What we now know as the history of the Union Jack flag is a 3-layered cake consisting of the (1) English Cross of Saint George, (2) the blue and white Scottish Saltire Cross of Saint Andrew, and (3) the red and white Irish Cross of Saint Patrick. The Union Jack flag represents more than national […]
The Union Jack Flag: Complete History of Britain’s Iconic Symbol Read the full story →
Looking for something genealogy related gift ideas for Mother’s Day? Want to blend family history into this most auspicious of family days? Well look no further, here are 5 genealogy gift ideas for this Mother’s Day. Okay, so let’s start with the most glaringly obvious which I’m not even going to include on the list
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“The Square and the Tower,” the latest offering by Niall Ferguson, hits you with an almost mystical premise: that networks have permeated history’s most decisive moments. The fact that human beings are social animals is not the revelation, but rather how great historical events can be reanalyzed in terms of Ferguson’s new framework. This new
“The Square And The Tower” by Niall Ferguson [Book Review] Read the full story →
“The Medici: Power, Money, and Ambition in the Italian Renaissance” by Paul Strathern is a sojourn into the elusively secret world of medieval money and politics like I’ve never quite experienced. It was eye-opening on many levels for me. As a historian and an armchair economist I’ve always preferred the classically dispassionate writing style of
“The Medici” by Paul Strathern [Book Review] Read the full story →
I took the Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) “My Origins” Family Finder DNA test in 2016, I also did their Y-DNA test way back in 2011. After having had time to consider my results, study the ever-changing science of genetics, and learn more about each of the DNA testing companies in depth, here’s my review of
Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) Family Finder “My Origins” Review Read the full story →
Your Ancestry search engine has a problem! It’s not so much that Ancestry is becoming a lackluster research platform, it’s just that we’ve become so finicky! Genealogical research has advanced so far in the last 5 years alone that what once seemed like alchemy is now commonplace and ill-adjusted to current market demands in terms
1 Ancestry Search Engine Problem That Needs Mapping Read the full story →
My dog watches television. However, he is kinda weird, he doesn’t just watch television he watches me watching television in order to obtain his social cues. Every once in a while he’ll find something interesting on the TV screen; however, he’ll quickly lose interest in it as that bit that attracted his attention initially has
How My Dog Watches Television Read the full story →
In 2018, Find A Grave launched a massive redesign, and—let’s be honest—it was a disaster. If you scroll down to the bottom of this post, you will see over 100 comments from the Family History Foundation community venting about broken links, missing photos, and an interface that seemed designed to hide our ancestors rather than
How do you compare DNA testing companies? Which DNA test is the best? Well, size does matter when comparing DNA testing companies and here’s why: it’s all about their DATABASES which includes factors such as number of USERS, FAMILY TREES, and most importantly the size of their REFERENCE POPULATIONS. Reference Populations As Sample Sizes When
Size Does Matter When Comparing DNA Testing Companies Read the full story →
Her name is Joyeuse meaning ‘joyous’ and she is the magnificent sword of Charlemagne that accompanied him on his rise to power from Frankish King in 768 to Holy Roman Emperor in 800 to the posthumously acknowledged ‘father of all Europe’ after his death in 814. Joyeuse has a 32.6 inch blade with its overall length
How The Sword of Charlemagne Ended Up In Italy Read the full story →
If you were in the city of Kaunas on March 11, 2018 you would have witnessed Lithuania rolling out a 656-foot (200 meter) flag to celebrate Lithuanian Restoration Day! Here are 16 photos I’ve gathered from around the net to show you just how amazingly inspirational and patriotic that flag is – it’s over 2
Lithuanian Restoration Day: Lithuania Rolls Out Unbelievable 656-Foot Flag! Read the full story →
