history!

As the sexually transmitted disease became better understood, the ability to cure it increased. In 1908, the arsenic based drug Salvarsan was developed and, while not 100% effective, was a massive step forward. Its lack of effectiveness in the tertiary phase of the STD led to another disease being used as a cure: malaria. Because it seemed that those with high fevers could be cured of syphilis, malaria was used to induce an initial fever, which was considered an acceptable risk because malaria could be treated with quinine. Penicillin eventually confined both these treatments to STD history.

Gonnorhea

Before the days of local STD testing, Gonnorhea was often mistaken for Syphilis, as without a microscope, the two had very similar symptoms and were often silent. Of course, if you were "diagnosed" with the disease, you were in for an unfortunate treatment. According to some, the syringes found aboard the Mary Rose was designed to inject liquid mercury down the urethra of an crew suffering from the disease. By the 19th century, silver nitrate was a widely used drug, later to be replaced by Protargol. A colloidal silver replaced this, and was widely used until antibiotics came to the rescue in the 1940s.

So if you think that local STD testing and treatment is a painful process now, give a thought to the poor folks who had mercury or arsenic treatment all those years ago - and thank God for antibiotics!

The History of STDs

Tim Leach is the Marketing Manager of USA Lab Testing, providers of local STD testing

History of ADHD

In this day and age, you would think that ADHD has been around forever. The disorder itself has been around for quite some time, but it was only recently that it was given the name Attention Deficit Disorder. Before that, the disorder had various names that changed over the years.

In 1902, there is the first documented disorder relating to impulsiveness. This was in Britain, and the doctor who diagnosed the impulsive disorder was named Dr. Still. He called this disorder "Defect of Moral Control" and he believed that the diagnosed individual had a medical disorder beyond their control.

History

After this event, the next documentation of similar symptoms was in 1922. Here, the symptoms we associate with ADHD were given the name "Post-Encephalitic Behavior Disorder." What this title means I am not quite sure, but that was the name during this time period.

History of ADHD

The next event in the history of ADHD was in 1937, where Dr. Charles Bradley introduced the use of stimulants in children who were hyperactive. I still find it interesting that stimulants were thought of to treat hyperactive children when they were already bouncing off the walls. While it is true that stimulants calm hyperactive kids down, how did someone hypothesize that this would occur? After this, in 1956, Ritalin was introduced as the drug of choice to treat hyperactivity.

In the 1960s, stimulants were used by a wider population. The only symptom that was really documented at this point was hyperactivity. In the early 1960s, the disorder was called "Minimal Brain Dysfunction". At the end of the decade, though, the name of the disorder was changed to "Hyperkinetic Disorder of Childhood."

The next event that occurred in relation of ADHD was that new symptoms were added to the realm of the disorder. Along with hyperactivity, added symptoms were lack of focus and spaceyness associated with impulsiveness. Impulsiveness now included verbal, cognitive and motor impulsiveness.

In 1980, the disorder was given its current name of Attention Deficit Disorder, with or without hyperactivity. This was documented in the DSM-III put out by the American Psychiatric Association. ADD and ADHD were two different diagnoses.

Next, in 1987, ADD was changed to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The American Psychiatric Associated noted that this was a medical diagnosis, and not purely psychological. They also noted that ADHD could cause behavioral issues.

In 1996, a new medication called Adderall was approved by the FDA for the treatment of ADHD. After a period of time, it was deemed to be better at treating the disorder since it lasted longer and was easier to come down off of. In 1999, other medications were added to treat ADHD such as Concerta and Focalin. In 2003, Strattera was introduced as the first ADHD medication that was not a stimulant. This drug acted like an antidepressant, but increased the amount of norepinephrine in the brain.

History of ADHD

Keith Londrie II is a well known author. For more information on ADHD, please visit ADHD for a wealth of information. You may also want to visit keith's own web site at http://worldwide-solutionz.com [http://worldwide-solutions.com/]

The Jewish Menorah - A History

The menorah is a seven branched candelabra which has come to represent the Jewish People and Israel. Its origins directly derive from the Torah and its symbolism has proven to be long lasting.

