Story Archives of 'History'

Almost a century before the Stamp Act of 1775, American colonists were repressed, unfairly taxed, had their charters revoked and were intimidated by Redcoats marching on their streets. In 1689, they fought back and shots were fired against British troops; they didn't win, but it was the beginning of a long revolution that only culminated almost 100 years later in the War for Independence. A new book called "Seeds of Discontent" explores how long and deep tensions were between the colonists and the British crown and how long the revolution in America really was.

Guest

• J. Revell Carr, president of the Council of American Maritime Museums and the International Congress of Maritime Museums, former president and director of Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut and author of Seeds of Discontent: Deep Roots of the American Revolution 1650-1750

A new book tells the stories of 49 Granite Staters who have fought in over 200 years of war - soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen. They are Medal of Honor recipients, and men who were the namesakes of Army forts, airfields, and Navy destroyers. We talk with the author of “Men of Granite” to hear the stories behind these New Hampshire men who served their country and made significant contributions.

Guests

• Bill McGee, author of “Men of Granite: True Stories of New Hampshire’s Fighting Men”
• Stuart Wallace, New Hampshire historian and Associate Professor of History at New Hampshire Technical Institute

On May 14th. 1948, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion publicly pronounced the new nation of Israel. The country has had a history of tremendous success but also conflict, border disputes and war. We’ll talk with a roundtable of Israeli-born Granite Staters, hear their stories of their home country, get their comments on the sixty year journey of Israel and their thoughts on the state of the state of Israel today.

Guests

• Ruth Harris, music teacher living in Hollis who was born in Palestine and then lived in Richon Letzion after Israel’s independence; she moved to Amsterdam and then to the United States in 1973
• Moshe Shpindler, resident of Nashua and owner of Caesario’s Pizza in Manchester. He was also born in Richon Letzion in 1950 and lived there until he moved to the United States in 1983
• Amalia Flaisher, graphic designer living in Litchfield; Amalia was born in Romania but moved to Ashkelon and later to Netanya in Israel before moving to the US ten years ago

We'll also hear from

• Isaiah Artsy, computer consultant living in Nashua; he was born in Poland, emigrated to Israel in 1957 and then to the US in 1982, and has spent the last week with family in Israel for the anniversary celebrations

Towns throughout the state are facing budget crunches. But in Coos County, Northumberland residents not only need to take care of the living, they have to take care of the dead.

The Connecticut River is eroding the ground of an old cemetery.

NHPR correspondent Chris Jensen has the story.

Writer and voracious reader Matthew Battles joins Word of Mouth once more to share some of the best new books coming out of university presses. He's senior editor at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the author of "Library: An Unquiet History."

The books he picked last month centered on the theme of crime, punishment and torture. It was a pretty dark conversation during the dark month of March. But now that it's April, Matthew is back to talk about books with a much sunnier theme – gardening.

Here are Matthew's April picks:

The Flower Hunters by Mary Gribbin and John Gribbin
(OxfordUniversity Press)

"The Gribbins tell the stories of eleven globetrotting botanists of times past, explorers like Joseph Banks and Robert Fortune who brought flowers to our gardens and tea to our table. The Gribbins don't pay enough attention to the sometimes-troubling role these figures played in the history of colonialism. But the stories they tell here do make for fascinating reading."


Gods and Goddesses in the Garden: Greco-Roman Mythology and the Scientific Names of Plants by Peter Bernhardt
(Rutgers University Press)

"Bernhardt takes up where the Gribbins left off to consider the mythological origins of the scientific names botanists have given the plants of the world. In some cases, these names tenderly evoke the plant lore of the ancient world; in other cases, they show how scientists have tried to elevate their subjects by choosing classical citations over tradition's often-saucy monikers."


Gardens: An Essay on the Human Condition by Robert Pogue Harrison
(University of Chicago Press)

"Harrison is a cultural historian alive to the poetry of science as well as insights poetry offers to the natural history of humankind. In Gardens, he explores the meanings of gardening, from the lofty height of Homer and the Bible to the poignant plots tended by homeless people in New York. Our fascination with gardens endures, even as the gardens themselves come and go with the seasons. They're not meant to last, Harrison reminds us; it's their job to 'reenchant the present.'"