Historati

Best Films for WWI history, Jazz Age, Prohibition, Roaring 20s

2018-01-20T00:41:00.001-05:00

Veterans Day remembers military worldwide who gave the last full measure in World War One. It's been said that WWI very nearly obliterated an entire generation. WWI, though relatively short for America, certainly took its toll on Americans in a succession of problems. Here are literature based movies to teach post WWI American history lessons. Use these book based films to explore the interconnected events that created one of brightest but also darkest periods in American history: the 1920s Jazz Age.
What were those problems? Prohibition (banning liquor sales and consumption) led to speakeasies and organized crime and the Jazz Age. Post WWI money struggles caused the Stock Market crash. The Dust Bowl (giant sandstorms that destroyed farms, and arguably brought on by the powerful weapons of WWI) pushed massive migration from farm to city. Post WWI unemployment drove the Great Depression and World War Two. Post WWI disillusionment was expressed in literature, social justice, music, art, education, theater, financial and political upheavals felt round the world.
The post WWI 1920s were called the Jazz Age for the new musical fever sweeping America. But the Jazz Age represented total upheaval in conventions. 1920s art progressives espoused startling new ideas: surrealism, Dadaism, Fauvism, Cubism, Modernism. Writers left post WWI America for the Left Bank Paris where they wrote wildly different prose and poetry. Drugs and absinthe ruled passions and plagued souls. Bright Young Things flouted Victorian prudishness in weird fashion. Women cut their hair, hemlines and apron strings. Reformers sought justice for socially oppressed. Even in medicine, Freudian psychoanalysis sought to exorcise demons of Victorian repression. Here are literature-based movies to explore the agony and ecstasy of the 1920s Jazz Age and post WWI American history lessons.
"Georgia O'Keefe" (2009) Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons share the 1920s love story of artist Georgia (Virginia) O'Keefe and Alfred Stieglitz photographer and owner of the renown Stieglitz Gallery. It helps students understand how artists were casting off old norms in post WWI American history. "A Marriage: Georgia O'Keefe and Alfred Stieglitz" (1991) is another good version.

"Johnny Got His Gun" (1971) should be required reading in all high school American history lessons or American Lit classes. Dalton Trumbo was blacklisted and banned from Hollywood for writing this story of a young soldier shot on the last day of World War One. The soldier muses on the bleakness of war after losing both arms, legs, eyes, ears and nose. This is one of the most haunting books you'll ever read or literature based movies you'll ever watch.
"Stormy Weather" and "Ain't Misbehavin" challenge racial stereotypes of the 1920s being movies with mostly or all-black casts. Both feature musicians from the Cotton Club--Cab Calloway, Lena Horne, the Nicholas Brothers, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller and other jazz greats. "The Josephine Baker Story" explores the "Bronze Venus" a 1920s black dancer and singer who set the white world on fire.
"Chicago" Either the 2008 or 1979 versions are the best Jazz Age literature based movies you can see. The story line is tepid but it introduces students to the music of the era very well. Other good Jazz Age literature based movies are "The Jazz Singer" The 1927 Al Jolson versions and the 1980 Neil Diamond version tell of a Jewish cantor who defies his strict father to become a jazz artist. "Funny Girl" (1968) and "Funny Lady" (1975) explore Ziegfeld Follies singer Fanny Brice and her rise to stardom from Manhattan's lower east Jewish section.
"The Great Gatsby" literature based movies are psychodramas about high society party life of the Bright Young Things. F. Scott Fitzgerald looks at the repression in a rigid class structure. Show the 1974, 2000 or 2013 versions of The Great Gatsby. Baz Luhrman's 2013 has an excellent musical score.
"The Sting (1972) is a Dickensian story of organized rebellion against organized crime. The Scott Joplin's score "The Entertainer" sets the Jazz Age 1920s to music. "Public Enemy" is a classic Jimmy Cagney gangster film takes an honest look at life behind a gun. "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967 Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty) is surprisingly beautiful story of two wild, foolish kids in post WWI American who turn to crime for money and laughs.
"Reds" (1981, Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton) looks at the underground communist movement that followed Left Bank Paris Americans back to post WWI United States. A nice comparison film for "Reds" is "Midnight in Paris" which sets famous 1920s names--Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Eugene O'Neil, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Gertrude Stein, Man Ray, Salvador Dali, Josephine Baker, Cole Porter--in their native Left Bank Paris.
"Ragtime" by E.L.Doctorow looks at a post WWI 1920s American microcosm which encompasses Prohibition, social conventions and breaking them. Use this film for American history lessons.

