Tag Archives: History

Editorials/Student Voice, Getting To Know/History

The Trabi

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By: Charlotte Aver

Trabant at 12. Internationales Maritimes Fahrzeugtreffen, 18 August 2018, by Matti Blume via Wikimedia Commons

The Trabi is a car from the Soviet Union. They were produced from 1957 to 1991 and they were made quickly and were not solid at all.

The Soviet Union made it so that it was the only car that a person could own. The Trabi’s were free to the public if you got on the waitlist. However, it could take up to fifteen years to actually get your car after being put on the waitlist, even though it was free it still had a cost. The Trabi’s were made quickly and by hand and therefore were not sound. They were thin and fragile: the windows were hard to roll up or down, the bottoms of the cars were thin enough to break, the seats had no cushion to them and they broke down all the time. Though it was free it was bad quality and would take years to get to you.

An oversight that was made while the Trabi’s were being made was that there were no spare parts, so when they broke down there was nothing to fix them with, making the fifteen years you waited for the car useless.

The people that drove Trabi’s were everyday people where as the leaders all drove Mercedes. This goes to show that communism, which was the Soviet Union’s goal, is impossible to achieve with humans because humans are incredibly susceptible to corruption and selfish desire.

During the 1980’s there was a huge push to tear down the Berlin Wall, which happened in October of 1989. During this time there were many slogans and sayings that were used about freeing East Berlin, one of them was “free the Trabi” because it was a car that only existed on the east side of the Berlin Wall. After the Berlin Wall fell there was a section left up and artists from around the world were invited to come and paint murals on the wall; this section of wall is now known as the East Side Gallery. One artist painted the Trabi breaking through the wall and by painting this immortalized the saying “free the Trabi”.

The Trabi is a true symbol of the people of the Soviet Union and East Germany, how they lived and what little they were given by their government.

Getting To Know/History

The history of Thanksgiving

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By: Treshawn Ross

The First Thanksgiving: By: Jean Leon Gerome Ferris via Wikimedia Commons

Origins of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving originally began in Plymouth, Massachusetts in the year 1621. Around  90 Native Americans from the Wampanoag tribe attended the celebration with 52 English people or “pilgrims”. This celebration was to mark a successful harvest and is remembered historically as the first Thanksgiving. No one in 1621 called this feast Thanksgiving despite modern thoughts around the event.

Native perspective

Many Native Americans today view Thanksgiving as a reminder of the heinous crimes committed by the pilgrims and the generations that came after them. Quite soon after the first Thanksgiving, a war ignited between the pilgrims and the Wampanoag people and this heavily weakened the Wampanoag politically and militarily. Thus, the Wampanoag became one of the first Native American nations to be victimized by the pilgrims.

After the Plymouth harvest

Different states of the early U.S. and eventually the federal government proclaimed days of thanksgiving at different times in a very non-centralized way. These days were more solemn and somber rather than fun and feasting as many Americans now know it. After many years of advocating for a national Thanksgiving holiday, magazine editor Sarah Hale got her wish. America had a new holiday with storied roots.

A Presidential decree

Thanksgiving got its date partly during one of the bloodiest conflicts in U.S. history, the Civil War. On October 3rd, 1863, President Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving proclamation to help heal the spirit of the broken nation. This decree set the standard of when Thanksgiving would be celebrated, “[O]bserve the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving”. This would last for decades until in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s when President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the date to the second to last Thursday of November. 16 states refused to follow this proclamation which led to intense confusion. In 1941 congress passed a law establishing the fourth Thursday in November as the national holiday known as Thanksgiving.

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Getting To Know/History

The history single combat

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By: Treshawn Ross

Peresvet’s duel with Chelubey: Viktor Vasnetsov

Single combat explained

The history of single combat is a very long one, this phenomenon became popular during ancient warfare. When people think about ancient battles the image that pops up is lines of men in a large formation, clashing until one side breaks. But often before the clash there would be single combat, often called “champion warfare”. One champion would go into the space between the two armies and meet his counterpart. Then they would fight, usually to the death, without interference from either army, as the men would watch in astonishment as the champions battled. If their side’s champion won they would feel confident in the upcoming battle, and their adversaries would feel disheartened or vengeful as a result.