Early coins and pottery containing images of the menorah and dating back to biblical times have been recovered from archaeological sites.

History

The first menorah was originally made for the tabernacle and later placed in the first and second temples. The Torah records how the great artist, Bezalel, fashioned the menorah in accordance to detailed Divine instructions. These instructions are recorded in Exodus 25:31-40, see excerpt below:

The Jewish Menorah - A History

"31 And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, its knops, and its flowers, shall be of one piece with it. 32 And there shall be six branches going out of the sides thereof: three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candle-stick out of the other side thereof..."

Listed below are some of the facets of the menorah:

- (as stated above) it was hewn out of a single block of pure gold

- it weighed approximately 150 pounds and just under 5 ft in height

- it had seven branches; a middle branch and three branches extending from each side

- according to Maimonides and Rashi, the side-branches extended from the middle branch in a diagonal line, not in a semi-circular arc as most drawings depict

- extra pure olive oil was used in the cups - gently pressed, not crushed and just the first emerging drops were considered pure enough

- it was positioned beside the southern wall of the temple, opposite the 'shulchan', the table which held the twelve show-breads.

The daily maintenance and lighting of the menorah was a task allocated to the Kohanim (priests). Interestingly, although only the Kohanim were permitted to prepare the menorah, there were no restrictions as to who could light it.

It is written that one branch of the menorah miraculously stayed alight continuously. Synagogues today have a 'ner tamid' (everlasting light) situated opposite the ark, which contains the Torah scrolls. This reminds us of the significance of the menorah during temple times. In addition many synagogues also display a menorah, or an artistic impression of one, in painted decorations or on stained glass windows.

After the fall of the Second Temple, Jewish historian Flavius Josephus recorded that the menorah was taken to Rome and carried along during the triumphant homecoming parade. A depiction of this event is preserved on the Arch of Titus that still stands today in Rome.

During the Jewish festival of Chanukah a menorah is lit on each of the eight nights. This menorah differs from the temple's menorah in that it has nine branches instead of seven.

The location of the original menorah is unknown today but the symbolism lives on; the national emblem of the State of Israel is a menorah, flanked by two olive branches.

The Jewish Menorah - A History

The author of this article researched the origins of the menorah during the development of a range of Judaic themed homeware. [http://www.judaicamosaica.com]

University of Kentucky Basketball - History

The University of Kentucky basketball program has a history that rivals that of any college in any conference in America. The Kentucky Wildcats, located in Lexington, Kentucky, boast at the top of their resume the most wins in college basketball history. An arguably even more important record held by the University of Kentucky basketball program is the high water mark for the greatest winning percentage of all time. Among the other notable accomplishments in the hundred plus year history of Kentucky basketball are seven national championships (second only to UCLA) and 98 NCAA Tournament wins (second to UNC).

The Kentucky program has had enviable success in every decade of an existence that started with an inauspicious beginning when the inaugural 1903 season was completed with a dismal 1-2 record, the lone win coming against the Lexington YMCA. Underwhelming success for the upstart program nearly resulted in the basketball squad ceasing to exist past the first decade of the twentieth century. With a cumulative record of 15 and 29 after the 1908 season the university administration voted in 1909 to dismantle the program. Fortunately the student body rallied to save the team and effectively what would eventually become the culture of the University of Kentucky.

History

The first paid head basketball coach at the University of Kentucky was a man by the name of E.R. Sweetland who also concurrently coached the football team. Under coach Sweetland the future powerhouse experienced its first taste of success with its first winning season (5-4) in 1909 and an impressive undefeated season (9-0) in 1912. It was during this era that the nickname Wildcats was first attached to the university. Commandant Corbusier, head of the school's military department, is credited with coining the term after commenting that in a victory over the University of Illinois the Kentucky squad "fought like Wildcats." The nickname stuck and to this day college basketball fans around the world know the University of Kentucky team as the Wildcats.

