The Earliest Sound Recording Known to Man

This is a repeat from a post I wrote back in the summer of 2008. I feel it's worth reposting for anyone who may have missed it. Quite fascinating...

What you are about to read will, in no doubt, astound you if you are a history buff and/or a period music buff.
It has to do with a sound recording of the human voice made in the year 1860 - yes, you read correctly - this is not a typo - 1860!
Please read the following article, lifted from the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/), that I copied and pasted here. It is written much better than I could ever do (by the way, scroll all the way down to the bottom of this blog to hear these ethereal sounds):

Researchers Play Tune Recorded Before Edison
By JODY ROSEN

Published: March 27, 2008

For more than a century, since he captured the spoken words “Mary had a little lamb” on a sheet of tinfoil, Thomas Edison has been considered the father of recorded sound. But researchers say they have unearthed a recording of the human voice, made by a little-known Frenchman, that predates Edison’s invention of the phonograph by nearly two decades.

The 19th-century phonautograph, which captured sounds visually but did not play them back, has yielded a discovery with help from modern technology.

The 10-second recording of a singer crooning the folk song “Au Clair de la Lune” was discovered earlier this month in an archive in Paris by a group of American audio historians. It was made, the researchers say, on April 9, 1860, on a phonautograph, a machine designed to record sounds visually, not to play them back. But the phonautograph recording, or phonautogram, was made playable — converted from squiggles on paper to sound — by scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif.

“This is a historic find, the earliest known recording of sound,” said Samuel Brylawski, the former head of the recorded-sound division of the Library of Congress, who is not affiliated with the research group but who was familiar with its findings. The audio excavation could give a new primacy to the phonautograph, once considered a curio, and its inventor, Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville, a Parisian typesetter and tinkerer who went to his grave convinced that credit for his breakthroughs had been improperly bestowed on Edison.

Scott’s device had a barrel-shaped horn attached to a stylus, which etched sound waves onto sheets of paper blackened by smoke from an oil lamp. The recordings were not intended for listening; the idea of audio playback had not been conceived. Rather, Scott sought to create a paper record of human speech that could later be deciphered.

But the Lawrence Berkeley scientists used optical imaging and a “virtual stylus” on high-resolution scans of the phonautogram, deploying modern technology to extract sound from patterns inscribed on the soot-blackened paper almost a century and a half ago. The scientists belong to an informal collaborative called First Sounds that also includes audio historians and sound engineers.

David Giovannoni, an American audio historian who led the research effort, will present the findings and play the recording in public on Friday at the annual conference of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.

Scott’s 1860 phonautogram was made 17 years before Edison received a patent for the phonograph and 28 years before an Edison associate captured a snippet of a Handel oratorio on a wax cylinder, a recording that until now was widely regarded by experts as the oldest that could be played back.

Mr. Giovannoni’s presentation on Friday will showcase additional Scott phonautograms discovered in Paris, including recordings made in 1853 and 1854. Those first experiments included attempts to capture the sounds of a human voice and a guitar, but Scott’s machine was at that time imperfectly calibrated.

“We got the early phonautograms to squawk, that’s about it,” Mr. Giovannoni said.

But the April 1860 phonautogram is more than a squawk. On a digital copy of the recording provided to The New York Times, the anonymous vocalist, probably female, can be heard against a hissing, crackling background din. The voice, muffled but audible, sings, “Au clair de la lune, Pierrot répondit” in a lilting 11-note melody — a ghostly tune, drifting out of the sonic murk.

The hunt for this audio holy grail was begun in the fall by Mr. Giovannoni and three associates: Patrick Feaster, an expert in the history of the phonograph who teaches at Indiana University, and Richard Martin and Meagan Hennessey, owners of Archeophone Records, a label specializing in early sound recordings. They had collaborated on the Archeophone album “Actionable Offenses,” a collection of obscene 19th-century records that received two Grammy nominations. When Mr. Giovannoni raised the possibility of compiling an anthology of the world’s oldest recorded sounds, Mr. Feaster suggested they go digging for Scott’s phonautograms.

Historians have long been aware of Scott’s work. But the American researchers believe they are the first to make a concerted search for Scott’s phonautograms or attempt to play them back.

In December Mr. Giovannoni and a research assistant traveled to a patent office in Paris, the Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle. There he found recordings from 1857 and 1859 that were included by Scott in his phonautograph patent application. Mr. Giovannoni said that he worked with the archive staff there to make high-resolution, preservation-grade digital scans of these recordings.

A trail of clues, including a cryptic reference in Scott’s writings to phonautogram deposits made at “the Academy,” led the researchers to another Paris institution, the French Academy of Sciences, where several more of Scott’s recordings were stored. Mr. Giovannoni said that his eureka moment came when he laid eyes on the April 1860 phonautogram, an immaculately preserved sheet of rag paper 9 inches by 25 inches.

