Tag Archives: humor

“If I Did Not Laugh I Should Die:” The First in a Series of Looks at Civil War Humor

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Meg Groeling

Sometimes the world is not very funny, but the anecdote concerning Abraham Lincoln’s reading of a piece by political humorist Artemus Ward immediately before presenting the Emancipation Proclamation deserves a nod. Apparently, on September 22, 1862, Lincoln was waiting in … Continue reading →

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“If Grant Had Been Drinking at Appomattox” by James Thurber

Posted on October 11, 2017 by Meg Groeling

James Thurber (1894-1961) was an American author, cartoonist, playwright and celebrated wit. He published mostly in the magazine The New Yorker and loved to poke fun at things other people took perhaps a little too seriously. Here is one of my … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors, Civil War in Pop Culture | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Harper’s Weekly World News

Posted on April 1, 2017 by Chris Mackowski

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of all the outrage these days about “fake news.” People who use that term have no idea what they’re talking about. Anyone who ever used to read the old Weekly World … Continue reading →

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Cellphones At Gettysburg

Posted on April 1, 2017 by Sarah Kay Bierle

Researcher S.K.B. recently discovered an account from the Gettysburg campaign. It’s suspected that this document had been hidden to preserve the dignity of certain commanders and disguise the real reason the Confederates lost the Battle of Gettysburg. Reproduced for the … Continue reading →

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1860’s Politics: Campaign Ads for Television?

Posted on October 16, 2016 by Sarah Kay Bierle

I was bored one morning and needed some history humor. So…I searched “1860 political” on YouTube. The results were amazing! There were serious lectures and informational videos. And then there were political ads, likely created by students as part of … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil War in Pop Culture, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

“The National Joker” is Serious Stuff: An Interview with Todd Thompson

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Chris Mackowski

Todd Thompson didn’t start out as a Lincoln man. An English professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Thompson has long been interested in satire and humor. But a few years ago, Lincoln’s sense of humor caught his attention, and Thompson … Continue reading →

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