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On the Net
History repeats itself, on-line
From Correspondent Lori Waffenschmidt
ATLANTA (CNN) -- Don't know much about history? You can take a refresher course by logging on to the Internet, where you'll find volumes of information of American and world history, and new ways of understanding the past.
Chicago's fire ignites on-line interest
One dark night when we were all in bed, Mrs. O' Leary left the lantern in the shed. The cow kicked it over And winked her eye and said, There'll be a hot time in the old town tonight.
Or so the song goes. Actually, historians differ over whether it was the much-maligned Mrs. O'Leary's fault at all.
For a discussion of the theories behind the Great Chicago Fire and a host of other information on the event, you can visit an on-line exhibition marking the 125th anniversary of the disaster.
The site, a joint project of the Chicago Historical Society and Northwestern University, is filled with photos of come 250 artifacts relating to the fire, including newspaper headlines, pictures of the city before and after the fire and essays on the disaster that gave birth to the Second City.
A new take on the New Deal
The New Deal Network is up and running to commemorate October, Franklin Delano Roosevelt History Month.
This site, designed for middle-school students, has plenty for anyone curious about the legacy of the public works projects created during the New Deal.
Eleanor Roosevelt is also remembered here with letters written to her from children asking for clothing, money and other assistance. There are also quizzes from professor Puzzler.
A scholarly site for students of history
For the serious history buff, The National Historical Society has developed The History Net.
With material culled mainly from magazines, this site is rich with textual content.
There are some illustrations, including historical paintings and maps; trip planners for when you visit some of the sites you read about; interesting articles on topics such as hedge mazes; and in-depth information on famous historical figures.
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