As we get ready to celebrate the birthday of our Nation, only a few days after Canada celebrated their birthday, I began to think back to things that I learned in history. When in school, I actually hated history classes, sad, I know…I think it was more because of the way it was taught than anything. A teacher who makes history come alive is a great teacher indeed, if you are left with a text book with an overwhelming number of words and a few pictures, and no intrigue in what is written, it is to me, boring.
So this boomer, over the years, has gained a great love for history in my own way. It started out innocently as a love for historical novels…history mixed in with a bit of drama, romance, and other things that made it more interesting to read. Then great movies that portray events in history, then stumbling on museums and historic spots while traveling, and finally, the internet provides an endless resource for researching the history of anything.
Little things intrigue me, like when a light goes on because you realize that the name of a bridge has historical significance. I remember when they built the Verrazano Narrows Bridge that reaches from New Jersey to Staten Island, NY. I didn’t give it much thought at the time…it made it easier to visit some relatives and it was REALLY big was all that registered to me as a child. As is often the case, New York gets most of the focus, and New Jersey is kind of in the background when it comes to this bridge…ie. the New York Marathon, NY this, and NY that.
The bridge itself is named after the Italian explorer, Giovanni da Verrazzano, who came and explored the NEW YORK coast under commission by France. But he also explored the New Jersey coast in the early 1600’s. So just as his exploration reached from New York to New Jersey, so does the bridge.
Thomas Edison & the Stock Market
New Jersey Women - Ann Morrow Lindbergh
New Jersey Women - Clara Barton
New Jersey Men - Death, Duel & Weehawken, NJ
