Features
11/9/16 -The History of the Olympics…or the Olympics as History, Part II
Fanfare, Glory, Spectacle: The opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games invite spectators to lose themselves in a state of suspended disbelief, even if for the briefest of moments. The combination of music, lights, and the palpable excitement at the most recent Rio Olympics filled the arena as the event commenced. This opening event and the… Read the Rest »
9/28/16 – The History of the Olympics…or the Olympics as History, Part I
With the impressive, theatrical, and culturally provocative closing ceremony of 2016 Rio Summer Olympics behind us, I thought it fitting to compose my thoughts on the history of this global event that brings the world a bit closer together for a few weeks every four years. Undoubtedly, the Olympics inspire feelings of patriotism for one’s… Read the Rest »
9/7/16 – Historic Cookbooks
As a historian, I read a lot of books. And as a foodie, I read a lot of cookbooks. While many of the history books I read are newly published within the last few years, others date back decades. Typically, these books fall into the category of a secondary source, meaning that they reveal what… Read the Rest »
5/25/16 – The Thompson Writing Awards
The Center of the American West held its 17th Annual Thompson Writing Awards last month in Boulder, Colorado. Having been involved with the organization since enrolling in the Center’s certificate program in 2008, I was thrilled to be asked to judge in the poetry category of this year’s contest and then attend the awards ceremony…. Read the Rest »
5/18/16 -Traveling Through the Mountains…on Camel Back?
I have always found the history of transportation in the West exciting, but as a historian, I find this subject increasingly relevant not only because it tells a story about changing technology and regional development, but because it also speaks to the power of individual ingenuity and innovation. While I was conducting research for an… Read the Rest »
4/6/16 – Santa Anita in the 1940s
Recently, the SHRA research team had the opportunity to visit Santa Anita Park, a horse racing venue in Arcadia, CA. They saw a statue of Seabiscuit, an unlikely champion thoroughbred whose last triumphant race was run there on March 2, 1940. The race, the Santa Anita Handicap, had a purse of $125,000 and Seabiscuit had… Read the Rest »
2/3/16 – The Legacy of Public Libraries – Then and Now, Part III
The American metal industry and public libraries have a fascinating and intertwined history. Glimpses into this rather unexpected historical narrative can be explored in the two previous installments of this blog series, available here and here. But nowhere is the connection between these two entities more pronounced than in the philanthropic work of Andrew Carnegie. Andrew… Read the Rest »
12/16/15 – The Transformation of American Christmas
If I were to hand you a calendar and ask you to point out the most American of our national holidays, which one would you choose? The Fourth of July and Thanksgiving would be clear frontrunners, but would you choose Christmas? There is an argument to be made that you should. In our country’s pre-history,… Read the Rest »
12/9/15 – The History of the War Assets Administration
On December 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan’s naval and air forces of attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor, a date that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt exclaimed “would live in infamy.”[1] He quite accurately anticipated that this event would mark a pivotal moment in American history. In commemoration of that date, this week’s blog… Read the Rest »
11/25/15 – Meatless Monday
“Meatless, Wheatless, and Sweetless!” It sounds more like a modern fad diet than something you would see in the archives. But alas, that is precisely where SHRA stumbled upon this intriguing statement. We found the phrase so compelling we had to dig deeper. As history would have it, the origins of the phrase can be… Read the Rest »