Visitors to historic downtown Rapid City, South Dakota, are greeted by a series of life-size bronze statues of our nation’s past presidents along the city’s streets and sidewalks. The City of Presidents project began in 2000, to honor the legacy of the American presidency. Each of the sculptures is privately funded, and the pattern of placement is chosen to maintain a coherent … [Read more...] about President Obama Statue of Presidents
History Archives
Skyscraper Sullivan
The Visionary Behind Our Modern Towers of Babel Few things convey a sense of progress and modernity like skyscrapers. Whether or not one finds them aesthetically appealing, such buildings dominate a city’s appearance and also let the world know that a particular city has arrived. For centuries, many an architect had wanted to build taller buildings. But not until the … [Read more...] about Skyscraper Sullivan
Wild Irish Women: Madame Bluebell
Ladies: who among us hasn’t at least briefly entertained the fantasy of having Catherine Deneuve portray you in the movie of your life? Okay, even if that’s not the direction you would go casting-wise, know that one Margaret Kelly had that distinct honor. Catherine Deneuve played a character based on her in the classic François Truffaut film, The Last Metro (Le Dernier Metro). … [Read more...] about Wild Irish Women: Madame Bluebell
Listen Now Again
A new National Library of Ireland exhibition celebrating the life and work of Seamus Heaney gives an overview of the poet laureate's life and work. When Seamus Heaney was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995, the Swedish Academy noted the “lyrical beauty and ethical depth” of his work. His poems, though often suffused with allusions to Dante, Homer, and the other … [Read more...] about Listen Now Again
The American Revolution and Ireland
The Irish involvement in the American Revolution is often lost in the stories dominated by tales of the wisdom of the Founding Fathers. Now, a new exhibition at Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution seeks to change that. Called “Cost of Revolution: The Life and Death of an Irish Soldier,” this special exhibition follows the untold story of Richard Mansergh St. … [Read more...] about The American Revolution and Ireland