University of Kentucky Basketball - History

New coach George Buchheit took over the program in 1919 and instituted a bizarre system by modern day standards whereby one player from his team remained under each basket for the entirety of each game. After coach Buchheit a number of coaches preceded the famed Coach Adolph Rupp including C.O. Applegran, Ray Eklund, Basil Hayden, and John Mauer. Maur is particular noteworthy for installing what were at the time novelty offensive components that included screens set away from the ball and the deceptive bounce pass. Opposing teams were so thrown off by the ingenuity of the bounce pass that they referred to the dizzying floor maneuvers simply as the "submarine attack."

Kentucky basketball turned a critical corner with the 1930 hiring of Adolph Rupp who would hold the position of head coach for an awe-inspiring forty two years between 1930 and 1972. Coach Rupp experienced such success and national acclaim during his tenure that when the University of Kentucky opening a new stadium in 1976 the faculty selected Rupp Arena as the name of the 23,500 seat home for the Wildcats.

Although Coach Rupp was a tough act to follow he did cement the groundwork for successful Kentucky teams in the decades following his retirement. Among the high profile coaches that have tried their best to fill his shoes are notable names such as Joe Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith, briefly Billy Gillispie, and current head coach John Calipari who at the time of this writing has the Kentucky Wildcats in position to fight for their eighth NCAA national championship. Regardless of whether Coach Calipari wins a basketball national championship at the University Kentucky the one thing that history has taught us is that the quest for an elusive eighth championship is not a matter of if it will happen, but rather when will it happen.

University of Kentucky Basketball - History

Jeff grew up as a hardcore Kentucky basketball fan as is evidenced by the fact that he still has nightmares about when Christian Laettner took a three quarters court inbound pass from Grant Hill and then proceeded to sink a sixteen footer to knock Kentucky out of the Final Four in 1992. From the early days of supporting Rick Pitino to more recent support for Rajon Rondo Jeff has always had University of Kentucky wallpaper of one form or another set as his desktop background.

Jeff asks that all true blue Kentucky fans follow in his footsteps by visiting his website for a wide selection of University of Kentucky computer wallpaper options that are perfectly suitable for work.

A Brief History of Real Estate: The Fee Simple Ownership

Arthur Wellesley (1769-1852), Duke of Wellington, is reputed to have been the one to exclaim 'All good things come from England, but cavalry is not one of them' while facing Napoleon's French Army at Waterloo on June 18, 1815. Wellesley had learnt his military trade in India applying his study of the art of war and had became a master of the reverse-slope tactic - keeping his forces screened from artillery fire behind the brow of a hill. At Waterloo, however, Wellesley's Armies were outwitted by Napoleon. The French Emperor had imitated Wellesley's tactics by positioning 200 heavy artillery guns behind a ridge at La Haye Sainte. When the Hussars and Dragoons cavalrymen led by Lord Uxbridge attacked in the famous Charge of the Scots Greys, Napoleon commanded the guns on the topline of the ridge and one of the epic artillery bombardments in history began. It was at this very moment, at the height of the Charge and while his 3,000 cavalrymen were being slaughtered by the rapid artillery fire of Napoleon's heavy guns, that the phlegmatic English General is reputed to have exclaimed his now famous remark, directed at Lord Uxbridge who had apparently ordered the Charge without Wellesley knowing it. The day was saved by Gebhard von Blucher (1742-1819), Field Marshal of Prussia, who led the assault of the Kaiser's Prussian Cavalry against the French right wing, thus causing the entire French line to collapse.

Wellesley's famous remark has been retouched several times throughout the years, depending on one's point of view. The British dropped the second part - the reference to the ill-fated cavalry charge - thus creating the popular short version 'All good things come from England' - period. When about a century later Britain had the unwise idea of attacking the Ottoman Empire and the British and French Armies were fighting the Turks side-by-side in WWI, General Mustapha Kemal - the English-speaking Commander of the Turkish Garrison and victorious defender of Gallipoli - paraphrased the English dictum after 289 days of siege by turning it, somewhat deprecatingly, into: "No good things ever come from England". And Mahatma Gandhi throughout his teachings of non-violent conflicts resolutions makes reference to the fact that "All good things come from India".

