BobRingReflections

In a recent blog article, I asked for suggestions for future articles.  My daughter-in-law, Cinta Burgos, suggested (among other topics) that I should write about the history of pants.  Initially skeptical, after a quick investigation, I found a lot of interesting material and decided to go ahead.   Pants have been worn since ancient times.  They are now the most common form of lower-body clothing for men.  Practical and comfortable, there’s no wonder that they’ve been adopted by both sexes as part of their everyday dress.  After a short introduction to “pants terminology,” I will cover the history of pants from ancient times through the present, first concentrating on pants for men, and then the history of pants for women.  I’ll conclude with a look at a couple of practical additions to pants - pockets and belts.  I will primarily focus on pants of Western Culture. My principal sources include “A Brief History of Trousers,” kingandallen.c...

My last two blog articles covered the history of presidential memorials in Washington D.C.  In this article, I’ll talk about the history of Washington D.C.’s military memorials, with special emphasis on the memorials for World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. I’ll start with an overview of the 19 military memorials in Washington D.C. (or very close by).  Then, I’ll cover the history of the memorials to the four major 20 th century wars, in the order that the wars were fought:  World War I (1914-1918), World War II (1939-1945), the Korean War (1950-1953), and the Vietnam War (1959-1975).  For perspective, each memorial history will begin with a very short synopsis of the war that the memorial honors, followed by appropriate details of the memorial’s planning, design, and construction.   My principal sources include: “17 military monuments, museums, and memorials in the D.C. area,” dc.curbed.com; “National World War I Memorial (Was...