“It was pristine,” Mr. Giovannoni said. “The sound waves were remarkably clear and clean.”

His scans were sent to the Lawrence Berkeley lab, where they were converted into sound by the scientists Carl Haber and Earl Cornell. They used a technology developed several years ago in collaboration with the Library of Congress, in which high-resolution “maps” of grooved records are played on a computer using a digital stylus. The 1860 phonautogram was separated into 16 tracks, which Mr. Giovannoni, Mr. Feaster and Mr. Martin meticulously stitched back together, making adjustments for variations in the speed of Scott’s hand-cranked recording.

Listeners are now left to ponder the oddity of hearing a recording made before the idea of audio playback was even imagined.

“There is a yawning epistemic gap between us and Léon Scott, because he thought that the way one gets to the truth of sound is by looking at it,” said Jonathan Sterne, a professor at McGill University in Montreal and the author of “The Audible Past: Cultural Origins of Sound Reproduction.”

Scott is in many ways an unlikely hero of recorded sound. Born in Paris in 1817, he was a man of letters, not a scientist, who worked in the printing trade and as a librarian. He published a book on the history of shorthand, and evidently viewed sound recording as an extension of stenography. In a self-published memoir in 1878, he railed against Edison for “appropriating” his methods and misconstruing the purpose of recording technology. The goal, Scott argued, was not sound reproduction, but “writing speech, which is what the word phonograph means.”

In fact, Edison arrived at his advances on his own. There is no evidence that Edison drew on knowledge of Scott’s work to create his phonograph, and he retains the distinction of being the first to reproduce sound.

“Edison is not diminished whatsoever by this discovery,” Mr. Giovannoni said.

Paul Israel, director of the Thomas A. Edison Papers at Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J., praised the discovery as a “tremendous achievement,” but called Edison’s phonograph a more significant technological feat.

“What made Edison different from Scott was that he was trying to reproduce sound and he succeeded,” Mr. Israel said.

But history is finally catching up with Scott.

Mr. Sterne, the McGill professor, said: “We are in a period that is more similar to the 1860s than the 1880s. With computers, there is an unprecedented visualization of sound.”

The acclaim Scott sought may turn out to have been assured by the very sonic reproduction he disdained. And it took a group of American researchers to rescue Scott’s work from the musty vaults of his home city. In his memoir, Scott scorned his American rival Edison and made brazen appeals to French nationalism. “What are the rights of the discoverer versus the improver?” he wrote less than a year before his death in 1879. “Come, Parisians, don’t let them take our prize.”

Enlarge This Image

The audio historian David Giovannoni

with a recently discovered phonautogram

that is among the earliest sound recordings.

The Phonautograph Recording from 1860 of 'Au Clair de la Lune' (mp3)

An Audio Excerpt from a 1931 Recording of the Same Song (mp3)

The 2008 Re-enacting Season Thus Far and What Is Has Done For Me

Well, the re-enacting season is now in full force. So far, this year alone I have participated in 7 events - not including the period dress 12th Night/Christmas Party held in January.

And there's more to come: A mourning presentation in Waterloo, a living history encampment in Dearborn, a battle and living history encampment at Historic Fort Wayne as well as in Hastings, Jackson, and Wolcott Mill. Plus a couple of extra's that we enjoy, such as a "pioneer day" at a local school, a period ball in Lansing, a 21st Michigan full-dress meeting in early November, and a few re-enactments with the Michigan Soldiers Aid Society.

And it's still not enough.

At least, not for me.

I could do re-enacting pretty much every weekend if I had the chance (and the gas money!). I cannot wait to throw on my period clothing and step back in time at an event and be amongst others who have a love for this sort of thing. I especially love it when my wife and children also don their period clothing and join me (which is usually at most of the events that I attend). To have my family have the same passion for this hobby that I have is nothing short of a true blessing, and I do continuously thank God for that blessing.


I mean - think about it - there are not too many families out there that I know of that get together nearly every weekend - that WANT to spend their weekends together - like my family does. And, to top it off, my eldest son's girlfriend also willingly enjoys the opportunity to wear clothing that her great great great great grandmother would have worn. My wife and this young lady spend quite a bit of time together during the cold months of winter sewing period authentic clothing for themselves and for others. This picture directly below are three dresses that Patty and Ashley (left and center) made.

I guess the neatest thing is when my kids will fill their calendars with their own personal activities only after they know the dates of all the re-enactments.