Common myths

One major myth about single combat in the ancient era is that these skirmishes decided entire battles; this was rarely recorded and only popular in mythology. Another myth is that single combat was unique to one culture in the ancient world or in future eras. This is not true; single combat was popular in Rome, Greece, England, Brazil and New Zealand.

Famous instances of single combat in history

The Battle of the Champions between Sparta and Argos is the largest instance of this, each army brought 300 of their best warriors and they fought a brutal battle which left minimal survivors. Another example is the Battle of Kulikovo where Alexander Peresvet and Chelubey fought in single combat and both died. Also in 222 BC the Roman consul Marcellus killed the Gallic king Viridomarus in single combat. The Vikings had a system for duels known as the Hólmgang which was heavily regulated.

Decline in single combat

As armies became more modernized and disciplined, dueling became less popular or in some cases it became outlawed. The risk of ruining the moral of an entire army before the main clash of a battle was too great to bear for many kings and generals. Although, during the 1700’s and 1800’s another form of single combat became popular. Dueling with pistols became a way to settle scores and fight for honor in a more “gentlemanly” way. This was mostly indulged in by nobility or upper classes. But this eventually became banned as well during the mid 19th century.

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Getting To Know/History

History of UFO sightings

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By: Karl Salkowski

Image created with Chat GPT AI

UFO stands for Unidentified Flying Object. According to the Oxford dictionary, UFOs are described as mysterious objects seen in the sky for which, it is claimed, no orthodox scientific explanation can be found.

UFO sightings have been reported throughout all of recorded history and across the world. There are many accounts of unexplained aerial phenomena throughout 500-1500AD. Many paintings and depictions of these flying objects still exist, including strange symbols and imagery. However, it’s likely that most of these medieval UFO sightings were just natural atmospheric phenomena such as comets, auroras, or rare cloud formations.

The US is home to many UFO sightings, with some of its most famous dating back to the 1950s and 60s. During the beginning of the United States’ rocketry initiative, UFO sightings began to spike. This includes several famous sightings and initiatives such as the Roswell UFO Incident, Project Blue Book, and the Robertson Panel.

The Roswell UFO incident took place in 1947 and was one of the first in a series of new sightings. A ranger from Roswell, New Mexico, found a 200-yard-long wreckage near a US Army airfield. The local newspaper reported it was an alien spacecraft, although the military declared the wreckage was only a weather balloon.

As sightings of UFOs increased in the 1940s and 50s, the United States Air Force began investigating these reports. In 1952, this became Project Blue Book, and it recorded over 12,000 sightings between 1952 and 1969.

In 1952, the United States created a panel of scientists to investigate these sightings. This panel was known as the Robertson panel, named after its head, H.P. Robertson, a physicist at the California Institute of Technology. This panel determined that over 90% of sightings were astronomical and meteorological phenomena and that there was no evidence aliens exist.

Within the last 20 years there has been a massive decline in these sightings. As smartphones with high-quality cameras continue to become more and more present, grainy images and blurry photos just don’t cut it anymore. Overall, most UFO sightings can be explained by either military tests or just various natural phenomena.

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Events, Getting To Know/History

A history of Halloween

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 By Hannan Mohammed

Today, Halloween is known as a holiday for people to dress in their scariest costumes and go door to door trick-or-treating, asking neighbors for candy to take home with them. Some people may even carve pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns to celebrate the holiday. But, how did Halloween and its ways of celebrating it come to be, and what was this holiday originally?

Sanhaim

Originally, the holiday of Halloween was known as Sanhaim, a pagan festival celebrated by the Ancient Celtic people. According to an article by BBC, this festival was celebrated about 2,000 years ago, usually on November 1. This was also the first day of winter for the Ancient Celts, and so this festival was also seen as an important transition in the year. According to the World History Encyclopedia, this holiday may have even represented the Celtic New Year.

