|By J. Robert Parks| Depending on your point of view, Surrealism is a delightful, weird, unsettling, tedious, or even invigorating artistic movement from the early twentieth century. Yet, no matter what your perspective is, its influence is undeniable. Although Surrealism encompasses film, literature, photography, and theater, most people associate it with the paintings of artists … Read more
| By J. Robert Parks | Although many people date the rise of Fascism to 1933, when the National Socialist (Nazi) Party took control of Germany, the Fascist Party came to power in Italy more than a decade earlier, when Benito Mussolini and thousands of his followers marched on Rome. The march took place on … Read more
Each generation has its iconic touchstones, creations that capture something in the zeitgeist, that speak to their audience in a way that both reflects and shapes the culture. Every once in a while, one of those will resonate with the next generation and even the next, although often what speaks to the younger audience will … Read more
| J. Robert Parks | Fifty years ago this week, on September 6, 1975, one of the greatest tennis players of all time defected from Czechoslovakia to the United States. In 1975, Martina Navratilova was only 18 years old, and she had begun to make her mark in women’s tennis, although she wasn’t yet a … Read more
| By Gale Staff | Among the many virtues of studying history, one of the most important is the remembrance of significant events so that the people involved are not forgotten and that the lessons learned are not lost. As our world gets further and further away from World War II, recalling the bombings of … Read more
| By J. Robert Parks | The Korean War is sometimes called the Forgotten War, given that it followed soon after World War II and was overshadowed by the Vietnam War a decade later. It probably doesn’t help that even U.S. history classes tend to gloss over the Korean War given its unresolved ending and … Read more
| By J. Robert Parks | Imagine you’re watching a quiz show, and the category “4th Century Events” pops up on the screen. How confident are you that you’re going to be able to get the answer? You might guess in the category for Rome, deeming it will be an easier question. If you remember … Read more
| By J. Robert Parks | People have been holding sporting competitions since ancient times. In fact, you can argue that playing and watching sports are part of what makes us human. Think of the Greeks and their Olympics, the Mayans and their courtyard ball game. But in more recent times, the nineteenth century was … Read more
| By Gale Staff | Although history is reliant on facts, many misconceptions exist about well-known historical figures. Did George Washington have wooden teeth? Did Einstein fail math? As historians look at the past with a critical eye, they’ve found proof to debunk common myths that evolved over time and are now widely accepted. Myths … Read more
| By J Robert Parks | The history of Europe has been marked by devastating wars; some fought over religion, while some fought over nationalism. That history culminated in World War II, when the continent was embroiled in almost six years of warfare that left more than 50 million dead and many countries lying in … Read more