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Tim Erskine's avatar

Regarding the origin of the Park Service Ranger and the Ranger Uniform, Ken Burns’ National Parks documentary has a a good explanation in one of the early episodes

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Annette Laing's avatar

Thanks, Tim. Burns really doesn't like historians, and subsequently gets a lot of things wrong (e.g. look up non-historian pro-Confederate Shelby Foote, whom he had pontificating throughout his Civil War series, while historians were judged too boring to consult) so I'll just trust you on that. 😂 Sorry. Professional obligation to diss Ken Burns. 😂

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John Pullen's avatar

Smokey doesn't have a middle name; he's just Smokey Bear. You being a Brit, you're forgiven.

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Annette Laing's avatar

I just did an informal poll among Americans, and the “the” is also what they say, John, so although you're right, popular usage says 😛

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Julia Griffin's avatar

So interesting!

When my mother came to Oxford from Barnard in c. 1957, her new college was disconcerted to see on her transcript a B for hygiene. Turns out it meant posture …

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Annette Laing's avatar

I laughed out loud at that, Julia! Yeah, I have even read someone talking about "newsletter mailing list hygiene", which I guess means bumping off the people who are happy to read free everything they can without supporting any writer. At least that's how the Gnomes interpreted it, so they cruelly defenestrate longtime freeloaders in random fashion . . . but I digress. I would love to have heard your mum trying to explain. And also, posture? Really? At Barnard College? Good grief.

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Jenna Vandenberg's avatar

Also, have you read Sarah Vowell’s ASSASSINATION VACATION? It’s also a delightfully written travel/history tale.

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Annette Laing's avatar

Thanks, Jenna! Certainly know about it and heard good things, but haven't read it, so I hold up your recommendation to my readers! I mostly read academic history (professional obligation) but I've been known to read popular history for fun (sounds snotty but isn't, I swear!)

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Jenna Vandenberg's avatar

Love it! I’ll add the Garfields to my list of cosplaying farmers.

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Annette Laing's avatar

Lol! Along with Marie Antoinette, right? 😂

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Jenna Vandenberg's avatar

lol. Did she really perfume her sheep?

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Annette Laing's avatar

I'm no expert, and this is first I've heard of it. She almost certainly did *not* say of the French poor rioting for bread "Let them eat cake." But she might as well have (opinion by historian who is profoundly ignorant of French history)

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