Random History http://www.randomhistory.com/xml.rss Recent 10 history articles en-us 2010-09-08T22:18:19+01:00 Shu Recent Randomhistory Articles Of Revolution, Glory, and Uncertainty: A History of the U.S. Economy http://www.randomhistory.com/us-economy-history.html The fledgling thirteen colonies established their independence on ingenuity, the frontier, and support from the French and her allies. The United States and her national debt were born, and both have expanded seemingly without limits. However, in the years leading up to America’s sestercentennial, serious questions about the unsustainability of America’s economic practices ha. . . http://www.randomhistory.com/us-economy-history.html History vs. Legend: The Story of Saint Patrick's Day http://www.randomhistory.com/history-of-st-patricks-day.html No country celebrates its patron saint like Ireland. Nor, indeed, has any national day been embraced the world over like Saint Patrick’s Day. For a country whose history is characterized by conflict with the British, however, it is perhaps the biggest irony of all that the man himself—the quintessential Irish Catholic hero—was a Briton. The St. Patrick of the twenty-first c. . . http://www.randomhistory.com/history-of-st-patricks-day.html From Silver to Paper: The History of Money http://www.randomhistory.com/money-history.html Easy as it is to comprehend now, money has not always been so clearly defined. For millennia, the exchange of things throughout civilization had much to do with an object’s intrinsic value to its society. Money, in other words, meant something useful, such as barley, tools, or precious metals. Today, most currency systems use money that has symbolic value.  Whether a dollar, . . . http://www.randomhistory.com/money-history.html Guarding Public Morality: A Global History of Censorship http://www.randomhistory.com/censorship-history.html While the right to the freedoms of speech and expression is one that is highly prized by many throughout the world and is certainly considered a founding precept of the United States, the actual use and protection of that right has varied greatly throughout history. Because human beings live in a complicated social web in which interaction is all but unavoidable, the speech of one. . . http://www.randomhistory.com/censorship-history.html “We Shall Overcome”: Black History in America http://www.randomhistory.com/black-history-in-america.html As president-elect Barack Obama took the stage in Chicago on the night of November 4, 2008, after winning the race for the White House in a truly momentous election, he uttered these words to the gathered rally of supporters: “It's been a long time coming. But tonight, because of what we did on this date, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America” (Ob. . . http://www.randomhistory.com/black-history-in-america.html Going for Gold: A History of Olympic Controversies http://www.randomhistory.com/history-of-olympic-controversies.html From the beginning, controversy has followed the Olympic Games. Indeed, at times it seems as if the Olympic movement would fall apart under its own weight, with several commentators even suggesting that the world would be a better place without the Games. Since ancient times, the Games have been accused of compromising sportsmanship, inflaming political passions, and establishing . . . http://www.randomhistory.com/history-of-olympic-controversies.html America’s Tug of War over Sanctioned Death: The U.S. History of Capital Punishment http://www.randomhistory.com/2009/09/19_capital-punishment.html Capital punishment’s history in the United States is basically a debate between two ways of viewing the world: that state-sanctioned death is necessary for society, and that a civilized society should not see death as the only fair way to punish any crime or criminal. Throughout the history of capital punishment in the United States, reformists have spoken out against capital p. . . http://www.randomhistory.com/2009/09/19_capital-punishment.html Fashion Revolution: A History of the Miniskirt http://www.randomhistory.com/2009/05/25_miniskirt.html The 1960s was a politically charged decade of revolution and change. Apollo 11 became the first capsule to land on the moon, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 became law, Vietnam was raging, Beatlemania was sweeping the world, birth control pills hit the market, and a new cult of youth, known as “Youthquake,” had radically taken over many areas of life. In the midst of these dramat. . . http://www.randomhistory.com/2009/05/25_miniskirt.html Protecting Your Skin: The History of Sunscreen http://www.randomhistory.com/2009/04/28_sunscreen.html Ultraviolet rays from the sun are a constant presence on the earth. These rays can permanently damage the largest organ of the human body, the skin. The most obvious sign of this damage is sunburn, which can range from a mild irritation to a serious burn requiring medical treatment or even hospitalization. A sunburn can take days to heal and can result in permanent mottling of the . . . http://www.randomhistory.com/2009/04/28_sunscreen.html In Sickness and in Health: The History of Health Insurance http://www.randomhistory.com/2009/03/31_health-insurance.html Practices of insurance, broadly speaking, have long histories related to contracts and procedures designed to protect people from loss of property. Guarantees on property loans and insurance based on carefully distributed shipping wares are modes of insurance dating back to the second millennium B.C., and life insurance has a long and distinctive history that reflects humankind’s . . . http://www.randomhistory.com/2009/03/31_health-insurance.html