History

 
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The advent of historically-themed movies and TV shows has given interest in history a tremendous boost. There are no significant historical events that have not been the subject of at least one movie. The drawback is that not every movie is historically accurate - Hollywood portrays versions of the facts that bring in the most profits, not necessarily those that are true to life.

My favorite period in history is the 50- to 60-year span that encompassed the American and French revolutions, together with all the wars that took place in their aftermaths. There has been no other period in history that had so much influence on the future of the world, either before or since.

As a high-school student, I was not very interested in history. My passions lay elsewhere: science and math. History began to draw me in when, in preparation for becoming a U.S. citizen, I needed to acquire a basic knowledge of American history. I found that the story of the revolution and how the U.S. became an independent nation fascinated me. I read book after book, studying the lives of the famous men of the time: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and others.

I will never forget seeing a performance of the Broadway musical, "1776", that dramatized the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence. The play conveys with amazing fidelity the courage of the signers, who, knowing that if captured by the British, they would certainly have been executed for treason, went ahead with the deed regardless.

History is fascinating. I know that many don't believe that but it really is. History is like a foreign country that we can know about but never visit.


Speaker: 
Richard
Date Recorded: 
Monday, May 25, 2020
Date Posted: 
Monday, May 25, 2020
Type of GEM: 
GEM of the Day: 
Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Comments

Thoughtful and sincerely appreciative. I particularly like the last line.
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