Some people think we're crazy. Others feel we live in the past.
I think they're correct on both counts. We are crazy and, yes, to a certain extent, we do live in the past - how can you not when making the attempt to accurately portray one from the mid-19th century?
But, we are also very contemporary people as well. If we weren't, well, I guess you would not be reading this blog now, would you?
OK - now I'm going to go off on a tangent for a bit - reader, beware---------
This is not to say, by the way, that other families don't spend their times together. I know of a few that do - sports families (those that go to Red Wings and Tigers games together), activity families (biking, hiking), and of course, cottage familes, in which I used to be. But, because I have four other siblings who also have multiple children, well, we all kind of out-grew the weekend cottage trips. Oh, we still go up for the family visits a few times a year, just not as often as we used to. I guess we all just spend more time with our own families.

Back to reenacting: As this is my 5th year as a Civil War reenactor. I've also noticed a personal change in my attitude toward modern society. For example, Memorial Weekend was, to me, known as the weekend that summer began; the weekend to meet with friends that I haven't seen since the previous Labor Day; the weekend to open up the cottage and have a barbecue. Now, because of Civil War reenacting, it means so much more to me. I now find myself remembering those Americans who fought and died - not just in the Civil War, but in all of the wars that we, as a country, have been involved in, including this latest war on terror. Whether or not you agree with our involvement in this current war, you should still remember those men and women who have died serving their country. I do...now.

I have also become a bit more, shall we say, prudish. Yes, I find myself getting embarrassed when I see young women wearing the skimpy bathing suits at the beach. I mean, is it necessary to show all that skin? Yeah, you think I'm crazy I'm sure. Maybe you think I'm lying, either to myself or to you.
But I'm not.
By the way, I'm not embarrassed for myself when seeing these thonged bathers, but for the girls themselves who feel the need to show more than necessary. Sorry, but I'd rather see them in their hoop skirts where they look and act more like ladies. In fact, my son's girlfriend has mentioned more than once how she enjoys the way folks - especially men - treat her while in her period clothing. She has stated that she is treated "like a lady," and she enjoys that.

Now, when I have mentioned these opinions during conversations with non-reenactors, invariably it is brought to my attention that I must be a sexist that would love to see women as subserviants. Oh, and that I'd also probably want to bring back slavery for blacks. Nothing could be further from the truth. But, I do like to see women dressed as women and men dressed as men, and so does my wife.
But, I suppose, we'll leave that for a future blog.

Anyhow, Civil War reenacting has engulfed our lives in more ways than I believe we could have imagined. We look at life a little different...maybe a little slower...taking it all in. We have learned to be less (sometimes ever-so-slightly-less, but less nonetheless) materialistic.
And some of us (read: ME) have even learned to watch our language, especially around women (oops! There I go again, being sexist. Sorry!). Yeah, as funny as George Carlin was, swearing didn't make him funny. It was his take - his GENIUS - on modern society that made him funny. I don't need his seven words that can't be said on TV, radio, or written in the newspaper. He had better, more intelligent things to say.

Modern folks tend to think of the Victorian way of life as backwards. I believe differently, and the more reading and studying and living history I do - and the more true, die-hard living historians I meet - the more I feel that it is, in fact, a great way to live.
Ah - that's my take on what Civil War reenacting has done for me and my family.
And I thank God for it.

More Gettysburg Pictures

Here are a few more shots taken last month on our Gettysburg excursion:

This first shot is of the Dobbin House built in 1776. Great food, by the way.

This next pic is of Tom, Rob, and Ashley reading the many tombstones in Evergreen Cemetery

Tom and Rob at the Lincoln shrine in the National cemetery. This is the cemetery where President Lincoln gave his infamous Gettysburg Address.

Here is a photo of all of us at breakfast in the Tillie Pierce House. The food was awesome! Another shot of mia famiglia, this time in front of the Tillie Pierce House.
Here, Patty and I are on the porch of the Cashtown Hotel / Inn

This next pic is was taken at Willoughby Run, on the west end of Reynolds Woods. There's a lot that happened here in this stream - too much to write at this time. Look it up - fascinating stuff.

Spangler Spring supplied both the north and south with much needed fresh water. It's located at the foot of Culp's Hill. By the way, if you haven't noticed, we all seem to wear our 'Civil War Faces' when having our images taken while in period clothing. It's a habit. We all had a fantastic time. Really.

Here is the famous Farnsworth House - known in 1863 as the Sweney House - where a Reb sharpshooter reportedly shot Ginny Wade from the garret window. Notice the more than 100 bullet markings (in white) on the side.

One of my favorite pictures that I took: my wife (and son) during sunset at Little Round Top

I have tons of photos of Gettysburg. I will probably post more in a future blog.

I hope you like them.

I highly recommend a visit to Gettysburg when the opportunity allows. Truly an awesome historical place.