Andrea Riseborough airs shocking weight loss in 'Witness for the Prosecution,' 'Bloodline'

2017-01-29T17:05:00.001-05:00

Brit beauty Andrea Riseborough may not be a household name in the US but all that's about to change in the new season of the Netflix thriller "Bloodline." Riseborough also appears in the chilling new remake of Agatha Christie's "Witness for the Prosecution." If you knew her from "The Devil's Whore" or "Oblivion" or "Nocturnal Animals," you're in for a shock. In "Witness for the Prosecution" the actress appears skeletal. There are some creepy reasons for Andrea's bizarre weight loss. Some have to do with women's health and fashion post-WWI and Roaring Twenties. Andrea Riseborough airs shocking weight loss in 'Witness for the Prosecution,' 'Bloodline'

Election 2016 social media war drives voter burnout, Facebook unfriending among Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton voters

2016-11-09T10:24:00.001-05:00

Besides nominating a president, Election 2016 has caused friends to cast votes for and against each other. The campaign has made enemies of friends and allies of strange bedfellows. The gauge for the election pulse is social media and if the massive amount of #Facebook unfriending is anything to go by, the temps are at fever pitch. The war between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton supporters is creating a new phenomena--election burnout. Social media users are exhausted by the political rants, verbal bashing and hatred opponents show each other. Election 2016 sees more Facebook unfriending among Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton voters

Educational movies on American history: Native Americans, Pilgrims, Thanksgiving

2016-06-24T16:54:00.001-04:00

The Revenant is getting a lot of unearned accolades for its portrayal of early American history. That time period was violent to be sure, but Revenant is obligatorily so. Like Dances with Wolves, it sensationalizes rather than educates. That's the fault with a lot of American history films. Many movies about colonial America, the pilgrims (Puritans), native Americans and the first Thanksgiving holiday are romanticized. Some are downright fables. Educational movies on American history: Native Americans, Pilgrims, Thanksgiving | Examiner.com

Educational movies on May Day, labor unions, Labor Day American history lessons | Examiner.com

2016-06-24T16:52:00.001-04:00

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, was designated to celebrate the achievements of organized labor unions in protecting workers' rights. Labor Day is about more than just BBQs and the last summer holiday. Here are educational movies on labor unions to watch for Labor Day or May Day on May 1. May Day is the actual Labor Day that unions recognize. May Day commemorates the May 4, 1886 Haymarket Riot (also called Haymarket affair) in Haymarket Square in Chicago. Use the educational movies for May Day American history lessons and to celebrate Worker Memorial Day on April 28. Educational movies on May Day, labor unions, Labor Day American history lessons | Examiner.com

Earth Day recycled trash kids crafts: Decoder spy rings, printable secret codes | Examiner.com

2016-05-04T23:37:00.001-04:00

For Earth Day or America Recycles Day how about cool recycled trash kids crafts? Here are free printable secret codes with patterns for decoder spy rings made out of recycled junk. Spy stuff was haute kid culture when I was young. Decoder spy rings are part Rosetta Stone cum Rubix Cube with retro 1950s flair. Secret codes are heaven for puzzle enthusiasts and the decoder spy rings of yore make a comeback regularly! Earth Day recycled trash kids crafts: Decoder spy rings, printable secret codes | Examiner.com

History activities: Historical reenactment in living history wax museum lessons | Examiner.com

2016-03-23T17:44:00.001-04:00

Spring means different things to different people and for me it's a time to prepare for summer historical reenactments. I'm a history nerd. So it saddens me to hear people say they hate history. But I don't blame them--those who dislike it usually weren't taught history properly. Their only contact with history was via boring textbooks, uninspiring paper and pencil lesson plans and rote memorization of facts. Nothing could be more antithesis to the way history should be learned. History activities: Historical reenactment in living history wax museum lessons | Examiner.com