This holiday was seen as the day in the year where a gap between our world and the spirit world was open, so that the spirits of the dead could cross over into our world. And, according to the World History Encyclopedia, these spirits could pass freely through to the human world and be either good-natured or harmful.

To celebrate this festival, the Ancient Celts would wear their own sort of costumes made from animal skins and heads, a little similar to what we would wear today, and priests (called ‘druids’) would light large bonfires to offer animal sacrifices.

Hallowed Evening

Over time, the popularity of Sanhaim spread across Europe, becoming especially well-known in Ireland. However, Christianity was also spreading by the 5th century, and one way that the Catholic Church attempted to convert the Celts was to incorporate pagan holidays into their calendar.

To do this, All Saints’ Day was moved to November 1 by Pope Boniface IV in the 7th century, incorporating elements of Sanhaim into the holiday. Because of this, the day before became known as the ‘Hallowed Evening’. As the centuries passed and All Saints’ Day became more widespread, this name was shortened to Halloween, and more traditions that we associate with the holiday today became more prominent:

Carving Pumpkins

The holiday tradition of carving pumpkins to create jack-o’-lanterns came from Ireland, centuries ago. Using turnips rather than the pumpkins we use today, Irish people would carve scary faces into the turnips in order to ward off a spirit called Stingy Jack.

A famine in 19th century Ireland forced the immigration of millions of Irish people to the United States, and they brought this tradition with them, making this Halloween activity more well-known. Over time, pumpkins became more widely used as they were easier to carve than turnips.

Image by Lirazelf via Wikimedia Commons

Souling

Trick-or-treating used to be an activity called souling, and it originated in medieval England as a tradition to take part in on All Saints’ Day. To participate, people would go door to door exchanging prayers for food. By the Victorian era, the food that was most often exchanged was a pastry called a ‘soul cake’. Today, people often exchange a greeting of ‘Trick-or-treat’ for pieces of chocolate and candy.

Image by Malikhpur via Wikimedia Commons

Conclusion

Overall, the holiday of Halloween was first celebrated by the Ancient Celts as the festival of Sanhaim, and the holiday was incorporated into the Catholic calendar as the ‘Hallowed Evening’. Over time, the spreading popularity of this holiday and other traditions such as souling and carving turnips and pumpkins turned this into the Halloween that many people celebrate today.

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Books/Art

History of the Renaissance

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By: Fletcher Pike

If you’ve ever seen famous artworks such as the ‘Mona Lisa’, or ‘The Last Supper’, you may have noticed that they have similar art styles. This is because these paintings were made in the Renaissance era.

But some might ask, “What exactly was the Renaissance?”

The Renaissance era was a period in European civilization following the Middle Ages, from the 14th century to the 17th century. This era featured a revival in learning and innovations, as the Middle Ages was seen as a time of cultural decline in education and politics. Renaissance is a French word that means “rebirth”, which correlates to the fact that the Renaissance revived ideas and values from the Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans.

The Renaissance is mostly associated with the city of Florence in Italy, though many other countries underwent similar cultural changes. Many famous people from this era were born in Italy, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Christopher Columbus, and Galileo. Other famous non-Italian people from this era include Elizabeth I and William Shakespeare.

A large part of the Renaissance was a cultural movement known as humanism. Humanism is a philosophy that every person should strive to become educated in classical art, science, and literature. Humanists held a belief that humankind was rational and beautiful rather than sinful and weak. The humanists celebrated the beauty in life and the achievements of their scholarship.

This iconic era created some of the most popular art, coming in forms of statues, paintings, drawings, and literature. It could also be majorly found in architecture, such as the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, created by Michelangelo.

The impacts of the Renaissance can still be seen today, and was an overall important era for society due to its advancements in knowledge, philosophy, and art.

Books/Art

Art throughout time

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By: Fletcher Pike

Vincent van Gogh Self-portrait, Chokwesculpture, Temple lion, Japanese porcelain, Detail from the Venus (Botticelli) by: User:Husky and h3m3ls, Mischa de Muynck and Niels via Wikimedia Commons

Art has been around since the beginning of humanity, being a way for people to express themselves and their feelings through creating artwork. Throughout many centuries of changing trends, there have been prominent art styles featured throughout the years. In this article, I will cover the different art styles throughout different eras.