Save Our History

Why does southeastern lower Michigan consistently tear down its past? Why is it that every time I open up the newspaper it seems that I am reading another article about a historic building being razed for one reason or another (parking lot, Rite Aid, to "save money", etc.)?
Just last week, another part of our past is now literally history http://macombdaily.com/stories/041008/loc_local01.shtml
And, from what I understand, the schoolboard members, contrary to what is in the article, were high-fiving each other. Here is a segment from an email I received, written by Kym Janowicz, leader of the Friends of the Murphy House (http://www.savemurphy.com/):

"What is even more disturbing today was that three of the five school board members who voted to demolish the building stood under the arch at the west entrance of the high school laughing and joking while watching the Murphy House being razed. President Greg Murray, Larry Humphrey and Joe Rheker turned out for what appeared to be a victory party at the site of their destructive triumph.

Those of us who were able to stay through the duration of the demolition had good conversations with members of the wrecking crew. They were aware of the controversial nature of the demolition and were incredibly kind and respectful, which is more than I can say for the school board members. The crew picked through the rubble and handed onlookers bricks and roof tiles over the fencing. We learned from the wrecking crew that they had offered in their proposal to go through the building and salvage anything of value. That offer was rejected by the school board. The board wanted the cheapest price and had no interest in salvaging anything. Shortly after that conversation the crew excavated a chunk of the green Pewabic tile from the fireplace."

How so very sad.
Unfortunately, this is only one of many - too many - historic structures lost forever due to folks who just don't give a damn. There are many groups and societies who have proven a willingness to care for these buildings, but the powers that be only see dollar signs - money that, in most cases, they really do not need.
And, one has to admire how these money hungry fools work: ignore a historic structure long enough and it will soon enough "go away" (beyond repair, in some cases) and they will build their cases upon the idea that the dilapidated building is "beyond repair" and necessitates razing. The Monroe Block is a prime early example of that http://www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/detroit/pdf/monroe_blk.pdf
And so was the razing, back in 1961, of Detroit's old city hall http://www.merit.edu/~jimmoran/detphot/cithal.html
and the Hudson Building just a few years ago
http://detroityes.com/downtown/index.html
and the Clinton-Grove Cemetery Caretaker's Home just last year, once again, in Mt. Clemens (I cannot find a link to the razing of this structure, but I witnessed the tear down preparations myself).

In fact, so many local historical buildings, homes, etc., have disappeared that most of our local history is only available now in the "Images of America" books published by Arcadia Press or other local history books.

So, why does this continue to happen? "Progress" we are told. "We can't live in the past! We must move ahead to the future!! We need the money!"
And they go ahead and replace the 100 + year old buildings with either a parking lot or cheap cookie-cutter structures with little or no personality made to last, like modern cars, only for a short while (when was the last time you saw a Gremlin, Maverick, or Pacer on the road? Heck, one sees autos 50 years and older many many times more than the aforementioned 1970's classics!). These new structures are hideously bland and ugly - just drive down Gratiot, Woodward, or any other main thoroughfare in this area and you'll see what I mean. Ha! Just take a drive from 8 and Gratiot all the way to Mt. Clemens (about 9 miles) and you might as well be driving in the desert of Nevada - that's how exciting the buildings are.

Do yourselves a favor - if you feel as passionate as I do about saving our history, please get involved. Support your local historical society by donating whatever you can monetarily - even if it's only $10 bucks - whatever you can afford. You can also support them by attending their functions and meetings, as well as visit their historical sites. The more support we show and give, the stronger the historical societies will become. The stronger they become, the greater the chances and opportunities will be to save our past.
I know I sound like a bleeding heart (I don't mean to, honest!), but saving our local history for the benefit of the future generations is a charity that truly is a worthwhile cause.

It's a sad state (literally and figuratively) that we live in.

Crossroads Village

As I stated in a blog last month, we here in southeastern lower Michigan are blessed with having not one but two open-air museums. Most people know of Greenfield Village in Dearborn, of which I did a blog on late last year. Because auto-magnet, Henry Ford, had the wealth he was able to create a village beyond compare anywhere else in the United States, and probably Canada, too. I love Greenfield Village immensely, but, unfortunately, they have changed it quite a bit from Mr. Ford's original vision, adding cemented curbs and sidewalks and removing buildings that should not have been removed (the cooper and cobbler shops are but two that have been scrapped). There is a Disney feel to it now, and that has taken away the Victorian ambience one got as they strolled through the village streets. Fortunately, the majority of the houses remain intact and are more accurate in their presentations inside and out than ever before. They did their homework for this portion and it shows.
However, the younger, poorer, not nearly as famous open-air museum known as Crossroads Village located in Flint will give that Victorian feeling immediately, as soon as you enter the gates. The whole look and feel of the place just takes you right back in time, as you can see from the picture above. Yes, this is what you see as you step through the wooden ticket booth.






As you move past the original cars of the 19th century railroad (of which you can actually ride upon), the wood-plank sidewalks take you through the "town" part of the village, the main street, which looks exactly like you would expect a main street to look like. It has stores, an opera house, a barber shop, a hotel...




