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June
7, 2004:
Fascinating History
Interview
with Kenneth C. Davis, author of
Don't Know Much About History
Mike
Carruthers:
In school you likely heard the story of George Washington chopping
down the cherry tree.
Kennth
C. Davis:
That's
a complete fabrication of course, that has nothing to do with
George Washington's childhood.
Kenneth
C. Davis author of the book, Don't Know Much About
History
It was
created by a man who came along and wanted to write a children's
book and fill it with the virtue stories and so he draped it
in these folktale and legends of Washington
Memorial
Day is considered the unofficial beginning of summer by many.
But few people know the history of Memorial Day
Memorial
Day really began in the post Civil War era as a way to commemorate
the dead. And it started with family sort of going casually
to the cemetery to decorate the graves of the fallen with flowers.
Of course
we all know Columbus proved that the earth was round but there's
a lot more to that story.
He was
on his third voyage I believe he was off the coast of South
America and Columbus was writing about seeing a river rushing
out of the mountains into the ocean. And Columbus writes in
his log that this must be one of the rivers that's mentioned
in the book of Genesis as being near the Garden of Eden. And
I thought gee, that's interesting I never heard that Columbus
thought he discovered the Garden of Eden. Then he goes on to
write that the world must not be round, but pear shaped because
this water must be coming from a very high point. I thought
when they told us Columbus proved that the earth was round and
now he's saying it's shaped like a pear.
At, sometingyoushouldknow.net.
I'm Mike Carruthers and that's Something You Should Know.
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