Tag Archives: history

Brevity on the Battlefield

Posted on February 19, 2019 by Jim Killam

Last summer I spent a day on the battlefields at Gettysburg, Pa. From July 1-3, 1863, almost 50,000 men died here. The relatively short battle turned the Civil War; Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Confederate army would never again invade the … Continue reading →

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Aristotle’s eye for story

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Jim Killam

The Greek philosopher Aristotle identified six elements of drama: plot, characters, theme, dialogue, rhythm and spectacle. Those elements still apply today, whether we’re talking about a stage play, a written feature story or a YouTube video. Here’s a quick look … Continue reading →

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The stream and the banks

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Jim Killam

Historian and philosopher Will Durant liked to see the big picture. The history of the whole world, for instance. Between the 1930s and the 1970s, he and his wife, Ariel, wrote an 11-volume opus called “The Story of Civilization.” They … Continue reading →

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Eyewitness News

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Lincoln Brunner

Walking through the ancient remains of Memphis, Egypt, last week provided a solid reminder of just how important on-site documentation is for the preservation of history. The sphinx shown at left is a well-preserved artifact of ancient Egypt — one … Continue reading →

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The first rough draft of history

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Jim Killam

The inescapable hurry of the press inevitably means a certain degree of superficiality. It is neither within our power nor our province to be ultimately profound. We write 365 days a year the first rough draft of history, and that … Continue reading →

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