Category Archives: History

Maritime Adventures, A Book Review

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Jim Wheeler

Not all effects of social isolation in the time of COVID are bad. Motivated by ennui and inspired by the news of a new film starring Tom Hanks, courtesy of an article in Military Officer journal, I am halfway through … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Movies, Submarines, U.S. Navy, Uncategorized, USN, War | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

War through a patriotic lens – a memoir

Posted on November 2, 2013 by Jim Wheeler

My friend Bud Morgan sent me a link to a slew of World War II aviation pictures this morning. They caused a rush of memories, not of the war itself but of that time. I was just a kid then, … Continue reading →

Posted in History, War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Those who do not remember the past . . .

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Jim Wheeler

The very ink with which history is written is merely fluid prejudice. – Mark Twain Who writes the history books now, and what do they have to say about the Iraq war? This was the question in my mind after … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Jefferson Under The Microscope

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Jim Wheeler

History is like a microscope. One doesn’t see widely and the depth of field is limited. Evident of this, a web search reveals for example that some 15,000 books have been written about Abraham Lincoln. A perfect understanding might be … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

Echoes of War Evolved

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Jim Wheeler

Knowledge in all academic fields progresses incrementally, building on past achievements. This is probably most evident in science and engineering, but occasionally it happens with history too, giving us new insights about the past. Blogger Indian Jen has posted this: (emphasis … Continue reading →

Posted in History, War | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Isle of Freedom

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Jim Wheeler

About 160 years ago, even as the Industrial Revolution was getting underway, a monumental and historic economic catastrophe occurred across the sea in Ireland. Like a slow motion train wreck, predictable and terrible in its effects, failure finally came to … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Historical Adventure in the Confederate Navy

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Jim Wheeler

  A recent post by my blogging friend Indiana Jen inspired me to think about history, seamanship and careers. In it she recommends what turns out to be an outstanding article in Archaeology Magazine about a shipwreck a few hundred … Continue reading →

Posted in archaeology, History, War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Genius

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Jim Wheeler

What is genius? Here is an assortment of opinion from Wikipedia: Genius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight. – Introductory sentence to … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments