[Note: a version of this piece originally ran in the Huffington Post on April 23, 2016; You can also hear this and related pieces in Episode 010 of my podcast, In The Past Lane] The recent announcement by the United States Treasury Department that Harriet Tubman, escaped slave and abolitionist, … [Read more...]
Archives for April 2016
Episode 010 Harriet Tubman on the Twenty & More
This week at the In The Past Lane history podcast, we take up some timely questions: Who was Harriet Tubman and why did the U.S. Treasury Dept. choose her as the first woman to appear on the $20 bill? And why has President Andrew Jackson been demoted to the backside of the bill? Along the way, we’ll … [Read more...]
Episode 009 Taxes and Tax Revolts in US History and More
This week at In The Past Lane, in honor (if that's the right word) of Tax Day, we take a close look at the history of the fraught relationship between Americans and their taxes. This episode features three segments: 1) an interview with historian William Hogeland about his terrific book on one … [Read more...]
Hercules Mulligan, Patriot Mentor and Spymaster
Who was Hercules Mulligan? Well, he certainly was a man with one of the great names in American history. Hercules Mulligan – you can’t make up a name like that. But beyond that great name, Hercules Mulligan has existed as a mere footnote for the last 200+ years of American history. That is, until … [Read more...]
Episode 008 How America Got Cool
This week In The Past Lane looks into the little know and yet hugely significant development of the ice and refrigeration industries in US history. 1) first we tell the story of the Frederick Tudor, The "Ice King," who single-handedly invented the ice industry way back in 1806. This development … [Read more...]