History

Alas, no matter what your point of view is, I shall submit to readers of my Blog that "at least two good things comes from England" : Fee Simple Ownership and Organized Real Estate.

A Brief History of Real Estate: The Fee Simple Ownership

English real estate law (or 'Estate Law' as it was known back then) was imported, through colonization, into the earlier forms of law in the U.S.A., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Many of these states, or their territories, have since modified this historical law, to varying degrees. A study of the old feudal land system of England provides us with an invaluable glimpse of legal history regulating the most valuable asset of them all: land. In medieval times, land was the sole form of wealth and it depended primarily on possession. You had it, you owned it. You wanted it, you fought for it. You found it, you kept it. There were no courts or police force ready to recognize or enforce "legal rights" as we know them today. All this changed with the Norman conquest of England in 1066. William decreed that he owned all of the land in England by right of conquest. Not one acre of England was to be exempted from this massive expropriation. This sudden vacuum of privately-held land was promptly filled by a variety of huge land grants given by the new King to either his Norman officers or to those of the English who were ready to recognize him as king. The device used by the King to control and administer his land was that of tenure. Tenure was the key component of the feudal system. The King struck a bargain with a Lord for a large chunk of land. The Lords that held their tenure directly from the King were called Tenants-in-chief. It was this group of persons who formed the basis of English aristocracy and began, by the process of subletting the King's land, the implementation of the feudal system.

Tenures were of a variety of duration known as "estates" and the Fee Simple Estate was the most extensive and allowed the Tenant to sell or to convey by will or be transferred to the Tenant's heir if he died. In modern law, almost all land is held in fee simple and this is as close as one can get to absolute ownership in common law. It was in this context that the British began their dominion over the seas and their explorations which led to the modern nations of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States of America. The concept of developing an informal association of local real estate agents originated in the United States in the 1880s, and by the turn of the century about 15 Real Estate Boards had been established. The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) was formed in the U.S. in 1908 with 19 boards and one state association. Organized real estate in Canada is almost as old as the country itself. The very first Real Estate Board was set up in 1888 in the growing community of Vancouver. Back then, a commercial lot on Hornby Street near the Hotel Vancouver sold for 0. The Vancouver Board - as it was known then - was active until the start of the First World War, when operations were suspended. It resumed in 1919, and has been operating ever since.

The distinction of the oldest, continuous running Board belongs to Winnipeg, Manitoba. It started in 1903, and the Winnipeg Real Estate Board was the first in Canada to celebrate its 100th anniversary. The Toronto Board was incorporated in 1920, followed by boards in Ottawa, Hamilton, Regina and Victoria in 1921. More than half of the existing Real Estate Boards in Canada were created after 1955, in part because of the evolution of the "Photo Co-Op System" that was introduced in 1951. That was the forerunner of today's MLS®, introduced in 1962. The Co-op System not only created a need for an organization to establish rules and promote co-operation among agents, but also to provide funds to operate a real estate board. That's when technology first changed the real estate industry.

A Brief History of Real Estate: The Fee Simple Ownership

Luigi Frascati is a Real Estate Agent based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Economics and maintains a weblog entitled the Real Estate Chronicle at http://wwwrealestatechronicle.blogspot.com where you can find the full collection of his articles. Luigi is associated with the Sutton Group, the largest real estate organization in Canada, and is based with Sutton-Centre Realty in Burnaby, BC.

The History of New Years Resolutions

The tradition of the New Year's Resolutions goes all the way back to 153 B.C. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar.

With two faces, Janus could look back on past events and forward to the future. Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions and many Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies and also exchanged gifts before the beginning of each year.

