this day in history
When you read about something that happened, say, 600 years ago, you say to yourself, "Damn, that was a long time ago!" But let's think about this for a moment.
A year is not a long time. As previously mentioned, we moved in to our apartment a year ago - and it definitely doesn't seem like we've been here for long. I'm almost 25 - that's getting close to a quarter of a century. Now, a century doesn't seem all that long, does it? Especially given the fact that I have the maturity of a first-grader. But that's beside the point.
My grandpa was born in 1914. He was 10 when Lenin died, and 28 when the Germans attacked. Hell, he can tell you about that day as though it was yesterday.
The inscription on the Plymouth Rock says "1680". That's 326 years ago. Let's say a boy witnessed that inscription being made, grew up, and told the story to his grandkid. If the two were 60-65 years apart in age, then, hypothetically, four or five such transfers could've made their way to today.
Think about that for a second. Then check my math, I'm getting kinda rusty.
I remember one of my teachers saying, "History is being made today". Unfortunately, every history class in high school started with the Civil War and ended with WWI, so we never got around to talking about anything recent.
Still, I remember clearly what happened when the fearsome USSR came crumbling down. For sure, this will be recorded in history books, and other high school kids may even get around to learning about it.
I just don't want my kids to ask, "Do you remember what happened when the US ceased to be great?"
A year is not a long time. As previously mentioned, we moved in to our apartment a year ago - and it definitely doesn't seem like we've been here for long. I'm almost 25 - that's getting close to a quarter of a century. Now, a century doesn't seem all that long, does it? Especially given the fact that I have the maturity of a first-grader. But that's beside the point.
My grandpa was born in 1914. He was 10 when Lenin died, and 28 when the Germans attacked. Hell, he can tell you about that day as though it was yesterday.
The inscription on the Plymouth Rock says "1680". That's 326 years ago. Let's say a boy witnessed that inscription being made, grew up, and told the story to his grandkid. If the two were 60-65 years apart in age, then, hypothetically, four or five such transfers could've made their way to today.
Think about that for a second. Then check my math, I'm getting kinda rusty.
I remember one of my teachers saying, "History is being made today". Unfortunately, every history class in high school started with the Civil War and ended with WWI, so we never got around to talking about anything recent.
Still, I remember clearly what happened when the fearsome USSR came crumbling down. For sure, this will be recorded in history books, and other high school kids may even get around to learning about it.
I just don't want my kids to ask, "Do you remember what happened when the US ceased to be great?"
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