Yesterday my wife and I attended the reenactment of a Revolutionary War skirmish at the Daniel Boone Homestead in Birdsboro, PA. In school, History was dry and boring, and I blame that mostly on my instructors. But when I decided to gave the past a second chance, I found a podcast that brought it to life. If you have never listened to “Hardcore History” with Dan Carlin, give it a listen. Through his tales of events long ago, heros, warriors, horrors and tyrants come alive. History can be rich in emotion and fascinating. I remember covering World War 2 in history class in high school and dreading the next lecture about the stalled advance of Russian armies, or another droning tale about the Pacific Fleet foundering after Pearl Harbor, but then I met someone. I was in his home repairing his television set, when I inquired about a picture on the wall of his study. It was an older photograph of a battleship with men lined along the deck, proud in their dress uniforms. He pointed out himself in the picture. For the next hour I was regaled with memories that ranged from the tragic to the heroic to the regretful. His stories breathed life into history that I never knew existed. I wish I could take history class all over again.
Nikon D800 Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 165mm f/8 ISO 400 1/800 sec