History

The New Year has not always begun on January 1, and it doesn't begin on that date everywhere today. It begins on that date only for cultures that use a 365-day solar calendar. January 1 became the beginning of the New Year in 46 B.C., when Julius Caesar developed a calendar that would more accurately reflect the seasons than previous calendars had.

The History of New Years Resolutions

The Romans named the first month of the year after Janus, the god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances. He was always depicted with two faces, one on the front of his head and one on the back. Thus he could look backward and forward at the same time. At midnight on December 31, the Romans imagined Janus looking back at the old year and forward to the new.

The Romans began a tradition of exchanging gifts on New Year's Eve by giving one another branches from sacred trees for good fortune. Later, nuts or coins imprinted with the god Janus became more common New Year's gifts.

In the Middle Ages, Christians changed New Year's Day to December 25, the birth of Jesus. Then they changed it to March 25, a holiday called the Annunciation. In the sixteenth century, Pope Gregory XIII revised the Julian calendar, and the celebration of the New Year was returned to January 1.

The Julian and Gregorian calendars are solar calendars. Some cultures have lunar calendars, however. A year in a lunar calendar is less than 365 days because the months are based on the phases of the moon. The Chinese use a lunar calendar. Their new year begins at the time of the first full moon (over the Far East) after the sun enters Aquarius- sometime between January 19 and February 21.

Although the date for New Year's Day is not the same in every culture, it is always a time for celebration and for customs to ensure good luck in the coming year.

Ancient New Years

The celebration of the New Year is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, Babylonians celebrated the beginning of a new year on what is now March 23, although they themselves had no written calendar.

Late March actually is a logical choice for the beginning of a new year. It is the time of year that spring begins and new crops are planted. January 1, on the other hand, has no astronomical nor agricultural significance. It is purely arbitrary.

The Babylonian New Year celebration lasted for eleven days. Each day had its own particular mode of celebration, but it is safe to say that modern New Year's Eve festivities pale in comparison.

The Romans continued to observe the New Year on March 25, but their calendar was continually tampered with by various emperors so that the calendar soon became out of synchronization with the sun.

In order to set the calendar right, the Roman senate, in 153 BC, declared January 1 to be the beginning of the New Year. But tampering continued until Julius Caesar, in 46 BC, established what has come to be known as the Julian Calendar. It again established January 1 as the New Year. But in order to synchronize the calendar with the sun, Caesar had to let the previous year drag on for 445 days.

Global Good Luck Traditions

With New Year's upon us, here's a look at some of the good luck rituals from around the world. They are believed to bring good fortune and prosperity in the coming year.

AUSTRIA - The suckling pig is the symbol for good luck for the new year. It's served on a table decorated with tiny edible pigs. Dessert often consists of green peppermint ice cream in the shape of a four-leaf clover.

ENGLAND - The British place their fortunes for the coming year in the hands of their first guest. They believe the first visitor of each year should be male and bearing gifts. Traditional gifts are coal for the fire, a loaf for the table and a drink for the master. For good luck, the guest should enter through the front door and leave through the back. Guests who are empty-handed or unwanted are not allowed to enter first.

WALES - At the first toll of midnight, the back door is opened and then shut to release the old year and lock out all of its bad luck. Then at the twelfth stroke of the clock, the front door is opened and the New Year is welcomed with all of its luck.

HAITI - In Haiti, New Year's Day is a sign of the year to come. Haitians wear new clothing and exchange gifts in the hope that it will bode well for the new year.

SICILY - An old Sicilian tradition says good luck will come to those who eat lasagna on New Year's Day, but woe if you dine on macaroni, for any other noodle will bring bad luck.

SPAIN - In Spain, when the clock strikes midnight, the Spanish eat 12 grapes, one with every toll, to bring good luck for the 12 months ahead.

PERU - The Peruvian New Year's custom is a spin on the Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes at the turn of the year. But in Peru, a 13th grape must be eaten to assure good luck.

GREECE - A special New Year's bread is baked with a coin buried in the dough. The first slice is for the Christ child, the second for the father of the household and the third slice is for the house. If the third slice holds the coin, spring will come early that year.