Prehistoric Art

The earliest days of art can be traced back to around 100,000 B.C.E, with examples including cave paintings, clay sculptures, and rock carvings. Most of these artworks, especially the cave paintings, depicted some kind of story, using both humans and animals in the artwork. Most of these artworks were symbolic and represented the civilization’s culture.

This zoomorphic cave paintingis located Tanzoumaitak in Tassili n’ajjer park in Djanet in Algeria by: IssamBarhoumi via Wikimedia Commons

Ancient Era

After around 4000 B.C.E, art began to evolve when more advanced civilizations like Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia, and civilizations in Asia developed more cultural, symbolic items that they incorporated into art. Though the style of art can vary among these different cultures, most of them were made to tell a story of some kind. Some examples of this can be murals, sculptures, and art created on everyday objects such as bowls or weapons.

Ancient Egyptian art collection in Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek by: Jakub Hałun via Wikimedia Commons
An ancient bowl from the Bactrian civilisation, Central Asia, 3rd-2nd millennium B.C. From the private collection of Khosrow Mahboubian, London, UK by: Boubi via Wikimedia Commons

Medieval Era

The Medieval era, or “The Dark Ages” was a time that spanned from 400-1400 C.E. Art was dominantly focused on Biblical or other religious stories that varied throughout different cultures. Though the art in this distinct period featured bright colors, most of the content being depicted could sometimes be gruesome or unsettling. Most art in Medieval times included flat imagery, rather than using depth.

Some other forms of art in this era include illuminated manuscripts, stained glass windows, and paintings.

Stained glass painting depicting St. Nicolas, possibly from Träkumla (Sweden). Now in the Swedish history museum, Stockholm. Medieval by: Gabriel Hildebrand via Wikimedia Commons
Mystic wedding of Catherine of Siena by Master of Margaret of York in a manuscript made for Louis of Bruges by: Master of Margaret of York via Wikimedia Commons

Renaissance Era

The Renaissance period (about 1400-1600 C.E.) was an important period in time in European civilizations. Originating in Italy, this was the time that artists began to adapt depth and new imagery into their artworks. The common Biblical or religious themes in art—which was found mostly in the Medieval era—shifted into a focus on the human form or other topics. The Renaissance era was a rebirth following the Medieval era, with revived ideas in economics, education, politics, and art. The art in this period was revived from Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman civilizations. Some important artists from this time were Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Sandro Botticelli.

Art was found in various forms within this time, but was most prominent in paintings, sculptures, and architecture. It was also found in music and literature.

The Birth of Venus by: Sandro Botticelli via Wikimedia Commons
Mona Lisa by: Leonardo da Vinci via Wikimedia Commons

Early Modern Period

The Early Modern period (about 1600-1800 C.E.) was a time where advancements in technology, transport, and manufacturing were very prominent and art began to adapt alongside these changes. Artists no longer had to only focus on art that told a story, and were able to use art to paint whatever they wished. Artists began to open up more to different art styles, which had a more abstract approach. Take ‘The Scream’ by Edvard Munch for example, it’s unique art style included loose brushstrokes and vivid colors, which was not usually found in art before its time. Art came in numerous forms throughout this period, but once again typically found in paintings or drawings.

Girl with a Pearl Earring by: Johannes Vermeer via Wikimedia Commons
The Scream by: Edvard Munch via Wikimedia Commons

Today, art comes in many forms that are unique to their artists. Art is still a very prominent part in society today, and continues to be created by millions of artists around the world. Art has adapted into many different styles or even styles that I showed previously.

I hope you found this article interesting as I covered the basics of art styles from different eras and that it might have inspired you to create your own.

Getting To Know/History, Science/Nature

The cruel inter-workings of psychology!

