Tag: History

• November 29, 2025

  #56: The Heart of the Alps

  Success was found in Zurich, Switzerland in Blog #45, but unfortunately there was a bust in Hallstatt, Austria in Blog #48.  What do you say we return to Europe and give Austria a second chance?  After all, large foreign countries are no different from the United States in the sense that there are multiple regions…
• September 29, 2025

  #54: UNGA 80

  In September 2023, my coworkers and I experienced our first United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).  To those unfamiliar with the foreign affairs conference that takes place annually in New York City, I wrote in Blog #27 about the opportunity I was given to explain the event to a curious young man and his family while…
• May 23, 2025

  #51: You Better Belize It (Part I: Mainland)

  A hop, skip, and a jump from the continental United States is the Central American nation of Belize.  Snuggled between the Yucatan Peninsula and the Caribbean Sea, the country of Belize offers visitors equally easy access to ancient ruins, lush rainforests, and stunning beaches.  Its growing popularity with North American tourists is evident at Philip…
• April 25, 2025

  #50: Oklahoma City: 30 Years Later

  “But it is a sort of April-weather life that we lead in this world.  A little sunshine is generally the prelude to a storm.” -William Cowper The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and the temperature is rising.  Spring is in the air.  The annual excitement surrounding the end of winter goes back thousands…
• January 14, 2025

  #47: Astoria (Part II)

  This is a continuation of Blog 46: Astoria Part I. A walk through the city of Astoria, Oregon is a necessity when visiting during a period of bright blue skies that tend to be a rarity in the Pacific Northwest.  Even without the blessing of great weather, a belly full of fried fish should be…
• August 9, 2024

  #40: Jordan

  Considered by many historians to be the oldest continuously inhabited place in the world, present-day Amman is the capital and largest city of Jordan.  Nearly half the population of the country lives in the immediate area of the Biblical city which was once known as Philadelphia thanks to Ptolemy II (Philadelphus) so humbly naming it…
• October 7, 2023

  #25: Black Gun

  This is a follow-up to Blog #23: Red Gun, Blue Gun In the back half of the first millennium of the Common Era, Chinese alchemists seeking immortality created a dark powdery substance which they named huǒyào.  Literally translated by character interpretation as “fire medicine”, huǒyào is the modern Chinese word for gunpowder.  In the first…