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Aug 21, 2017

Wolf & Iron Podcast #021 – Author and Historian Mark Lee Gardner on Theodore Roosevelt, The Rough Riders, Writing, and History

You guys know I’m a big fan of Theodore Roosevelt and have studied and written about his life on a number of occasions. I had been following Mr. Gardner for a while primarily based on the titles of a few of his books (I hadn’t read them yet!): To Hell on a Fast ...

Nov 11, 2015

Man of the Month: Bass Reeves – Former Slave Turned Deputy U.S. Marshal

“Maybe the law ain’t perfect, but it’s the only one we got, and without it we got nuthin’.” – Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal, 1838-1910 The history of the Old West is filled with legends. Being the peculiar time it was, both outlaws and lawmen were openly praised for their heroic ...

Sep 25, 2015

Man of the Month: Harry Houdini – Part 2 – The Escapist

“What the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes.” – Harry Houdini, Magician, Escape Artist, & Actor, 1874-1926 Perhaps what amazes me the most about Houdini is how he heard his true life calling at such an early age, and heeded that call with unreserved fervor. Rather than ...

Sep 15, 2015

Barbati Fratres – The Bearded Brothers and the Start of the Freemasons

When you think of Freemasons, what typically comes to mind? A secret organization, shrouded in mystery? An ancient brotherhood with unknown ties of influence throughout history? Great! Because I am absolutely going to play that up! I believe what I have uncovered and what you are about to read is ...

Aug 13, 2015

The Manly History of Coffee: Part 1 – Westward to the Civil War

“Coffee is the common man’s gold, and like gold it brings to every man the feeling of luxury and nobility. Coffee differs from pure, gentle milk only in its taste and colour. Take time in your preparation of coffee and God will be with you and bless you and ...

Aug 6, 2015

TRThursday: The Old Lion is Dead – Theodore Roosevelt Dies

As I sit here writing the final article in our wonderful #TRThursday series, I find myself a bit emotional thinking about the man, Roosevelt, his last many adventures, his death, and the impact that such a character has had on history. Many, including myself, will chide his presidency as being one of progressive policies that altered ...

Jul 23, 2015

TRThursday: Roosevelt is Shot in the Chest During a Speech

“I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot.” – Theodore Roosevelt The year is 1912. Former President Theodore Roosevelt is attempting a third term by running as a candidate of the newly formed Progressive Party, created from an ideological divide which had manifested within the ...

Jul 16, 2015

TRThursday: Roosevelt’s Attempt to Simplify the Spelling of the English Language

“There’s ‘gherkin.’ What are you going to do with the ‘h’ in that? What the devil’s the use of ‘h’ in gherkin, I’d like to know.” – Mark Twain on Spelling Reform, 1907 One may think that being President of the United States would come with enough responsibilities, say, defending ...

Feb 16, 2015

Men! Burn Your Ships!

In a sermon this last Sunday (2/15/2015) one of our pastors mentioned Cortés’ famous “burning of his ships” during his conquest of the Aztecs around 1519. For Cortés this was done to prevent a growing mutiny and is often used as an analogy for cutting off all forms of retreat, forcing ourselves to dedicate 100% ...

Jul 28, 2014

Walking a Mile in a Soldier’s Boots: A Brief History of the Trench Boots of WWI

Whenever I read about history books about WWI, I am always confronted with the brief realization that I know very little of the war itself. When I really began to get perspective, I can just start to imagine how it might feel walking a mile in a soldier's (trench) boots.

Mar 31, 2014

‘An Axe to Grind’: 10 Idioms and their Manly Origins

If you have ever tried to learn a foreign language or have talked to someone who has had to learn English, you are reminded of how much figurative speech makes up a language. 'An Axe to Grind' can mean completely different things depending on the context. Here are 10 idioms you might recognize and their manly origins.

Mar 3, 2014

Honor and Hubris: Lessons from the Life and Death of Stephen Decatur

The year is 1804. President Thomas Jefferson’s decision to wage war against the North African Muslim Berber states, known collectively as the Barbary States, could not have gotten off to a worse start. For years the Barbary Pirates raided American trading vessels to Europe, all the while America paid millions to the rulers of ...
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