Free printable Passover kids crafts, Jewish activities on Hebrew Pesach holidays | Examiner.com

2016-03-15T17:51:00.001-04:00

Passover or Pesach, is a high celebration in the Jewish Hebrew calendar. Passover is an eight-day holiday, beginning with two days of no work, four days of limited work and ending with two days of no work. The Passover celebration includes several Seder meals, with roast lamb, bitter herbs and matzo bread. Passover, or Pesach commemorates the passing over of the angel of death during the ten plagues of Egypt. God punished the Egyptians for the enslavement of the Hebrews. First born male infants were to die unless the blood of a lamb was put on the lintels and door posts. Passover, or Pesach, is part of Christian calendar as well; it was at the Passover meal that Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist or communion. Free printable Passover kids crafts, Jewish activities on Hebrew Pesach holidays | Examiner.com

Free printable Laura Ingalls Wilder book activities: Little House on the Prairie | Examiner.com

2016-02-22T22:18:00.001-05:00

If you were a girl growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, you read and loved Laura Ingalls Wilder and her Little House on the Prairie book series. Maybe you were lucky to have the handsome boxed set of Laura Ingalls Wilder books. Then you loved the Little House on the Prairie TV series when it came out. Long before "Pioneer Woman" and settler survival type reality TV shows, there was Laura Ingalls Wilder and her stories about life in the 1880s midwest. Laura Ingalls Wilder fans will be happy to know that a new movie based on the Little House on the Prairie books is in the works at Paramount. Free printable Laura Ingalls Wilder book activities: Little House on the Prairie | Examiner.com

Vintage Valentines Day gifts for women, distinctively different presents with a nostalgic, retro flair

2016-02-11T17:33:00.001-05:00

Sick of the stereotypical Valentines Day gifts of card, candy and flowers? Want to get your lady something really special? Here are distinctively different Valentines Day presents for women. These are presents to impress her plus win you brownie points for being cultured and creative. First, ditch mainstream stores, Go off the beaten path to local antiques stores, consignment shops, secondhand retailers, even Good Will. Seriously, you'll find distinctive Valentines Day gifts reasonably priced. Valentines Day gifts for women, distinctively different presents to impress | Examiner.com

Martin Luther King Jr. Day printables, civil rights worksheets, lesson plans

2016-02-04T16:47:00.001-05:00

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15 which is celebrated as Martin Luther King, Jr Day the third Monday in January--Jan. 19, 2015. Teachers and homeschool parents, here are free printable lesson plans on MLK Jr., to teach children about this brave civil rights champion. For Black History Month, here are Martin Luther King Jr. Day printables, civil rights worksheets, lesson plans | Examiner.com

Chinese New Year of the Monkey, Spring Festival, Lantern Festival party planner | Examiner.com

2016-01-28T17:58:00.001-05:00

Chinese New Year of the Monkey begins Feb. 8, 2106. The Chinese zodiac is distinguished by 12 animals. 2016 is the Year of the Monkey and each year celebrates a different animal--rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Here are activities and ideas for parents to explore Chinese traditions. Chinese New Year of the Monkey, Spring Festival, Lantern Festival party planner | Examiner.com

Chinese New Year of the Sheep lesson plans, party activities for kids | Examiner.com

2016-01-07T22:34:00.001-05:00

Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival, begins late January or early February on the western calendar. CNY 2015 starts Feb. 19. It's Year of the Sheep or Goat. Here are easy, inexpensive ideas to throw a Chinese New Year festival in a school classroom or at homeschool or with your family. Sheep (goat) themed activities are included. Chinese New Year of the Sheep lesson plans, party activities for kids | Examiner.com

Epiphany Magi history: Who were the Bible Wisemen, the Three Kings of the Christmas nativity

2015-12-17T19:13:00.001-05:00

Epiphany is a holiday observed in Catholic, Byzantine and Orthodox Christian faiths, Epiphany celebrates the visit of the three wisemen to the Holy Family in Bethlehem. In the Bible, the wisemen are also referred to as Magi (plural of"Magician"). Epiphany is also called Three Kings Day, or in Spanish, Dia de Reyes. Who were these wisemenThese three wisemen each came from a different country and none were Jewish. They were most likely Persian, Egyptian, Ethiopian or Turkish. The Christmas carol says "We three kings of Orient are" but none of the Magi were Oriental or Asian (from China, Japan or the Far East. Oriental means "eastern" (western is "occidental")--Orient referred to anywhere east of the Mediterranean and also the Middle East. Epiphany Magi history: Bible Wisemen, Three Kings of Christmas nativity | Examiner.com