And then there's the tavern on the outskirts of town.
Of course, every town (even one without horses, unfortunately) needs a blacksmith shop. Here is where one can watch the smithy work his trade, just as in the old days. And, as with a blacksmith, most period towns had a gristmill. It's here that one can watch as the giant stone wheels grind the grain into flower. It's here where one can hear (and feel) the deafening roar of the water turning the magnificent equipment to turn the wheels. And, it's here where one can purchase flour made right here at the Atlas Mill.
Without refridgeration, ice houses were a necessity in keeping ice available (covered in sawdust) throughout the warm weather months.


As you move out of town you'll enter the neighborhood and see the houses - mostly farm houses - of Crossroads. I swear you fill feel as if you had literally stepped through a time travel portal.




The milk cow was as important as any livestock a farmer could own. It's great that they show how a cow is milked for those of us living in the city.




















And, of course, the picturesque church. For some reason, they feel that this church should not have a cross lest they offend any non-Christians. Let's face it, by far and away the greater majority - without question - of the population in the 19th century in every state had a minimum of one Christian church. Of course, folks today like to change the past for the people of the present due to politically correct mumbo jumbo. But, we all know...

There is plenty more to see than what's pictured here - much more. And about the only couple of things I would change would be the addition of horses and carriages and probably a few more shops and houses - cooper, cobbler, etc. And, the addition of a cemetery (only the tombstones, of course) would be that touch of realism that no one else has (Mike Gillett's idea, and it's a great one!!!). They also need more period accurate presenters - you get what you pay for. Not that they are terrible but there is room for improvement.

They do have a carriage shop, barns, more houses, a lawyer's home, a doctor's office - all of the period.

Now, if only they would bring back the Civil War weekend!!!

Museum Quotes & Pics

I love it when history is shown accurately. In southeastern lower Michigan we are bless'd with two open air museums - one is Greenfield Village (which I have written about in a previous blog from November of '07). The other is Crossroads Village in Flint - I plan a blog about this place in the very near future. The first two pictures were taken at Crossroads. Notice the wood-plank sidewalks and authentic roads and streets.

The last two pictures were taken at the Firestone Farm at Greenfield Village.

Anyhow, before we get into the pictures and blurbs, I'd like you to read an interesting quote first. The only thing I don't like about this quote is that I didn't come up with it. Rats.

This is from Gordon Cotton, curator of the Vicksburg, Mississippi museum (taken from the book Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz):
"I'm not going to go through this museum rewriting the past just to please someone in the present."

Man! I love that quote! Too bad more curators do not have that attitude!

From Crossroads Village in Flint. Michigan:
Welcome to Crossroads Village. Please watch your step. Walks, streets, and floors replicate those of the 1800's and are uneven.

This is a notice for all to see as they enter the Village. I love the fact that they haven't put in curbs and sidewalks like another Village I know (don't worry, GFV, I still love you!).

From Greenfield Village (taken from the Firestone Farm Training manual):
At Firestone Farm, we create an immersion experience. From the moment visitors step from the concrete of the front plaza onto the gravel lane leading to the farm, we want them to feel as if they have traveled back in time to the year 1885.

That the site looks like it is from the 1880's is important, but not enough. We want Firestone Farm to feel like the 1880's. To do this we must make sure the sounds, smells, sensations, and people also seem as if they are out of the past.

You know what? It works! One truly does feel as if they stepped into the past when they enter the gravel walk to the farm. The Daggett Farm is similar, only the era is about 100 years earlier. And they do a pretty good job at the Adams' house as well.

~----------------------~

As I said, we are truly bless'd here in the Detroit area for the historical museums we have access to.

More on Crossroads soon and maybe even something about the Detroit Historical Museum.

The Incarceration Nation (according to the Detroit Free Press)

The U.S. prison population, the world's largest, has grown nearly eightfold over the past 35 years and now costs taxpayers at least $60 billion a year. An eye-popping report released last week by the Pew Center on the States found that, for the first time, more than one in every 100 American adults is in jail or prison. And that figure doesn't count the hundreds of thousands of people who are on probation and parole.
What is the goal here? Is there a smarter way to get there? What are we as a society getting in return for all this money? What is this massive and growing penal system accomplishing?

This is from today's opinion page from the Detroit Free Press newspaper. There are lots of folks discussing this 'problem' in our country. And many of those speaking about ways to curb this situation are looking every which way but the right way to cure this problem. It's not hard - you take away the morals and values that most folks have lived by for centuries and what do you wind up with? Well, just look at today's society. That's what you end up with.

Please read the following I copied from a book by Juanita Leischt, a social historian of the Civil War era:

"Many modern Americans consider themselves to be 'basically good,' and do not spend time berating themselves for being 'sinful.' Americans of the mid-19th century might have disagreed. One key characteristic of mid 19th century Americans was an adherence to strict individual ethics. Most people lived their daily lives in constant confrontation with 'good' and 'evil.' Often, they had daily and personal involvement in religious practices.