JAPAN - The Japanese decorate their homes in tribute to lucky gods. One tradition, kadomatsu, consists of a pine branch symbolizing longevity, a bamboo stalk symbolizing prosperity, and a plum blossom showing nobility.

CHINA - For the Chinese New Year, every front door is adorned with a fresh coat of red paint, red being a symbol of good luck and happiness. Although the whole family prepares a feast for the New Year, all knives are put away for 24 hours to keep anyone from cutting themselves, which is thought to cut the family's good luck for the next year.

UNITED STATES - The kiss shared at the stroke of midnight in the United States is derived from masked balls that have been common throughout history. As tradition has it, the masks symbolize evil spirits from the old year and the kiss is the purification into the new year.

NORWAY - Norwegians make rice pudding at New Year's and hide one whole almond within. Guaranteed wealth goes to the person whose serving holds the lucky almond.

Chinese New Year

Except for a very few number of people who can keep track of when the Chinese New Year should be, the majority of the Chinese today have to rely on a typical Chinese calendar to tell it. Therefore, you cannot talk of the Chinese New Year without mentioning the Chinese calendar at first.

A Chinese calendar consists of both the Gregorian and lunar-solar systems, with the latter dividing a year into twelve month, each of which is in turn equally divided into thirty- nine and a half days. The well-coordinated dual system calendar reflects the Chinese ingenuity.

There is also a system that marks the years in a twelve-year cycle, naming each of them after an animal such as Rat, Ox, Tiger, Hare, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar. People born in a particular year are believed to share some of the personalities of that particular animal.

The History of New Years Resolutions

Gary Ryan Blair is the inspiration behind Got Resolutions - http://GotResolutions.com

Got Resolutions was founded on the premise, that a single resolution can positively and profoundly create lasting change in your life and help to make the world a better place.

To learn more, visit http://GotResolutions.com

Gary can be reached for media requests, television or radio appearances and speaking services at 877-462-5748 or by sending an email to Gary@GoalsGuy.com

Why History?

History is widely considered to be a core component of a proper homeschooling curriculum. In fact, according to homeschooling authorities Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer, "history is the subject," because it presents "the unfolding of human achievement in every area - science, literature, art, music, and politics." Yet how many of us can say we were excited to learn history as a child, that we emerged from our own youth with a history education that actually empowered us to make our way through the world, and that we regularly engage the past of human civilization as a vital component of our lives?

There is no shame in admitting that you found history dull, that you thought it was a waste of time, or even that you hated it as a child. The way that it was taught, it probably deserved your disdain! Like Kevin Arnold, the young man of the TV show The Wonder Years, you probably remember history as mind-blowingly boring. I'll never forget the episode in which Kevin's history teacher, played by Ben Stein, begins a lesson: "The Hundred Years' War...Year Four!" As a historian, I laughed and I cringed when I first saw that episode. It captures perfectly why for so many people the mere thought of attending a history lecture causes their eyes to roll to the back of their heads.

History

Honestly, if you like history (or, like me, you love it), you know you are one of only a few.

Why History?

But if history is something almost everyone hated as a child, how can it be something we all believe we need to teach our kids? Is it because we want them to suffer as we did? Of course not. Still, the question remains: "Why history?"

In Wise and Bauer's The Well-Trained Mind, the question is acknowledged, but not really answered. Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns is quoted as saying, "History is the study of everything that has happened until now. Unless you plan to live entirely in the present moment, the study of history is inevitable." Unfortunately, this answer just raises the question: why shouldn't one live entirely in the present?

Indeed, comparing present-day American culture with others in history, I can honestly say that with the possible exception of the Dark Ages, there has never been a time in history in which a greater percentage of the population was so absorbed by their own personal sphere of concerns and so ignorant of the vast pageant of achievements and failures that is humankind's past.

What of it?

