Indian warriors | Jane Takes On History

Perhaps history can teach us, after all. Here are some fascinating stories that surfaced in the past few weeks. My paragraphs will give you highlights and I encourage you to read the originals.

‘Follow the Consensus’

Looking back, most of us see the American prohibition era (1920–1933) as a giant, foolhardy mistake. It destroyed businesses, turned average citizens into criminals, built a mafia of corruption, and more. How could it have happened?

In an essay full of surprises, Jeffrey Tucker of AIER helps explain this mystery. It turns out that in the 1920s there was a powerful social consensus in favor of prohibition, promoted and backed by economists and physicians. To challenge it was unseemly at best. Continue reading “The 1920s Consensus on Prohibition . . . How Wilson Persecuted the Hutterites . . . American Indian Warriors”

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About History and Historians

An Inauguration Day like no other:

March 4, 1841. Lithograph by Charles Fenderich. From the Library of Congress, in the public domain.

William Henry Harrison died in April 1841, a month after his inauguration. His death was the likely result of his 2-hour speech (longest inaugural speech ever) on a cold, wet Washington day, without “hat, coat or gloves.” Julian Atienza discusses the event in RealClearHistory.

What was the most recent letter added to the English alphabet? Hint: Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Iuliet. Bennett Kleinman explains on Wordsmarts.

American Joe Dodge was a little-known inflation fighter. After controlling federal spending during World War II, Dodge was sent to Germany and Japan to cut postwar hyperinflation, and balance their budgets. He did, setting the stage for the spectacular rebirth of those economies. Lawrence Reed explains on FEE.

What is commonplace in our homes today was once rare.

A salt cellar by Johannes Lutma (1639). In the public domain, courtesy of the Rijksmuseum.

Tony Dunnell of History Facts discusses seven once-hard-to-get items. They include salt, tea, aluminum, pineapple and ice.

Ronald G. Shafer tells the complicated story of Julia Chinn, an enslaved woman who became the bride of Richard Mentor Johnson in a church ceremony around 1811. In 1837, four years after her death, Johnson became the ninth U.S. vice president. In Washington Post’s “Retropolis.”

Eleven TV shows that changed the world? Mark Juddery explains why on Mental Floss. The first example is Dallas, with its impact on Romania. The second is General Electric Theater, which showcased Ronald Reagan.

It’s only been 30 years, but the History Channel has had its measure of controversy, slip-ups, and even cancellations. Dan Clarendon of TV Insider discusses them.