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By: Maeve Brady

Psychology, it’s an amazing study of human behavior and cognitive functions, and, within this wide branch, there is so much to discover. That brings me to today’s topic, psychology experiments. More specifically speaking, notable psychology experiments. Now, you may have heard of popular experiments such as the Stanford Prison experiment and/or the Milgram experiment, which was an experiment with the intention of questioning people’s ability to adhere to an authority figure under who they assume to be someone in power. But, besides the most renowned ones, how about the ones barely anybody talks about? Are they considered notable or worthy? Today I will be explaining a very complex and appalling experiment, also known as the MK-ULTRA Project. I will try my best to explain all aspects of it and how it is notable to psychology.

First of all, what even was the MK-ULTRA Project? Well, the MK-ULTRA Project was a very bizarre experiment and the horrors of it run deep throughout history. The project was developed by the Central Intelligence Agency, also commonly known as the CIA. The CIA was a federal service tasked with enhancing national security through analyses of intelligence. Or in other words, the main foreign intelligence service of the United States. To be more specific, this experiment was primarily run by a chemist named Sidney Gottlieb, although Allen Dulles, the head of the CIA, agreed to let the procedures go through. This experiment was primarily based around the experimentation on humans and how they react.

This experiment had horrid intentions. In fact, the primary intentions of this experiment was to develop procedures, drugs, and/or some type of methods that would be capable of weakening an individual’s ability to resist, which would result in easier confessions due to this sort of “brainwashing” so that during an interrogation, they could easily get people to confess. It was a project just overall based around psychological torture on its participants. In order to figure this sort of “truth serum” out, experimenters would inject participants with drugs, usually this drug would be lysergic acid diethylamide, also known in the abbreviated form as LSD. They had hopes to discover at what point humans would break and essentially lose control of their cognitive abilities to adhere to authority figures. The ones that were experimented on varied from place to place.

Now, the majority of Gottlieb’s experiments were funded at universities and research centers, and others were conducted in American prisons and detention centers around the world. Typically, the ones being experimented on were people such as soldiers and most commonly prisoners. Prisoners were typically more popular because they were willing to operate in exchange for extra recreation time and were operated on. But, what makes this even more horrific is that many of the subjects had no idea they were going to get experimented on, and were unsuspecting people. And, adding on that fact, they tended to prey on the most vulnerable of people.

This experiment went on for a long duration of time, starting around November 18, 1953 and it was officially halted in around 1963 to 1973. This halt was due to the discovery by the CIA Inspector General staff of what was truly going on. Along with the discoveries of how dangerous and just morally wrong it was, as the subjects were given psychoactive drugs and other toxic chemicals.

Now, this experiment stemmed not only from new fascinations, but it also stemmed from fear and a continuation of the Nazi lead experiments through the duration of World War II. In 1933, Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany, and with his Nazi party helping him to suppress opinions and political enemies, he created a dictatorship. Due to previous hate of Jews along with Hitler using the Jews as scapegoats for Germany’s misfortunes after World War I, many Jews were persecuted. Eventually, this led to Jews being sent to concentration camps in an effort to exterminate them. During the 1940s, Nazi scientists worked in the concentration camps, which were usually filled to the brim with Jewish people, along with other camps containing the Roma people and other prisoners of war. In these camps, along with the starvation and other cruelties they brought to victims’ lives, they also did interrogation experiments.

To really give you a picture of how unethical some of these experiments were, we must discuss Operation Midnight Climax. Operation Midnight Climax was a notorious LSD experiment conducted by the CIA. In 1955, George White oversaw this experiment by first decorating a room to look homey and unsuspecting, then he let everything play out. Paid people would lure unsuspecting people to the scene and then they would be drugged by LSD as George White watched behind a two way mirror. 

Now, the results of the experiment are hard to find. This is because in the 1970s, most of the evidence for the experiment was destroyed. Along with the fact that this experiment was kept secret for most of it due to the fear of peoples’ criticisms.  Although there are similar experiments to this such as the Stargate Project, this project also focused on the study of psychic phenomena. Though similar to the MK-ULTRA Project, its results were dismissed and only proved that the methods were harmful, and killed many. 

Thank you so much for following me along as I explain this intriguing experiment to you! I hope you also found this experiment intriguing and brought you a valuable critical thinking experiment!