The world demands that we get busy living. Modern life especially involves the most complicated set of challenges that people have ever faced. On a daily basis we have to adapt to the fast-paced changes of the professional world. We have to juggle our careers with the needs of our families and friends. We have to take care of our homes, service our cars, and upgrade our computers. We have to stay fit, watch our sugar and caffeine intake, and monitor our cholesterol and our trans fats.

Life is the subject, not history. How could anyone possibly argue that the past - a world that is long gone - deserves attention at the expense of the ever-more demanding present? This question deserves a good answer - especially if you are going to dedicate a significant portion of your energy as a homeschooling parent to making sure that your child learns history. Also, you better believe that your child is going to want to know why history is worth the effort, even if he or she does not ask the question out loud.

The first part of the answer is that there is no such thing as the present apart from the past.

The past is not a world long gone. It permeates the world around us. Indeed, it is the reason there even is a world around us. Without the past, the present would not have come into existence!

To grasp this point, sit down in your home school and pick an object - any object - from among your teaching tools and begin dissecting it. But do so historically. My favorite example is an analog clock. It has a clear plastic cover and a plastic casing, but I'm going to leave that aside, along with the dial and the amazing system of Arabic numerals that are inscribed on it. I'm going to focus on the electric motor that powers it, thanks to a current provided by a tiny battery.

Where does that come from? How did it come to exist?

Obviously it was made in a factory. But how did there come to be factories that make this kind of device? The type of motor in modern clocks was first created by Nikola Tesla, "the man who invented the twentieth century."

Tesla's inventions, however, were only made possible by the previous work of scientist Michael Faraday, who sixty years earlier discovered the relationships between magnetic fields and electrical currents. Suffice it to say that Faraday learned that magnets can create a current, and that a current can physically move a magnet. Of course, Faraday himself was building upon a foundation of previous scientific work stretching back to the investigation of magnetism by William Gilbert. Gilbert's On the Magnet, published in 1600, was a milestone in scientific history.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the simple clock, which we all take for granted, would not exist but for the ingenious thinking and strenuous efforts of a host of incredible scientific minds going back over 400 years! Not to mention that Gilbert's work relied on the previous use of the magnetic compass by European sailors, which itself was rooted in the centuries-old use of lodestone by the Chinese.

(For a far more engrossing story about the wonders of another ordinary object, I recommend the essay, "I, Pencil," by economist Leonard Read, which details the mind-boggling complexity of a pencil's creation, told very humorously from the point of view of the pencil. Read it econlib.org/library/Essays/rdPncl1.html)

Applying this method of thinking to an everyday thing is a way of understanding how the world we live in was made. It is an example of how one can gain an essential perspective I call historical-mindedness.

Historical-mindedness is the ability to engage the past as a productive aspect of living in the present. It is the capacity to draw on history as an intellectual resource for living.

There is a big difference between having such a capacity and merely knowing a lot of facts. The most brilliant people are not those who retain everything, but those who have the instinctive ability to discard anything that isn't relevant.

Regarding history, the real power lies not in piling up more facts, but in being able to see relationships between them. When one can grasp fundamental similarities between past and present, despite circumstantial differences, one can learn and apply the "lessons of history," i.e. the principles applicable to all human life. If one can grasp the connection between the actions of people in the past, and the world that those actions produced, one can develop a proper appreciation for the man-made values around us.

Let us look more closely at these crucial values.

When the Founding Fathers created the United States, they realized that many of the problems they faced were unique and required unique solutions. Unquestionably, however, they also looked back on the history of Western civilization, and drew momentous lessons from it, including the fact that the separation of church and state is an objective requirement of progress. Thomas Jefferson, drawing on history, noted, "In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own." In a previous correspondence, Jefferson remarked, "History... furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government." His great collaborator in the project of American secularism, James Madison, commented in a letter to a friend that "Every new and successful example, therefore, of a perfect separation between the ecclesiastical and civil matters, is of importance; and I have no doubt that every new example will succeed, as every past one has done, in showing that religion and Government will both exist in greater purity the less they are mixed together."

