I've started watching this season's TLC's series of "Who Do You Think You Are?" that runs on Tuesday nights, and find it very interesting and touching.
Celebrities seek out information about their ancestors and dig up enlightening facts that make their own history so much more meaningful. This season (4), I've watched episodes featuring Christina Applegate (very touching indeed), Kelly Clarkson, Chelsea Handler (I had no idea who she is), Zooey Deschanel, and Chris O'Donnell (more about him later).
Upcoming are Cindy Crawford, Trish Yearwood, and Jim Parsons (I have no idea who he is).
O'Donnell visited the site and had to learn from the guide there about the siege by the Royal Navy that ended in a victory by the Americans simply because the British ran out of cannon shells and didn't want to risk coming within range of the American cannon.
I knew that, because I remember stuff from my American history class in high school.
He also didn't know that Francis Scott Key, impressed by the large U.S. Flag that was raised in place of the regular U.S. Flag, wrote a poem that turned out to become our National Anthem. I swear, O'Donnell was shocked. It was a huge revelation to him that his ancestor was present at the event that inspired our National Anthem.
C'mon! Everybody should know that history ... especially if he's in his 40's, no?
I am 51 and certainly more familiar with Francis Scott Key and the Battle at Ft. McHenry than Chris O'Connell was...but I am not sure if that is due to the fact that I remember it from high school or because I have lived in Baltimore for the past 25 years. Ask me something significant about WWI and I likely would not know. Some of us have better memories than others, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteGood point, but I still think it's shameful. Some things should be engrained.
ReplyDelete~ Craig