Category Archives: History

The Fall of Saigon

30 Thursday Apr 2015

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— AARP Magazine for iPad, April-May 2015

In 1965, the first U.S. combat troops arrived in Vietnam. Ten years later, Saigon fell. Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon (now Ho Chin Minh City) effectively marking the end of the Vietnam War. The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People’s Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (also known as the Viet Cong) on April 30, 1975. This event started the transition period leading to the formal reunification of Vietnam into a socialist republic, governed by the Communist Party of Vietnam.

The fall of the city was preceded by the evacuation of almost all the American civilian and military personnel in Saigon, along with tens of thousands of South Vietnamese civilians. The evacuation culminated in Operation Frequent Wind, the largest helicopter evacuation in history. In addition to the flight of refugees, the end of the war and institution of new rules by the communists contributed to a decline in the city’s population.

According to the National Archives and Records Administration, the number of U.S. military fatal casualties in the Vietnam War was 58,220 (as of April 29, 2008).

For a detailed view and timeline of The War That Changed Everything, tap here.

Abraham Lincoln ~ 1809 — 1865

15 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by in Americana, Art, History, Obituaries, Painting, Portraits

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LINCOLN, 2013 by Wayne Brezinka. Collage, mixed media & acrylic on canvas / 48 x 60 in., 4 ft x 5 ft

LINCOLN, 2013 by Wayne Brezinka. Collage, mixed media & acrylic on canvas

 

Abraham Lincoln died at 7:22am, April 15, 1865, one-hundred fifty years ago today. This portrait of the 16th President of the United States by contemporary artist Wayne Brezinka is currently on loan at the historic Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., May 6, 2014 — May 6, 2015. Brezinka’s 4 ft x 5 ft portrait is part painting and part three-dimensional collage of cardboard, rope and several artifacts he collected from the 1860s.

Collage artist Wayne Brezinka spent two months gathering Civil War-era photos and newspapers to use in his mixed media Lincoln portrait. Image courtesy of Wayne Brezinka

Collage artist Wayne Brezinka spent two months gathering Civil War-era photos and newspapers to use in his mixed media Lincoln portrait. Image courtesy of Wayne Brezinka

 

Here’s a fascinating “video tour” of Wayne Brezinka’s “Lincoln”:

Oh, Say Can You See?

14 Sunday Sep 2014

Posted by in Americana, History, Music

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Only about a dozen copies of the original 1814 sheet music imprint of Francis Scott Key’s “The Star-Spangled Banner” have survived. The original edition can be easily identified by the misprint “A Pariotic Song” in its subtitle. Courtesy of the William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan

Only about a dozen copies of the original 1814 sheet music imprint of Francis Scott Key’s “The Star-Spangled Banner” have survived. The original edition can be easily identified by the misprint “A Pariotic Song” in its subtitle. Courtesy of the William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan

Today marks the 200th anniversary of our national anthem. On September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key composed the lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner” after witnessing the massive overnight British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Maryland during the War of 1812. Key, an American lawyer, watched the siege while under detainment on a British ship and penned the famous words after observing with awe that Fort McHenry’s flag survived the 1,800-bomb assault.

After circulating as a handbill, the patriotic lyrics were published in a Baltimore newspaper on September 20, 1814. Key’s words were later set to the tune of “To Anacreon in Heaven,” a popular English song. Throughout the 19th century, “The Star-Spangled Banner” was regarded as the national anthem by most branches of the U.S. armed forces and other groups, but it was not until 1916, and the signing of an executive order by President Woodrow Wilson, that it was formally designated as such. In March 1931, Congress passed an act confirming Wilson’s presidential order, and on March 3 President Hoover signed it into law.

A Memorial Day Tribute

19 Monday May 2014

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Since the early days of the Revolutionary War, American soldiers have been writing letters that shared their fears, hopes for the future, and love with those who waited anxiously behind. From Bunker Hill to Fallujah, Americans have written hundreds of millions of war letters. On a more personal level, these correspondences provide a tangible connection to the past and humanize our men and women in uniform, capturing their distinct personalities, experiences and aspirations.

Download the AARP Publications iPad App from iTunes for more.

Book Cover Design: The Feud

21 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by in Americana, Books, History, Publishing, Typography

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The History Channel‘s wildly popular Hatfields & McCoys miniseries (recently aired over Memorial Day weekend) is a fictional retelling of the infamous feud, but writer Dean King‘s upcoming book The Feud will attempt to piece together the full picture. Here’s a preview of the book’s cool cover design. In my book, it’s spot on. (MORE)