• America,  Economic History

    The History of Money

    The objects of value that have served as forms of currency, have gone through considerable change over the past 10,000 years. We began with a barter system, where traded services and resources resulted in an agreed upon exchange of mutual advantage. In fact, individuals, organizations, and governments still prefer to use the barter system of exchange in some cases. In 9000 – 6000 B.C with agricultural based communities, cattle and other livestock (sheep, camels, etc.) are the first and oldest forms of money. The use of grain and other vegetable or plant products became standard forms of barter in many cultures. The first use of cowries, the shells of a…

  • Military History,  Presidential history

    Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address

    President Abraham Lincoln delivered, on November 19, 1863, a military dedication during the American Civil War. His dedication at a military cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania was to become one of the most famous speeches of all time. Though only 272 words long, Lincoln’s address moved the public in its reminder of the necessity of the Union’s fight to win. Just four months prior to his speech the Battle of Gettysburg was waged. It was the bloodiest battle fought in the Civil War killing more than 45,000 men in just three days time and the point at which General Robert E. Lee retreated from Gettysburg in defeat. It was the last Confederate invasion…

  • Ancient History

    The Mayan Collapse

    New evidence into the mysterious cause of the extinction of an ancient empire. Description of photo:  The interior of Yok Balum cave in Belize, where scientists harvested a telltale stalagmite The agriculture-based Mayan Civilization occupied the Central America region, what is now know as Guatemala, and the surrounding area, beginning in 1,800 B.C. They were known for their magnificent stone monuments; the last one erected before their collapse was the Kukulkan pyramid in Chichen Itza, Mexico. The Mayan culture experienced a remarkable expansion, which has been studied and evidenced in architectural, political and textual artifacts from what is known as the Classic Period, until its decline beginning around 800 AD. Just…

  • America,  Military History

    First Veterans Day Proclamation

    On October 8th, 1954 President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first Veterans Day Proclamation. It was on June 4, 1926, that Congress passed a resolution to observe the anniversary of the end of World War I, Nov. 11, 1918. In 1938, before the holiday was known as Veterans Day, Congress made Nov. 11 a legal holiday called Armistice Day.

  • America,  Military History

    Veterans Affairs Goal of Updating IT Infrastructures

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs’, Eric. K. Shinseki, message for Veterans Day 2012 can be viewed on the VA website. In his message he talks about the VA “renewing our country’s historic covenant with its Veterans”. He spoke about how, with 21st century technology and a committed workforce, the VA is dedicated to making strides in its efficiency of providing benefits for those who have served in the armed forces. An article on the Rock Hill Herald Online states that Nelson Enterprise Technology Services (NETS), has been awarded a contract having a start day of Oct. 15, 2012. The NETS job is the modernization of  the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs large IT infrastructures. It is a huge undertaking in that the…

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  • America,  Economic History,  Housing,  Military History

    History of VA Home Loan Program

    On October 26, 2012 the 20 Millionth VA Home Loan was purchased by the spouse of an Iraq War Veteran who passed away in 2010. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loan program first got its start as part of the GI Bill of Rights in June of 1944. The GI Bill, officially named the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, was established to provide benefits for those returning home after serving in World War II. Besides the government backed, low interest home loans, the bill also served to provide veterans with college scholarships. The legislation was of such immense influence it  is credited with helping to establish the American middle class.   Source: VA Website ,…

  • America,  Presidential history

    Second Term Presidents

    There were 17 elected two term presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson, Lincoln, Grant, Cleveland, McKinley, Wilson, F. Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, Bush43, Obama There were four presidents who served two terms, but one term was not from election, but from serving after their deceased predecessors. After finishing out the term of other Presidents, they were then re-elected: Teddy Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman, and LBJ There were three presidents that were elected to a second term, but did not finish the second term: Lincoln and McKinley were assassinated Nixon resigned from office  

  • America,  Presidential history

    List of United States Presidents

    18th Century 1. George Washington 2. John Adams 19th Century 3. Thomas Jefferson 4. James Madison 5. James Monroe 6. John Quincy Adams 7. Andrew Jackson 8. Martin Van Buren 9. William Henry Harrison 10. John Tyler 11. James K. Polk 12. Zachary Taylor 13. Millard Fillmore 14. Franklin Pierce 15. James Buchanan 16. Abraham Lincoln 17. Andrew Johnson 18. Ulysses S. Grant 19. Rutherford B. Hayes 20. James Garfield 21. Chester A. Arthur 22. Grover Cleveland 23. Benjamin Harrison 24. Grover Cleveland 25. William McKinley 20th Century 26. Theodore Roosevelt 27. William Howard Taft 28. Woodrow Wilson 29. Warren G. Harding 30. Calvin Coolidge 31. Herbert Hoover 32. Franklin…

  • America,  Presidential history

    Understanding The Electoral College

    THE NEW YORK TIMES FOR KIDS So … How Does the Electoral College Work, Again? It’s weird. It’s confusing. It’s how we elect the president. The Electoral College is a process, not a place. The founding fathers established it in the Constitution as a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens. The Electoral College process consists of the selection of the electors, the meeting of the electors where they vote for President and Vice President, and the counting of the electoral votes by Congress. The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. A majority of…

  • History of Psychiatry

    Freud’s Legacy

    Freud brought into our awareness and is recognized for such concepts as the “id,” “ego”, “superego” and “Oedipus complex.” But what has survived in modern psychoanalytic practice, amidst a prevailing environment in psychiatry today of the biological and pharmacological, is the power of the unconscious mind and our past as it affects our current life and issues. The American Psychoanalytic Association  (APsaA), which was founded in the year 1911, is still in existence today. They stress the psychoanalytic framework as consisting of individual uniqueness, unconscious factors influencing one’s behavior, the past’s relevance to the present and that the process of human development is ongoing throughout life; all consistent with Freudian views.…