Category Archives: History

Annals of history: cooking under communism.

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Looking for a recipe today in Craig Claiborne’s cookbook, I found a 22 year old notation of mine (1989) under a “gazpacho” recipe that called for tomato juice:  “Excellent.  Added chicken broth packet & used ketchup instead of tomato juice.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Communism, Diplomacy, Foreign Service, History, Memories, Soviet Union | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Veterans’ Day… why we should never forget!

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

The reason why we celebrate Veterans’ Day and some of us wear poppies on our lapels: In Flanders Field by John McCrae MD (1872-1918) In Flanders Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row, That mark our place; … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, History, Soldiers, War | Tagged | Leave a comment

A horrific pictorial history of The Holocaust.

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

When a human life was labelled “life unworthy of life” (Lebensunwertes Leben): The Atlantic has the 18th installment of a 20 part pictorial history of World War II that must be seen to begin to comprehend the horror.

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Auschwitz, Empathy, History, Holocaust, Human Rights, World War II | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The tragic tale of the child migrants from the UK.

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Today, these children are grown-ups.  I had not heard of the wrenching history behind the child migrants, but an excerpt from a Background Note from the Australian Parliament explains: Under the Empire Settlement Act of 1922 and 1937, the British … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Culture, Empathy, History, Human Rights, Rule of Law, United Kingdom, War, World War II, Youth | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Memorabilia: a short history of the sixties.

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

It can’t be denied…the music was better then.

Posted in Culture, History, United States | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Perestroika and glasnost – the end of an era.

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

I lived in Moscow during the time that Gorbachev brought a new age of openness (perestroika and glasnost) to the USSR in the mid to late 80s.  This video brought back many memories. I wrote lengthy letters to family describing … Continue reading →

Posted in Diplomacy, Foreign Service, History, Memories, Russia, Soviet Union | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Learning and teaching about the Holocaust.

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

The US Holocaust Memorial Museum offers a learning site for students: Organized by theme, this site uses text, historical photographs, maps, images of artifacts, and audio clips to provide an overview of the Holocaust. It is the first step in … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Semitism, History, Holocaust, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Israeli national museum and Google have put the Dead Sea Scrolls online.

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Google announces that the Dead Sea Scrolls are online for the first time! Written between the third and first centuries BCE, the Dead Sea Scrolls include the oldest known biblical manuscripts in existence. In 68 BCE, they were hidden in … Continue reading →

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The power of one: a Catholic priest’s life mission.

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Father Patrick Desbois, a French Catholic priest, has a mission: Yahad – In Unum is the leading research organization investigating the mass executions of 1.5 million Jews and Roma/Gypsy people in Eastern Europe between 1941 and 1944.  This is sometimes … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Crime, History, Holocaust, Human Rights, Roma, Romania, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Preserve and honor: American troops photograph every grave in Arlington National Cemetery.

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Following in the steps of a young man, Richard “Ricky” Gilleland, troops are photographing every grave in Arlington.  I was surprised that the article does not mention the Preserve and Honor project. Here is a lesson regarding the power one … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Culture, Empathy, History, Soldiers, United States, War, Youth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The unbearable lightness of being: from historian to boiler-room operator to cloakroom attendant to national archivist.

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Only then will I be able to die – until that time, someone has to take care of all of this!

Posted in Communism, Czech Republic, Dissidents, History, Human Rights | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A man and his dog: A tale of trust, protection and discipline.

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

On September 11, 2001, against all odds, a blind man was saved by his beloved Guide Dog, Roselle.  Marcia Morrisey tells the story of “Thunder Dog” and her master Michael Hingson, in a wonderful narrative of what happened on that … Continue reading →

Posted in 9/11, Animal kingdom, Anniversary, History, Nature, Terrorism, United States, War | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Today, 67 years ago, the Warsaw Uprising began.

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

This is what I wrote in May 2008: One of the most painful memories of Polish history is World War II. I cannot count the times I have had Poles say to me that they are baffled that the world … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Poland, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The father of the Jesuits.

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Today is Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s feast day. I have a warm spot in my heart for this man, because my children went to school right off the Via Cassia in La Storta, Rome, where Saint Ignatius had his vision … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, History, Italy, Religion | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A memoir about living under two totalitarian regimes.

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Here’s a test: You now have thirty seconds to recommend a single book that might start a serious student on the hard road to understanding the political tragedies of the 20th century. What book would you choose? Of course, half … Continue reading →

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