Tag Archives: American history
Cabin Fever Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 26, 2020
Do you have cabin fever yet? It’s an English language phrase of American origin, expressing a feeling of restless anxiety and boredom from being indoors for a prolonged period of time. It is also something that you may soon be experiencing. Literally billions of people all over the world are finding themselves in self-isolation, or…
English Words in the News: Primary Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 6, 2020
I live in New Hampshire, which means that every four years, media from all over the world stumble over each other in an effort to learn what my neighbors are thinking about. This is not an exaggeration. I was once interviewed on Danish television! The reason for this quadrennial (meaning every four years) fascination with…
English Words in the News: Impeachment Posted by Gary Locke on Nov 21, 2019
If you’ve been following the news, and it’s been hard to miss it, the United States is currently dealing with the fourth presidential impeachment inquiry in its history. Remarkably few American citizens actually know exactly what impeachment means, and how it works. Putting aside the politics of the moment, let’s take a look at the…
The American Veteran Posted by Gary Locke on Nov 7, 2019
Americans celebrate Veterans Day every November 11 as a way of honoring every person who has ever served in the United States Armed Forces. Note that the word Veterans has no apostrophe. Memorial Day, which is celebrated on the last Monday of May, honors those service members who died in combat while serving in the…
Shenandoah: An American Ballad Posted by Gary Locke on Sep 19, 2019
I was recently listening to a favorite radio station which played a recording of the classic American folk song, Shenandoah. The station host confessed that he didn’t know the exact story behind the song, but he believed that it was from the time of fur traders in the American west in the 18th century. Well…
3 Days of Peace and Music Posted by Gary Locke on Aug 8, 2019
For three days in August 1969, a small community about 100 miles north and west of New York City became the world’s most popular destination for music fans. A hastily organized, some might say disorganized, music festival ultimately resulted in probably the most historic concert in the history of popular music. It was advertised as…
Mankind’s Greatest Achievement Posted by Gary Locke on Jul 18, 2019
“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth.” That quote, by President John Kennedy on May 25, 1961, set the stage for what may well have been humanity’s greatest moment. There are certainly…