Make no mistake, there was crime and unethical behavior in mid 19th century America. The difference between this culture and that of modern Americans lies not so much in what people actually did (and still do), but in what was expected of them. Americans were expected to have a well defined and consistent sense of right and wrong. From infancy, mid 19th century Americans were bombarded with moral teaching...children were taught that right was right, and wrong was wrong, even if wrong was done for a good cause. The lesson that ethics were absolute - and did not change depending on the situation - was applied in day-to-day lives of adults (and) children.
Another attitude shared by most mid 19th century Americans was the tendency to set very long-term goals, and to live life with those goals in mind. Religions emphasized the afterlife, and many Americans lived life with a view to their eternal future..."

It is my opinion that if we stressed the difference between right and wrong to our children at a young age - and we all know what is right and what is wrong - then maybe the figure quoted by the Free Press can become lower. Instead we get parents angry at the teacher for disciplining their uncontrollable child; we get folks who won't take responsibility for their actions; we get psychologist finding a "syndrome" for the way brats act instead of realizing that it usually only takes consistent punishments - not necessarily spanking, mind you - to help teach the child right from wrong; we get divorces galore - third and fourth marriages have become commonplace; we get knocked for our Christian morals, values, and standards; we get kids placed on medication for being out of control; we get the glowing rays of the tv, computer monitor, or the video games to babysit the kids...should I go on?
And yet, people are in denial in that the few things I listed could actually cure much of society's ills.
Oh, wait - I'm not an accredited anything - what do I know? Let's listen to the same people who global warming.
Folks, unless we collectively change the way we live our daily lives, this country has only seen the beginning of 'hell on earth.'

A New Day Yesterday...

I have been diligently working on my time-travel story these last couple of months. No, I haven't added any new chapters, but I have improved (considerably, if you ask me) what I had previously written. Much more depth, description (especially the first couple of chapters), and realism. I really would like my little story to be as accurate and authentic as if it actually happened. Therefore, I have been finding it necessary to do extensive research to give the reader (if there are any beyond my very good friends) a total visual of what my characters experience.
I must say, it's been fun writing this little tale and I look forward to continuing the chapters.

Revisionist "Historians"

I really hate revisionist history.  I recently read a book entitled  “Lies My Teacher Told Me:  Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong,”  by James L. Loewen,  which purports to show that we were never taught the truth in American History.  Talk about revisionist PC!  The author is a far-left liberal who is bent on finding fault on virtually everything European...by opinion rather than facts.  As an example,  he consistently uses adverbs such as  ‘probably;’  throughout the text in a lame attempt to prove his point.   In other words,  offering his opinion as fact.  And many folks are buying into this crap.  Don’t believe me?  Check out the reviews on Amazon
www.amazon.com/review/product/0743296281/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt/002-4049274-7729626?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

There are thousands of books about every aspect of American History;  from the earliest colonists through 9-11,  any subject about our great nation is easily accessible at nearly any bookstore or library. Most of these books use numerous original primary sources:  letters,  journals,  diaries,  newspaper accounts.  Then you get one or two so-called  'historians'  who will release a history book that goes against the more popular grain  (Howard Zinn is the other horrendous pseudo-historian that comes to mind),  stating pretty much that all we have learned about history in school was untrue.  Of course,  the idea behind such books are very intriguing,  but, upon reading the text one will begin to notice that these so-called academic history books are based more on,  as stated,  agenda-filled opinion and political correctness rather than hard facts.  The authors will get their information from what they believe to be true without further deeper research.
No thank you – I will read the history books available that cite their primary sources plain and simple rather from a college professor  (which is the biggest red flag alert!).

What is it about these so-called  "historians"  (and their followers)  in this day and age that are bent on changing our history?  Yes,  I will agree that much has been left out of past textbook,  such as the plight of the Indians.  But,  instead of writing an antithesis,  why can’t we gather all of the FACTUAL information  (without tossing in an opinion),  and add it to the books instead of writing a scathing, dare I say, anti-European-American piece of POS propaganda?  Of course,  that will not happen – not as long as this garbage is eaten up by these horrible extremist college professors and those who worship them.

Yeah...you know who you are.
The following is just one teeny example of the B.S.  perpetrated by these extremists:
"The Europeans were able to conquer America not because of their military genius, or their religious motivation, or their ambition, or their greed. They conquered it by waging unpremeditated biological warfare."
Nice research,  idiot.

How about re-writing this to state something along the lines of : Unbeknownst to the European colonists who settled on the American soil, they brought with them diseases that the natural anti-bodies of the Indians could not fight off.  It was unfortunate that millions of the native peoples died because of this.

Naw...that's too nice,  right?