Veterans Day: WWII vet Kenneth Spilman got final rest in beloved Arlington

2015-11-11T21:04:00.001-05:00

Does it sometimes seem, reading the news, that world is going to hell in a handbag? Well here's a Veterans Day story that might change that nihilistic mindset. A World War II veteran got his last wish. And it was simple, poignant one: WWII vet Kenneth Spilman got his final wish, to rest in peace in his beloved Arlington National Cemetery. Good Morning America reported Nov. 11, that Mr. Spilman was the unofficial caretaker and wreath-layer at Arlington. Even in his late 80s, the WWII vet continued to journey to Arlington National Cemetery from his home in Reston, Virginia. Spilman believed that Arlington was the greatest place on earth. He was the "Veterans Affairs" representative for the dead. On Veterans Day, Memorial Day, whenever he could, the WWII vet would visit. Spilman tended their graves, kept them company and mourned them, especially the newbies. Mr. Spilman had a special spot in his heart for the "residents" of Section 60--the spot where the newly dead are buried. Many are mere kids fresh from Iraq and Afghanistan--just as the WWII vet was a lad in the Army motorcycle police in Europe 70 years ago.Veterans Day: WWII vet Kenneth Spilman got final rest in beloved Arlington | Examiner.com

Honey Boo Boo releases rap video: "Moving Up" shows Alana Thompson should move! | Examiner.com

2015-10-18T22:35:00.001-04:00

And from the "former reality stars being really weird" desk, Honey Boo Boo releases a rap video to her self-created song "Moving Up" reported Yahoo New Zealand on Oct. 1. The ex-pageant/reality TV star, whose real name is Alana Thompson, failed to move the Internet users, except to discomfort, with her little ditty. It did nothing to improve the family's image. Honey Boo Boo releases rap video: "Moving Up" shows Alana Thompson should move! | Examiner.com

Michelle Obama shouts out Day of the Girl: Columbus Day, #IDG2015 connections | Examiner.com

2015-10-18T22:33:00.001-04:00

The First Lady is a lady and she's not afraid of showing solidarity with gals around the world. The Telegraph reported Oct. 11, that Michelle Obama shouted out Day of the Girl. On Oct. 12, the U.S., celebrates Columbus Day and the conquests of male explorers. But globally, Oct. 11 is #DayoftheGirl. Mrs. Obama is known for her support of #blackgirlsrock. But she doesn't just limit her girl-love to women of color. She champions the entire gender with a playlist of girl-power theme songs. Michelle Obama shouts out Day of the Girl: Columbus Day, #IDG2015 connections | Examiner.com

Free printable Catholic saints coloring pages for All Saints' Day | Examiner.com

2015-10-18T22:29:00.001-04:00

Most people know that October 31 is Halloween, or All Hallows Eve. Fewer know that there's only a Halloween because of the days that follow. November 1 marks the Catholic holy day of obligation, All Saints' Day and November 2 is All Souls' Day (celebrated as Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead in Mexico). Halloween was a pagan blowout that anticipated the solemnity of the proceeding holy day. Use these free printable Catholic saints coloring pages, crafts and lesson plans to learn more about All Saint's Day and Halloween. Free printable Catholic saints coloring pages for All Saints' Day | Examiner.com

Nancy Lee Grahn backpeddles as mean tweets at Viola Davis Emmys speech backfire

2015-09-29T18:41:00.001-04:00

Soap opera star Nancy Lee Grahn is backpeddling on mean tweets at Viola Davis Emmys speech backfired. reported US Weekly on September 22. Grahn, 57, proclaims herself "heartbroken" that people read her comments on Viola Davis's 67th Emmy Awards win as racist. The Twitter crowd was more than a little angry that Grahn would undermine Davis on such a special occasion. Davis, 50, is the first black woman to win the Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

