First Valentine

After reading an overview of the Valentine holiday on history.com, I was intrigued that they had attributed the first Valentine to Charles the Duke of Orleans in 1415.  Charles was captured by the English after the Battle of Agincourt and sent to England to be imprisoned in the Tower of London.    There he wrote the following poem to his wife:

Original French	English
Je suis desja d’amour tanné, Ma tres doulce Valentinée, Car pour moi fustes trop tart née, Et moy pour vous fus trop tost né. Dieu lui pardoint qui estrené M’a de vous, pour toute l’année. Je suis desja, etc. Ma tres doulce, etc. Bien m’estoye suspeconné, Qu’auroye telle destinée, Ains que passast ceste journée, Combien qu’Amours l’eust ordonné. Je suis desja, etc.	I am already sick of love, My very gentle Valentine, Since for me you were born too soon, And I for you was born too late. God forgives him who has estranged Me from you for the whole year. I am already, etc. My very gentle, etc. Well might I have suspected That such a destiny, Thus would have happened this day, How much that Love would have commanded. I am already, etc.

*This original Valentine still exists in the British Library Manuscript collection.

Here is another source to explore this beloved holiday:
Love and Romance Through the Ages by the Virtual Museum of Canada

Mr. Bean & House do History

I have always been impressed by those who can cover up their natural accent, and sound like someone totally different.  Most Americans who are fans of the show House would not believe that Hugh Laurie was British.  I start with this observation because everyone needs to see clips of one of his earliest works called Blackadder.  He was in the third and fourth seasons of this highly regarded British Comedies from the 1980s that starred Rowan Atkinson before he was Mr. Bean.  The comedy follows a family through four eras of British History from 1485-1917.  I find it similar to America's MASH.  It is a laugh out loud comedy that still shows the drama of history.  The following are two of my favorite clips from the fourth season dealing with the trenches of WWI.

How did the war start?
Over the Top

Labeling Wars

When I went to visit a friend teaching at a boarding school in England I took one central question with me: what do British students call the American Revolution? As I went through the town of Uppingham I felt like I was being taken to Harry Potter Land. The students even wore scarfs that represented the houses where they lived. Even though I did get a stereotypical boarding school experience I did not get the answer to my question that I thought. I assumed I would get something completely different from what is used in the US, but for the most part students know the war as the War for American Independence or just part of the colonial wars. They do stay away from labeling it a revolution. Frankly the Brits get a little boring in naming their wars (except maybe the Boer War). For example the War of 1812 or Seven Years War or how the Irish War for Independence is just the Anglo-Irish War.

I am really interested in some of the best war names in history. Comment if you have an opinion.

Famous Names

I often find myself referencing Jonny Cash in my classroom and students are confused because a musical reference does not follow. My parents did not realize that by naming my little brother Jonathan Cash he would forever face people shortening his first name. As a loving older sister, I often tell stories of the antics of Jonny Cash to explain what not to do as a student. FYI sticking paper clips in a chemistry electric socket does give a shock and does major damage to the system.

Having a famous musician name would be awesome to some, but I find historical names even better. After watching a recent episode of Downton Abbey I realized I know very little about the Irish War for Independence and the Irish Civil War. So after doing some digging I found that my father in law was a leader in both conflicts. Of course the timeline does not work, but Richard James Mulcahy was an instrumental figure in developing the military forces for Irish independence in the early 20th Century. He helped establish the original IRA and survived to old age, which was uncommon for Irish revolutionaries. Even though my father in law did not lead a movement against a major world power he did help raise six amazing boys. Many consider the latter to be just as difficult of an accomplishment.

Not boring archives

One of the best resources for bringing actual history to students are the National Archives of both the US and UK. They have lessons, activities, simulations, and most importantly the primary sources that brings history to classrooms across time and space. From taking a look at William the Conquerors Doomsday Book in the UK to US WWII letters these two online locations are an amazing cross-Atlantic resource.

http://www.archives.gov/education/
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

History of the Holidays Resources

Teachers if you did not know the History Channel has a great series on the history of the holidays.  They are wonderful especially if you are teaching Ancient and Medieval World History.  Each clip gives the origin of traditions but then connects it to modern day activities.  There are even readings that students can do to better understand what they see around them and participate in during various holidays.

Here is the link to the Christmas page:
http://www.history.com/topics/christmas

Teachers Sample International Delicacies

As the holiday season is around the corner, I feel that it is very appropriate that a friend of mine got to travel to Finland over Thanksgiving.  I have worked with Sandra for seven years and we have even traveled to Europe together.  Sharing the passions of history, travel, and University of Virginia athletic there is always something to talk about.  So, I could not wait to hear stories of her adventure to Scandinavia.  The big question was, did you eat reindeer? Her answer was of course yes.  She said it was a little tough and gamy.  She knows she ate it once but she thinks it was in a few other dishes that she did not recognize on her trip.  This is now a trend for us because a couple years ago another colleague, Jason, went to Peru for his honeymoon.  I decided it was very important for him to come and talk to my world history classes when we were on the subject of the Incas.  It was amazing to see his pictures of Machu Piccu, but the greatest reaction from students came with his story of eating guinea pigs.  The tradition is to select your guinea pig alive like you would a lobster here then the cooks take it inside and prepare the delicacy.   Probably my claim to fame as far as eating goes is the the haggis of Scotland.  On our honeymoon, my husband talked me into eating the sheep's stomach that housed its organs and some other lovely spices.  My impression was the same as Sandra and Jason's.  We are glad to have sampled the traditional dishes, but we will probably stay away from them in the future.

Below is an interesting website on cooking around the world.  Here is a recipe for reindeer:
The Global Gourmet