Here's another extremely biased accusation from the same page:
The scarcity of disease in the Americas was also partly attributable to the basic hygiene practiced by the region's inhabitants. Residents of northern Europe and England rarely bathed, believing it unhealthy, and rarely removed all of their clothing at one time, believing it immodest. The Pilgrims smelled bad to the Indians. Squanto "tried, without success, to teach them to bathe," according to Feenie Ziner, his biographer.
And where did biographer Feenie Ziner receive this information from? 

And Loewen call this "Biological” warfare? Because the Indians supposedly bathed more than the Europeans?

Now,  in looking at this with a bit more reason  (if it is true at all),  in my opinion - at least I admit it - it could be that because the Indians did not wear much clothing and the Europeans did,  of course the smell might be a bit stronger.  Also,  I am sure the European's odor was different than the Indians,  hence the idea that they smelled bad.  This is common sense, folks!

Or how about maybe we should just add the cannibalism tradition of a few tribes,  maybe for fun,  right?  For it is known that war prisoners were ruthlessly tortured and...eaten;  in the Algonquin tongue the word Mohawk actually means  "flesh-eater."  There is even a story that the Indians in neighboring Iroquois territory would flee their homes upon sight of just a small band of Mohawks.

But let's not talk about that---we'd rather speak on how bad Europeans smelled.

Again...idiots.

(To read more about Native American tribal tortures,  click HERE)

Another very easy target author Howard Zinn jumps on is the whole Columbus issue.  Instead of admiring the greatness it took to navigate across the Atlantic Ocean in the 15^th century - and instead of understanding life in the 15th century - Zinn chose to concentrate on condemning Columbus as if he should have known better.  Columbus should have thought the way we do today!  Hey---a little secret:  he didn't cross the ocean until 1492.  It was a different world then with a different thought process.  And he did nothing that was illegal. We know now that was what accepted then is certainly not welcome or accepted today,  thank God,  but in his era, one was either a slave,  a slave owner,  or one of the very few in between.  He was a man of his time,  like you are today.   Whites,  Blacks,  Asians,  Indians…all were slaves or kept slaves at one time or another.  Accept it.  Get over it.  

You want the truth?  Then print the whole truth.

But that means you have to do research rather than print your feel-good opinions.

So,  the question is,  why would anyone want to spew crap like these authors do?  

To push an agenda?  

I don't know...maybe in some people's minds two wrongs do  make a right,  I’m sure.  

Me? 

I’d rather get the truth – as close to the whole truth as possible.  PC filled agenda'd books like this from idiots like Loewen and Zinn are,  in my opinion,  anti-American drivel,  which fits in perfectly with the mindset of the  "woke"  far left extremists;  it’s  “in”  to knock everything American and anyone who disagrees with them,  everything patriotic,  and everything traditional.

Now,  instead of fixating on changing our history books to make you feel good,  why not,  for example,  go after the modern slave trade that still persists today.

It's happening in some form are every continent.

You know,  I am a proud American.  Do I like and agree with all that is going on in this country today?  Of course not.  But,  I also look at the positive and good.  Yes,  contrary to what you may hear,  there is a lot of good going on in our society today.  Of course,  just stating that I am a proud American will give many the jitters.  They will automatically pigeon-hole me with George Bush and the like.  They will also think that,  duh…I’m not the smartest because,  duh,  I am patriotic. 

Believe what you want – you’re going to anyhow.

And if you do,  you are the idiot.

.

Fighting Depression in the Bleak Mid-Winter

This is a tough time of year for me. I enjoy the Christmas Season so much - especially this past one - and keep so busy during November and December that the January/February months are a major let down for me. January is especially a drag because what follows January? FEBRUARY!! Oh boy. At least March, with its lengthier daylight and slightly warmer temps follows February. At that point you know it's up hill. For now, though, as I look out my window and see the couple inches of freshly fallen snow, the downhill slope is mighty steep!
This year, however, I've been keeping busy with my passion - history (yes, I have passion for my wife, but that's a different kind of passion!). I received a great many history books for Christmas - The Illustrated 1776 * The Postal Age in 19th Century America * 1607: Jamestown and the New World * Tavern at the Ferry - and have just begun to intently study them.
I have also continued writing my time travel story with great fervor, going over what has already been written and expanding/improving on the descriptive aspect. Researching upcoming scenes by contacting historians and specialists in the particular area of need has been a learning experience as well. Great fun.
After a three month break, Civil War reenacting has re-entered the picture, and I have been working on my impression as a 19th century postmaster for future events. I have also been planning events as well, such as a presentation to our local historical society of life for soldier and civilian during the Civil War. Then there is the Civil War Roundtable in Lansing this coming weekend and our unit's annual meeting in early February.
And, also in February, our local historical society will also be presenting 19th century clothing historians, Bill and Glenna Jo Christen, for a presentation of period clothing.
Throughout the fall and continuing on into the winter I have continued to make the attempt to slowly turn my home into a pseudo Victorian home. Our Gathering Room is almost there, so now to begin on the rest of the house.
So, I have quite a bit on my plate, which is good as it's only mid-January. And it's this historical business that will keep me going until the warmth of spring returns.