Two more historical-minded individuals than Jefferson and Madison one cannot find in all of history. But what of Americans today? Can it be said that our politicians, let alone the bulk of the citizenry, are able to glean the lessons to be learned from the past? How many people have an understanding of the defeat of the Zoroastrian theocrats of Persia by the freedom-loving Greeks deeper than the comic book-like depiction of it in the movie "300"? Do Americans carry the lessons of that era with them when directing the destiny of their own country? Do today's voters think back to the stagnation of the European Dark Ages and compare it to the dynamism of the Islamic Golden Age? Do they think of the regression of Spain under the Inquisition compared to the tolerationist Dutch Republic of the same period? Far too few have such considerations in mind. Consequently, American secularism, and thus the American way of life, is constantly under threat.

This historical example can also serve to illustrate the point that historical-mindedness involves being able to better appreciate the values we enjoy and the people who created those values. No one who has made a proper study of history can deny that the founding of the United States and the institutions that buttress its civilization is the most remarkable accomplishment in human governance ever devised. Whether one is drawn to the noble premises of the Declaration of Independence, to the intricate workings of the "separation of powers," or to the key articles of the Bill of Rights, one finds everywhere the distilled essence of every truth that came before. Of the many things that can be said of the Founders, including an account of their personal flaws or their failure to jettison the legacy of slavery, historical-mindedness demands that one recognize that fundamentally, they were the Founders, and their work is the greatest advance for individual rights and for secularism in history. For the historical-minded American, the 4th of July is not merely a day for fireworks, but a day of most solemn reflection and thanksgiving. It is a way of appreciating the living past.

That's why history is so important. For the historical-minded individual, the same clarity of perception and passion that so many feel towards American rights and freedoms permeates every part of life. It renders the seemingly mundane - an analog clock, or a pencil! - into something wondrous. It gives one the ability to see and enjoy the present on a whole new level.

Sadly, the most recent generations of students have been weaned off of history. They've been fed the replacement pablum of social studies. Can anyone doubt the tragic results of this substitution when considering the new depth of ignorance to which these students have sunk? Young adults emerge from twelve years of education, and indeed from college, without a meaningful awareness of the Magna Carta, the subsequent development of the English Parliament, and the fact that the English brought these great advances with them on board the Godspeed, the Discovery, and the Susan Constant in 1607. Many Americans thus have no idea that representative government in America, in the form of the Virginia House of Burgesses, which first sat in 1619, predates the arrival of the Mayflower by a year!

Why do they have virtually no knowledge of the story of American government? Because social studies presents the spectrum of human experiences as disconnected bits, in no particular order. As so many parents have relayed to me over the years, social studies classes jump from continent to continent, from culture to culture, from theme to theme, quite randomly. The result is that children don't know which came first, the American Revolution or the Civil War, and they certainly can't understand why slavery was so hard to abolish in between the two milestones.

Only history can weave the myriad and disparate elements of the past together. History shows the sequence of events and uncovers the causes - both of which are forms of integration that render each detail intelligible and more retainable. It is thus only history that can give young minds a complete picture of the past and connect that picture to the present. It is only history that can provide both a proper knowledge of the past, and the ability to deploy that knowledge to improve one's life in the here and now.

I hope that in this closer study of the question of the purpose of history, you feel a new resolve to pursue it. As a homeschooler, you have found the courage to reject the educational status quo, which so many people take for granted. This is in itself a demonstration of historical-mindedness, since it involves rejecting what everyone else accepts in the name of a historical model. Already you have immeasurably helped to remake your child's educational world.

Now all you need is more history! The increased historical-mindedness it will bring can reinforce your appreciation of the freedom to homeschool, fortify your belief in the value of pursuing an independent course, and inspire you to continue being the kind of person who shapes the world, rather than merely lives in it.

Why History?

Scott Powell is a historian living in Houston, TX. He is the creator of http://www.HistoryAtOurHouse.com - a homeschooling history program for students from 2nd to 12th grade. This article was originally published in Secular Homeschooling magazine (http://www.secular-homeschooling.com), and is reproduced with permission here.