Archive for 2009

2009: An Eventful Year of Firsts, Wackiness, and a Transgression or Two

In All Posts on 28 December 2009 tagged bernie madoff, blagojevich, conan, federer. sotomayor, healthcare, kanye west, michael jordan, obama, serena williams, steven tyler, taylor swift, tiger woods, timelines with no comments

There are three more days until the first decade of the 2000s is over. That is hard to believe, especially because Y2K and all its predicted doom seems like it happened just last year. But before we dive headlong into decade number two, let’s take a quick look back at 2009 (using events posted on [...]

TV Holiday Classics with Rudolph, Charlie Brown, the Grinch (and Chewbacca???)

In All Posts on 16 December 2009 tagged charlie brown, chewbacca, christmas, grinch, rudolph the red nosed reindeer, star wars, tv holiday specials with no comments

This time of year always brings great memories of childhood – gift-giving, gift receiving, listening for reindeer and Santa on the roof, and especially the holiday TV shows. My favorite show was (and truth be told, still is) “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”. Who doesn’t like all of the misfit characters searching for [...]

Yay! We’re number 8…

In All Posts on 14 December 2009 tagged education, history, social studies sites, teaching tools with Comments Off

… on the “Best Social Studies Web Sites – 2009″, according to Larry Ferlazzo, writer of a very popular blog focused on finding sites that are useful for teachers and as classroom resources.  Larry writes:
Timelines is a neat tool that lets users contribute towards making “timelines” of historical events with text, photos, and videos. People [...]

Looking for the perfect gift this holiday season? Look no further than these six books

In All Posts on 10 December 2009 tagged battle cry of freedom, book reviews, city of the century, endurance, ernest shackleton, flyboys, history, smartest guys in the room, summer of 49 with no comments

It’s that time of year again, when gift giving and visions of Yule logs are top of mind.  Many of you are probably asking yourself, “What should I get for <insert name> this year?” Well, I’ve concluded that nothing says “That’s an incredibly thoughtful gift!” quite like a good book.  And I’m especially [...]

A Hail Mary Thrown (and Answered) Twenty Five Years Ago – an Event Chronicled

In All Posts on 24 November 2009 tagged boston college, boston red sox, carlton fisk, doug flutie, hail mary, university of miami with no comments

Doug Flutie is one of the most storied college football players of all time. Twenty five years ago on November 23, 1984, in an away game against a heavily favored Miami team, he solidified his legend when his desperation heave was caught by Gerard Phelan with no time left on the clock. His [...]

Technology-savvy educators recommend Timelines.com for teachers and their students

In All Posts on 10 November 2009 tagged classroom tools, teaching, technology for teachers, timelines with no comments

It’s cool when someone discovers Timelines.com. And it is especially gratifying when a teacher discovers it and recommends it to his/her colleagues for use in the classroom.
Timelines was recently recommended on TechLearning.com, the site for Tech and Learning Magazine, providing practical resources and expert strategies for the education community.  Author Larry Ferlazzo (who by [...]

Ever wondered what happened on your birthday? Or what happened in a certain year?

In All Posts on 10 November 2009 tagged abraham lincoln, benjamin harrison, jefferson davis, john cusack, miley cyrus, nintendo, timelines, titanic, van halen with no comments

Well, you can stop wondering, because Timelines.com just launched easy ways to find these out.
Let’s say your birthday is April 14. Purely coincidental, but that would make yours the same as mine. So, the following eclectic collection of events happened on April 14:
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated

The Titanic sank

Van Halen released their “Diver Down” [...]

Al Capone linked to Franklin D. Roosevelt? Yes, it’s a documented fact

In All Posts on 30 October 2009 tagged al capone, franklin delano roosevelt, world war 2 with no comments

News of a politician being connected with a corrupt person is hardly unusual these days. Living in Illinois, we are intimately familiar this topic, as it seems to be a daily occurrence here. But, news of FDR being linked to Al Capone? Now that would qualify as news.
Well, it’s true, but not [...]

High death counts, low notoriety – 7 massive disasters known by few

In All Posts on 23 October 2009 tagged disasters, explosions, fires, molasses, sinkings with 2 comments

It never ceases to shock me when I hear about a past disaster – especially a big past disaster – for the first time. It shocks me for the obvious reasons: massive loss of life and property, and the tragedy of it all. But it also causes me to ask, “Why haven’t I [...]

51 United States? The story of the lost (and long forgotten) State of Franklin

In All Posts on 14 October 2009 tagged American Revolution, animal skins, Benjamin Franklin, Continental Congress, North Carolina, Southwest Territory, State of Franklin, States admitted to the Union, Tennessee, timelines.com, US Constitution with 2 comments

Quick, name the “first state of the United States“.  You are right if you said Delaware.  Or are you?
Well, according to the Journals of the Continental Congress, eight counties of western North Carolina voted to secede from that state, formed the State of Franklin and petitioned the Continental Congress to become an independent state under [...]