My Daughter

My daughter's 7th birthday was yesterday, and I am willing to bet that she is the only child in Michigan who received a chamber pot as a birthday gift. Yes, a chamber pot.
You see, this past summer, while at Greenfield Village, we were in the Sarah Jordan Boarding House when she noticed the ceramic pots under the beds. She asked me what they were and I explained that most folks during the 19th century and before did not have bathrooms (or "necessaries" as they were known then) in their homes, so they either had to go outside in the dark, wooden structure that eventually became known as an outhouse, or they did their duty in the chamber pot under their bed. Well she loved the idea of not having to walk the ten feet from her bed to the bathroom in our house so, naturally, she really wanted to get one for herself. I explained that it was the youngest family member's job to empty and wash out the chamber pot every morning - she didn't care. She wanted one, and that was all she spoke of for weeks.
Well, off to the eBay site I went and found an authentic 19th century pot at a remarkably low price. I went after it and won. This was in August - we've been hiding it ever since. So, last night, when she opened her birthday gifts (which included a quilt, an easel, and a Hannah Montana doll), she literally screamed for joy upon seeing she also received a chamber pot.
Only my daughter!

Greenfield Village

I took the above five pictures at Greenfield Village. (from the top): (1) Christmas at the Daggett Farmhouse (2) inside the general store (3) The Ford Farm (4) Dinner at the Eagle Tavern (5) A Colonial Scene - all homes in this shot were built prior to the 19th century.

As mentioned in other blogs I have written, I love visiting Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan. The collection of old homes and structures is second to none: where else, in one area, can you visit the original homes of the Wright Brothers, Henry Ford, Daniel Webster, Harvey Firestone, and Stephen Foster? There are other historical structures placed there as well: the building where Abraham Lincoln practiced law, the shop where the Wright Brothers built their first-to-fly airplane, and Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park complex (can you say electric light, phonograph, and “hello”?). Then there are the odds and ends buildings, showing great examples of life as lived in past centuries: Sarah Jordan Boarding House, which was the first home lit by electricity, Daggett, Plympton, and Giddings houses – all from the colonial period; Adams, Chapman, and the Ann Arbor houses – great examples of Victoriana; two 19^th century schoolhouses, Smith’s Creek train depot, a general store, a carriage stop, and even a stone cottage from 17^th century England. And so much more.

It’s a history lover’s dream!

I do, however, have a number of complaints of late:

First off, I am not fond of the streets, curbs, and sidewalks that were installed a few years ago. The modern concrete really took away the step-into-the-past ambience that the Village once had. I was told it was for those in wheelchairs, but the previous set up worked for over 70 years.

Second, the Disney feel that was given to the place (Model T rides galore and the entrance ticket booth) does not help with the stepping-into-the-past experience either.

Third, they’ve taken away public candle dipping (we always made our own candles every summer and used them during Christmas), the steamboat ride – always a favorite -, and the Colonial Days festival, which was a yearly highlight for me and my family.

Now for the good stuff about Greenfield Village:

1) They still have Civil War reenactments every Memorial Day weekend (although the constant running of the Model T’s takes away from the historical accuracy).

2) Their Christmas celebrations are the BEST anywhere (it used to be called “12 Nights of Christmas,” and is now called the more politically correct “Holiday Nights”- as if any from the Jewish or muslim faith would ever come to this event knowing what it actually is).

3) Hallowe’en in the Village.

4) The fact that they pride themselves (rightfully so) on historic accuracy in their presentations (except for said Model T rides during the Civil War weekend).

Now, what would Ken change if he were suddenly put in charge? Well, first thing, correct the wrongs that I listed above. Then I would open each house – get rid of the dog-gone plexi-glass in many of the buildings – and have 1^st person presenters ala Colonial Williamsburg. At least on the weekends.

I would also get an original layout of the Village from an old guide book and re-arrange the buildings back to what Henry Ford originally planned. I’d also bring back the cobbler shop, the cooper shop, the Plymouth House, get a working smithy to show the craft of a blacksmith, and truly keep the Village where Mr. Ford intended – pre-20^th century.

Because I am a perfectionist and an amateur social historian, my complaints seem to be making Greenfield Village out to be much worse than it actually is. But, it’s because I still have such a love for the Village (there’s that Passion for History again!), and these so-called changes and “improvements” (when they really aren’t improvements at all) are very hard to take. If it ain’t broke, as the saying goes, don’t fix it.

It's still a great place to go for American history - you would do yourselves a favor to visit Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum (I’ll write about the museum another time).

In a future blog, I’ll write about some of the neat GFV items I have collected.