Stephanie Life of Determination

                                    I am pretty sure you probably heard about the Cathedral of Notre Dame got on fire. It makes me sad. Yes, they can rebuild it and try to make it look like it did but it won't be the same.  The Cathedral was built between 1163 and 1345 by Pope Alexander the III and was completed in the 13th century.  We lost 856 years of historical energy, labor and all the years of DNA/fingerprints.  The towers may have seemed like they were twins but they were not. The towers were as high as 226 feet and it had 387 steps.  It contained one of the oldest surviving wood-timber frames in Paris. Underneath the cathedral is another city. It is Gallo-Roman city known as Lutetia. Around 1710 pieces of the sculpted altar dedicated to Jupiter were discovered.  In 1431, Henry VI of England was made King of France inside the Notre-Dame.  During the French Revolution, 28 statues of biblical kings in the cathedral were removed by a mob. In 1977, the heads of 21 of the

First Christmas Card Have you ever wondered when Christmas Cards started?  It all started when Sir Cole and J.C. Horsely got together and sketched out a  triptych showing a family at a table celebrating the holiday flanked by images of people helping the poor.  At the top of each was the salutation, "To______" allowing Cole to personalize his response which included the generic greeting "A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year To You." The first Christmas card originated in the United States in 1875 from Louis Prang, a Prussian immigrant who had a print shop near Boston. The modern Christmas card industry, according to Smithsonian Magazine, began in 1915, when a Kansas City-based fledgling postcard printing company started by Joyce Hall, later to be joined by his brothers Rollie and William, published its first-holiday card. During late 1910s J.C Hall put "hallmark" used by goldsmiths as a marking quality. In 1928, the company began marketing its bra

SYNOPSIS How was our universe made from a tiny speck of energy? Where did the first trees, plants, animals and humans come from? What happened to the dinosaurs? What was so miserable about medieval times? How were railroads and electricity invented? What are the perils of global warming? You might have many big questions about our planet, life and people. Embark on an entertaining journey across millennia and continents with this captivating book by Christopher Lloyd, author of the bestselling What on Earth Happened. Discover everything from the creation of planet earth and the rise of animals, to globalization, wars and global warming.   Absolutely Everything! A History of Earth, Dinosaurs, Rulers Robots and Other Things Too Numerous to Mention. Join Christopher Lloyd on a thrilling ride through the history of the world in a book perfect for anyone aged 9 -99.  His website: Click Here AMAZON  |  BARNES & NOBLE  |  BOOK DEPOSITORY Praise for  ABSOL

MY REVIEW: The Scroll  takes the reader back to 73 AD at the last stand at Masada.  You are taken through a number of generations ending at the end of Bar Kochba in the 130 AD. Miriam Feinberg Vamosh takes you into the constant tension between the Jewish people and the Roman government.  This was an inspiration to him from the divorce scroll which is an actual archeological found in the 1950s.  This tale begins with the failed rebellion against the Roman Empire at Masada and goes through several generations. You find yourself learning about their history and culture. You see the characters struggle to survive.   If you want to learn about Jews this would be a great book to read. For example, how the household was run and how women were treated. This is a "happy ever after" novel, but it sure does pull at your heart. I felt bad for a lot of the characters. I found  The Scroll  to have some really interesting historical information, however, I have a hard time followi