Learn to Love History!

As a spin-off from my previous post regarding my Ancestry DNA results from the British Isles , I decided to search for some databases with primary sources for British history. Starting with Google, I entered “Primary Sources for the British Isles” into the search bar. Several of the search results included library guides from various Universities. One website that stood out during my initial search was British History Online. The website description states that it is, “a digital library of key printed primary and secondary sources for the history of Britain and Ireland.” The site allows researchers to search using keywords and titles. There are also quick links on the home page to other areas of the site. The links include the following:  Maps, Full Catalog, Guides and Calendars, Secondary Texts, Primary Sources, and Data-sets. British History Online -Home Page: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/ Due to my focus on primary source documents, I selected the link to primary s...

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While flipping through tv channels tonight I stumbled upon the Jeopardy game show. The category was historical geography, so I decided to watch for a few minutes. One of the questions dealt with identifying the island where the majority of the fighting took place between Rome and Carthage during the Punic Wars (264 BCE - 241 BCE). The contestants’ answers were Crete and Sicily, the correct answer being Sicily. I did a quick search to review some of the history of the Punic Wars. One of the results that popped up was a Khan Academy video. Here is a link to the video.  (Not my video) https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/ancient-medieval/roman-empire/v/punic-wars-between-rome-and-carthage Let me know in the comments below whether you found this video helpful, and if you would like me to create educational videos like this one for this blog. Suggestions with favorite topics and time periods are always welcome!  Photo by Jon Platek, Besvo  https...

The current interest in exploring the Viking age, evident by popular TV shows like The Vikings on the History Channel, touches on interesting historical events and legendary names like Rollo (who became the Duke of Normandy). Coupled with the current fascination with Ancestral DNA services that allow people to discover their genetic ethnicity with specific regions highlighted on a map, it is interesting to note the major historical patterns that are evident. The map below shows areas with Viking settlements and influence.  These areas would also likely show evidence of Viking presence through DNA analysis if you have ancestors from these areas.  Max Naylor [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons My personal DNA results show percentages from Norway and Sweden. However, I was surprised that I did not have a greater percentage due to my known ancestry from Europe, specifically the British Isles. After conducting more research, I discovered that the low percentage wa...