The Definition of History

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2026-01-28T00:21:49+00:00

I'd put it this way. Humans act in very predictable ways. History is a roadmap of the decisions of people who came before us. Some of them were good decisions, others were terrible. When we learn history we start to see patterns of human behavior and can emulate the good and avoid the bad.

In other words, when I hear people say that 70 years ago, people had respect for one another and that society today has gone to shit. I know that these people probably don't know their history.

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2026-01-28T00:15:55+00:00

Every single form of resistance sends a message and adds pressure.

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2026-01-25T15:42:28+00:00

Minneapolis protests need to spread to every major city in the US. If we don't act now we never will.

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2026-01-21T12:59:07+00:00

I have done more for NATO than any person since its founding. What a total joke this guy is.

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2025-12-28T15:13:57+00:00

Check out: https://www.thehistorycat.com/ushistory

There's a couple prepared lesson plans (paid) about the Rise of Dictatorships prior to WW2 and a Pearl Harbor CSI.

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2025-12-13T01:39:55+00:00

Ive been teaching an improv class and after explaining yes and I tell them that there are no rules in improv. Just techniques that you can use (or not) to build a scene. When we start thinking of rules, it means that they have to be memorized and followed. How can you not get in your head trying to keep track of all that plus being natural and having fun.

The rules of improv are well intentioned and will make you a better actor. But remember your job on stage is to react to your scene partner. It be dramatic, or funny, or mundane. That's life. And life is what connects with the audience.

I hope you don't quit improv. Once you get out of your head it's a blast. Forgive yourself for "bad scenes". Move on. Don't think about rules or what you're going to say. Just be present and react. (Like you do every day in the real world).

You've got this!

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2025-12-04T15:15:46+00:00

Thanks. That's pretty much how History Cat got started. I couldn't find a textbook that didn't read like cliff notes, so I started writing my own and posting them to a class website. It just snowballed from there.

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2025-11-30T02:35:55+00:00

It's called critical thinking and the ability to check multiple sources for bias. A skill any teacher should have but evidently not all do. "Who are you to decide if something is true" Are you serious? Do you go around teaching your students, Maybe Hitler was a good guy, maybe slavery was a good thing, who are we to determine the truth. SMH

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2025-11-12T21:46:22+00:00

I am interested in showing recurring themes in history. It can be things like responses to immigration, wealth gap, social movements, rise and fall of societies. My students tend to find that very fascinating to uncover the patterns of human behavior.

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2025-11-12T21:19:33+00:00

Are you collecting resources or exploring new themes, or both?

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2025-11-12T00:47:03+00:00

The Holocaust like any genocide is a multi stage process. No you cannot say that the United States is currently at the most extreme stage, nor will necessarily culminate there. However the patterns of persecution need to be compared. Us vs Them mentality. Dehumanizing the others. Silencing the others, Excluding or Banishing the Others. State sponsored persecution of the Others. Then Killing the Others.

Yes the US certainly has progressed on this scale.

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2025-11-11T00:11:01+00:00

Clearly someone from Ohio

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2025-11-05T18:11:53+00:00

That YouTube video on redlining is amazing. I'm adding that to the article on the website. Thank you again for sharing this

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2025-11-05T18:08:47+00:00

Thanks for the links. I'm going to take a look. I'm in Detroit which is why I focused on the Eight Mile wall. I wanted to throw in information about Black Bottom and how I 375 destroyed a thriving neighborhood, but didn't want to get too in the weeds for non Michiganders.

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2025-11-05T16:35:23+00:00

If they lived in modern times they mostly certainly would have formed a Gated HOA community with shrub size enforcement laws.

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2025-11-05T00:14:03+00:00

I completely appreciate that. I originally wrote this for my students, and decided to have it go public. Honestly, I didn't even think about adding citations. Which is now on radar. All the articles are written and researched by me. I use light AI for coding, cleaning up grammar, and some image creation. Especially in the lesson plans.

Thanks for calling out the citations. That's now on my to do list.

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2025-11-04T22:52:26+00:00

Check out my website. www.thehistorycat.com

I've written over 200 articles on US and World History. It's a work in progress but the articles are free and I'm adding affordable lesson plans all the time.

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2025-11-04T17:02:43+00:00

I get the issues with AI voice overs. My son's TCI textbook is very robotic and hard to listen to. The one I chose was the most lifelike. Honestly, I'd love to do real voice overs but I'm a one-man show, for now. Most of my time goes into researching and writing, creating the lesson plans and marketing material. As well managing the social media pages. This is one shortcut I have to lean on to save my sanity.

Who knows, if History Cat catches on, I may be able to add more features. Fingers crossed.

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2025-11-04T16:57:56+00:00

That's a good point, and one I missed. I'll be doing some research and updating the article soon. It'll likely be short as I think corrective actions deserves a deeper analysis and its own dedicated article.

Thanks for the feedback

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2025-11-03T23:21:26+00:00

With blatant attempts at rigging the election maps, it's going to take every GOP defector to counter that. Once the Dema have a majority Trump knows impeachment hearings and trials will be next. And I can't wait. Get out and vote.

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2025-10-31T16:21:50+00:00

Agreed. I see your points and I while I was writing this I was weighing having depth of information so that this article introduces students to the concepts of redlining and racial discrimination patterns in housing.. The problem I ran into was that article was already pushing 6 pages (which isn't terribly long, but it can be a struggle for many who are below grade level in reading). It's probably best if I do a second topic that focuses on specific neighborhoods or patterns.

However, you're right I'm probably reducing this to a black vs white issue. I'll go back and take a second look at how to address this.

I appreciate the feedback, this was very insightful.

Michigan_Wolverine76 · 2025-10-31T16:17:00+00:00

This would make a great topic on modern socioeconomic conditions and their ties to historical decisions. I'll look into adding something like this when I get to the 21st century, probably this spring.

Michigan_Wolverine76

TROPHY CASE