Nancy Lee Grahn backpeddles as mean tweets at Viola Davis Emmys speech backfire | Examiner.com

West Point pillow fight got brutal: 30 cadets injured from helmets in pillows in historic annual pillow fight

2015-09-10T16:04:00.001-04:00

Someone call the common sense cops! There's been a major violation at the United States Military Academy! The annual West Point cadet pillow fight got brutal and left 30 freshmen hurt. Reuters reported September 5, that some 24 "plebes" got concussions; bones were broken and one kid was knocked out cold. Among the nation's brightest and best, you would have expected better judgement. But no one was even punished for the pajama party brawl and all the pillow pugilists, including the wounded, are back on campus. West Point pillow fight got brutal: 30 cadets injured from helmets in pillows - Grand Rapids News | Examiner.com

Video may find $500 art heist, solve 1990 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft - Grand Rapids News | Examiner.com

2015-08-07T19:12:00.001-04:00

Federal investigators might have a lead on a $500 million art heist that has eluded them for 25 years, Reuters reported August 6. The 1990 robbery at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston is the biggest theft of art in U.S. history. A surveillance video from March 17, 1990, a day before the heist, shows a security guard admitting a man to the art museum. The quarter-century old video is grainy, but it shows a car pulling up to the museum that matches the vehicle description of one seen around the time of the crime, Video may find $500 art heist, solve 1990 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft - Grand Rapids News | Examiner.com

Free printable Memorial Day activities and patriotic American history printables for Remembrance Day

2015-05-19T11:18:00.001-04:00

Memorial Day, celebrated the last Monday in May, is also called Remembrance Day and honors veterans and those lost in U.S. wars. It's also referred to as Decoration Day, when family commemorates loved ones lost by putting flowers on graves. Teachers and homeschool parents, here are free printable lesson plans, worksheets, crafts and games to teach kids about this national holiday. Free printable Memorial Day activities: Patriotic Remembrance Day printables

Holocaust Remembrance Day: Ex-Nazi Oskar Groening, Auschwitz bookkeeper charged in 300,000 murders of Jewish inmates

2015-04-24T16:59:00.001-04:00

On Jewish Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah, April 19, child survivors commemorated the slaughter of 6 million Hebrews in Nazi Germany, reported the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on April 20. In other news, ex-Nazi Oskar Groening is being charged in 300,000 murders of Jews at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Poland.

Groening, now 93, was the "bookkeeper of Auschwitz" the largest mass-murder site in Jewish Holocaust. A judge in Leuneburg, Germany handed down nearly a third of a million accessory-to-murder charges for Groening's part in the gas chamber deaths of Jewish deportees from Hungary. Ex-Nazi Oskar Groening, Auschwitz bookkeeper charged in 300,000 murders - Grand Rapids News | Examiner.com

Climbers top Yosemite's El Capitan in historic free-climb on MLK Jr birthday - Grand Rapids Holidays | Examiner.com

2015-01-15T14:56:00.001-05:00

January 15 marks two auspicious events: the birth of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., and the climbing of Yosemite's El Capitan. Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson scaled the Dawn Wall, a 3,000-foot sheer rock face with nothing but their bare hands and safety harnesses. The historic feat is the first ever "free-climb" of the treacherous rock formation, said the Associated Press Jan. 15. Climbers top Yosemite's El Capitan in historic free-climb on MLK Jr birthday

Living History Wax Museum Lesson Plans

2014-10-13T16:17:00.001-04:00

I'm a historati. I love learning about times and peoples past. So it saddens me to hear people say they hate history. But I don't blame them. People usually dislike it because they weren't taught it properly. Their only contact was via boring textbooks, uninspiring paper and pencil lessons and rote memorization of facts. Nothing could be more antithesis to the way history should be learned.

History is about more than dead people long past. It's a medium for learning new ideas and processes. It's a vehicle for change. And the best way to learn is through immersion and student-directed, hands-on activities. When students should experience history through senses and actions, they begin to see the big picture. Here's a cross-curricular activity that teaches reading, writing, speaking, research, art and drama: a Living History Wax Museum. Interactive Social Studies Lesson Plans: Living History Wax Museum - Bubblews