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| "She, standing at the door, saw me, and thought I made, as I certainly did, a most awkward, ridiculous appearance" (Wikimedia) |
Note: "Founding father" Benjamin Franklin was in may ways "larger than life." His legend is enhanced by his constant writing and publication--often in promotion of his own virtues.
Get Ready: Do you know any good stories about the "first meeting" between a future husband and wife?
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| Halley's Comet in the Bayeux Tapestry (Wikipedia) |
Note: The most important date in English history--1066, the year a French count took England as his own--is commemorated in this stunning work of art.
Get Ready: What can art teach us about history? Can it be trusted?
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| Anne Frank's passport photo, taken two months before she and her family went into hiding.(Wikipedia) |
Note: A young girl's diary brings home the horrors of World War II in a way that few other books have.
Get Ready: Do you keep a diary (or have you ever)? Do you think it could be helpful to future historians?
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| Susannah and the Elders by Chiari (c. 1700-1727) (Wikipedia) |
Note: Some Bibles have extra books or passages, called "Apocrypha," which contain "extra" materials. Nevertheless, some of these are of great interest. Here's one such story.
Get Ready: If someone tells a lie about you, how can you prove it?
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| Queen Esther in the palace of King Ahasuerus (Wikimedia) |
Note: Despite her lack of historical status, Queen Esther has been held up as a model Jewish hero for generations, and her act is commemorated in a holiday even today.
Get Ready: Does a person need to be "real" to have a major impact on her or his culture?
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| Romulus, Remus, and "the Capitoline Wolf" (Wikipedia) |
Note: Many great cities have their origins in the "mists of time," and stories are concocted to account for their existence. Here's the story of Rome.
Get Ready: What do you know about the founding of your city, or the nearest large city to where you live? Is the account of the founding strictly historical, mostly historical, mostly imaginary, or entirely imaginary?
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| Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara and Clark Gable as Rhett Butler in a poster for the 1939 film version of Gone with the Wind (Wikipedia) |
Note: The classic novel Gone with the Wind is set against the horrors of the American Civil War, but is really about the stormy relationship between two passionate people.
Get Ready: Would you ever marry someone for money?
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| The Iron Throne as seen in the TV series (Wikipedia) |
Note: George R. R. Martin, the "American Tolkien," has created a complex world of medieval warfare that has spun off numerous books and TV series. Let's find out the secret of their popularity!
Get Ready: What sort of books or stories translate well as television shows or films? What types are harder to adapt?
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| A lady giving a favor to a knight about to do battle (Wikipedia) |
Note: Every society has rules that people of various classes are supposed to live by. In Medieval Europe, the nobles were to abide by, among other things, the Rules of Courtly Love.
Get Ready: What are the rules you follow for the relationship between men and women (or men and men, or women and women)?
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| Mont Saint Michel (Wikipedia) |
Note: The historian Henry Adams uses two tourist destinations in France as a "hook" to discuss the Middle Ages in a beautiful little book.
Get Ready: What do you know of the art and architecture of the European Middle Ages? What are its main themes?
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| The only surviving authenticated portrait of Billy the Kid (Wikipedia) |
Note: In just over two decades of life, young Henry McCarty made himself a name as "Billy the Kid." the legend lives on.
Get Ready: Do you find characters like Billy the Kid to be "romantic heroes," or see them as mere outlaws?
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| From the cover of a Burmese comic about Pauk Kyaing |
Note: How a poor student followed his teacher's advice and became the founder of a great Burmese dynasty.
Get Ready: Why isn't "history" enough? Why do so many culture need to attach legends to their founding heroes (like George Washington and the cherry tree)?
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| Cabeza de Vaca crosses the desert (Wikipedia) |
Note: Few works of fiction rival the Relación of Cabeza de Vaca, a supposedly objective report of explorations in North America.
Get Ready: Is there any rational explanation for stories of healing by means other than traditional medicine, such as "faith healing"?
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| "A Suspicious Character" (1888) (Wikipedia) |
Note: Jack the Ripper remains one of the most fascinating killers in history, and the mystery of who he was remains unsolved.
Get Ready: As we shall see, the number of serial killers has increased from before 1800 until today. What might be some of the reasons for this?
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| P. T. Barnum (Wikipedia) |
Note: The "Greatest Showman" or the "Prince of Humbugs," P.T. Barnum was a model of American ingenuity, with a bit of the con man thrown in.
Get Ready: Would you allow somebody to fool you out of a small amount of money if the result was entertaining?
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| Wyatt Earp (Wikipedia) |
Note: One of America's most famous "lawmen" often crossed over to the other side...
Get Ready: How is it possible for someone who is sworn to uphold the law to also break the law regularly? Is this surprising, or does it seem natural to you?
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| A fiercesome wizard (Wikipedia) |
Note: Move over, Harry Potter: Meet the prototypical wizard named Merlin--advisor to King Arthur and a true wonder worker--in this lesson on BUZZWORDS!
Get Ready: Do you enjoy fantasy stories, filled with wizards and witches and the like? If so, what's your favorite? If not, why not?
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| Mission San Gabriel, where Ramona's parents were said to be married (from page 60 of the novel at Google Books) |
Note: Helen Hunt Jackson's novel Ramona tells of the trials of a half-Indian orphan girl in the days of the California missions.
Get Ready: Do you know where California cities like San Francisco, San Diego, and San Jose get their names?
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| The Death of Socrates (1787), by Jacques-Louis David (Wikipedia) |
Note: Socrates was executed for "corrupting the morals of the youth." Learn the story behind this "crime" and "see" how he died.
Get Ready: Do you think we should always listen to our parents, teachers, government leaders, and others in authority? Or should we question what they say to be sure it's the right thing?
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| Blackbeard (Wikipedia) |
Note: The pirate Edward Teach, known as "Blackbeard," is remarkably famous considering that his career spanned only two years!
Get Ready: What do you know about pirates and pirate lore?
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