What the heck is an ice plow? In the 19th century it was a key piece of equipment in the booming business of ice harvesting. Before the invention of mechanical refrigeration and machine-made ice, Americans annually consumed millions of tons of ice harvested from ponds and lakes. The ice plow, … [Read more...]
Intriguing Historical Artifacts – The Ice Plow
The Declaration of Independence Was Originally No Big Deal?
No document in U.S. history, except perhaps the Constitution, is more revered than the Declaration of Independence. Indeed, most Americans can recite (if not word for word) its prosaic lines, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their … [Read more...]
Are We Living in A Second Gilded Age? Part 1
"Are We Living in A Second Gilded Age?" is an ongoing examination of the parallels between the first Gilded Age (1870-1900) and what many contend is a Second Gilded Age (1980-present). A key source of these musings is my forthcoming book, Henry George and the Crisis of Inequality: Progress and … [Read more...]
The Origins of the Mighty Casey
Athletic competition in the U.S. has produced many superb writers who have penned many gems of sports literature. Grantland Rice gave us "the Four Horsemen" and Roger Angell the "Boys of Summer." But arguably the most famous piece of sports literature was not written by a seasoned journalist with … [Read more...]
Why Notre Dame Originally Opposed the Name “Fighting Irish”
InThePastLane January 1, 2013 by Edward T. O’Donnell As sports fans across the nation await the big NCAA college football national championship on January 7, 2013, it’s worth exploring the origins of the teams’ names. The University of Alabama’s team name—The Crimson … [Read more...]
Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus
InThePastLane Edward T. O’Donnell We’ve all heard the expression before as a means of acknowledging skeptical surprise. Sometimes it’s the full version—“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus”—and other times it’s … [Read more...]
A Historian’s Defense of “Happy Holidays”
[NB: a version of this op-ed ran in the NY Daily News and Worcester Telegram in 2011] Here we go again. If it's December then it’s officially the beginning of that annual ritual established a few years ago — the month-long explosion of outrage on talk radio and cable TV over an alleged “War … [Read more...]
White Christmas Was A War Song?
“White Christmas,” the song that first topped the charts in early December 1942, was a war song? It’s true—not in its lyrics of days that are “merry and bright,” of course, but in terms of the context that launched it to an exalted status in the annals of pop music history. In fact, the connection … [Read more...]
A Quick History Refresher before You See “Lincoln”
InThePastLane November 21, 2012 Edward T. O'Donnell Here's a historian's guide to getting the most out of "Lincoln." Stephen Spielberg’s latest film, "Lincoln," has been hailed by reviewers as a masterpiece (this historian agrees). Daniel Day-Lewis’s … [Read more...]
The Great Cranberry Scare of 1959
InThePastLane by Edward T. O’Donnell What's Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce and cranberry bread? In 1959, millions of Americans found out. The problem was not with the cranberry supply, for growers had reported an excellent harvest that … [Read more...]