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Travel/Food

Best sites to see in the Twin Cities

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By: Maggie Hong

Image via Wikimedia Commons

As we get closer to summer, there’s a lot of free time in the future. One great way to fill this time is exploring our cities through museums and historical sites. The Twin Cities Area has lots to offer when it comes to art, culture, and history. Here are three of my favorites, perfect for all ages and interests.

Minneapolis Institute of Art— Mia is a must see site in the Twin Cities. It has 143 galleries, showcasing almost 5,000 years of artwork from around the world. Permanent exhibits include African, Asian, American Indian, and European galleries, as well as various eras of American art. More immersive galleries include rooms decorated in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie Style and period rooms themed around the Renaissance era, Ancient Japan, and the American 1950s. Be sure to check out rotating exhibits, which feature local and international artists.

Mill City Museum— The Mill City Museum might not be on the top of everyone’s sightseeing list, but it’s one of the most interesting museums in the cities. Built in the ruins of downtown Minneapolis’ Gold Medal Flour factory, this museum has interactive exhibits themed around Minnesotan milling history. Board historic train cars, bake bread, and ride a flour elevator while you learn about the people who worked in one of Minnesota’s biggest industries. A highlight of this museum for me is walking through the ruins park; a part of the building preserved as it was after the 1878 Mill City disaster, an explosion which leveled the building and damaged much of the surrounding area. You can see the old walls, outlines of rooms, and pieces of metal equipment that survived the fire.

Historic Fort Snelling— Historic Fort Snelling is a great place to learn about Minnesotan history, as well as experience the beauty of the Mississippi riverbank. Watch cannons fire and historic reenactors march military routes in this 1800s fort. Fort Snelling is also a great place to learn about Native history. Learn about Dakota language, history, and culture from community members and historic actors, and see how native people were treated during Fort Snelling’s time as an internment camp. Lastly, hear the story and see the living quarters of Dread Scott, a slave who sued the US government for his family’s freedom. So much history and many monumental moments have taken place at Fort Snelling, right in Highland’s backyard.

Editorials/Student Voice

History of the Alien Enemies Act

By: Maggie Hong

United States Alien Enemies Act notice issued on April 18, 2025; obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union and filed in A.A.R.P. v. Trump. Via Wikimedia Commons and the United States Department of Homeland Security

Over the past few months, the Trump administration claims to have deported over 100,000 illegal immigrants from the United States. Among them are 130 Venezuelan men, accused of membership with a Venezuelan gang, designated by the US government as a terrorist organization. However, the men were given no chance to dispute these accusations, and many of them live and work legally in the US. So, what gives Trump the power to deport them with no evidence of gang affiliation?

In 1798, a law called the Alien Enemies Act was passed by Congress. It was intended to protect the United States in the event of a war with France, a possibility which seemed likely at the time. It granted the President the power to detain or deport any citizen of an enemy nation without evidence of a crime or a hearing in their defense. It was created as a wartime authority; something only to be used when the US is in a state of war or enemy invasion. However, only Congress, not the President, has the authority to declare war on another nation.

Since its creation, the Alien Enemies Act has only been used three times: during the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II. Notably, it was used to intern Japanese Americans in prison camps during World War II. Many of them were native born American citizens, making them not considered alien enemies under the law. However, they were still interned along with the rest of the Japanese American population.

Trump has invoked this act for the fourth time in US history, the first time not during a major conflict or state of war. This is backed by the opinion that the US is being invaded by illegal immigrants, largely from Mexico and other Latin American countries. This could justify a use of the Alien Enemies Act, as it does provide for enemy invasion. However, this opinion is not backed by any evidence of ill intent or antagonism against the US. And, as Congress has not declared a state of war, this invocation is highly questionable.

The Supreme Court has ordered that one of the immigrants, here legally, be returned to the US. When Trump met with the president of El Salvador, though, he refused to return him, saying the US has no jurisdiction over his prison. As this case continues to develop, it sets precedent as to the power of our executive branch and the other branches’ power to check it.