Podcasts about Joseph Hooker

Episode #157

In June 1860, just seven months after Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species, three men hotly debated the merits of Darwin's argument at a meeting of the British Association. Biologist Thomas Henry Huxley and botanist Joseph Hooker defended Darwin's theory. English bishop, speaker, and writer Samuel Wilberforce critiqued it. And though he was a man of the cloth, Wilberforce did not build a theological case against Darwin. Rather, he evaluated the argument for natural selection on scientific grounds, exposing its "loose statements and unfounded speculations" by weighing it "in the simple scales of logical examination." On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid treats you to excerpts from Wilberforce's powerful critique, published as a review a month after the debate in Quarterly Review. Source

In June 1860, just seven months after Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species, three men hotly debated the merits of Darwin’s argument at a meeting of the British Association. Biologist Thomas Henry Huxley and botanist Joseph Hooker defended Darwin’s theory. Source

4/8: American Civil Wars: A Continental History, 1850-1873 Hardcover – May 21, 2024  by  Alan Taylor  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/American-Civil-Wars-Continental-1850-1873/dp/1324035285 In a fast-paced narrative of soaring ideals and sordid politics, of civil war and foreign invasion, the award-winning historian Alan Taylor presents a pivotal twenty-year period in which North America's three largest countries―the United States, Mexico, and Canada―all transformed themselves into nations. The American Civil War stands at the center of the story, its military history and the drama of emancipation the highlights. Taylor relies on vivid characters to carry the story, from Joseph Hooker, whose timidity in crisis was exploited by Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson in the Union defeat at Chancellorsville, to Martin Delany and Mary Ann Shadd Cary, Black abolitionists whose critical work in Canada and the United States advanced emancipation and the enrollment of Black soldiers in Union armies. 1865 RICHMOND

1/8: American Civil Wars: A Continental History, 1850-1873 Hardcover – May 21, 2024  by  Alan Taylor  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/American-Civil-Wars-Continental-1850-1873/dp/1324035285 In a fast-paced narrative of soaring ideals and sordid politics, of civil war and foreign invasion, the award-winning historian Alan Taylor presents a pivotal twenty-year period in which North America's three largest countries―the United States, Mexico, and Canada―all transformed themselves into nations. The American Civil War stands at the center of the story, its military history and the drama of emancipation the highlights. Taylor relies on vivid characters to carry the story, from Joseph Hooker, whose timidity in crisis was exploited by Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson in the Union defeat at Chancellorsville, to Martin Delany and Mary Ann Shadd Cary, Black abolitionists whose critical work in Canada and the United States advanced emancipation and the enrollment of Black soldiers in Union armies. 1865 RICHMOND

2/8: American Civil Wars: A Continental History, 1850-1873 Hardcover – May 21, 2024  by  Alan Taylor  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/American-Civil-Wars-Continental-1850-1873/dp/1324035285 In a fast-paced narrative of soaring ideals and sordid politics, of civil war and foreign invasion, the award-winning historian Alan Taylor presents a pivotal twenty-year period in which North America's three largest countries―the United States, Mexico, and Canada―all transformed themselves into nations. The American Civil War stands at the center of the story, its military history and the drama of emancipation the highlights. Taylor relies on vivid characters to carry the story, from Joseph Hooker, whose timidity in crisis was exploited by Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson in the Union defeat at Chancellorsville, to Martin Delany and Mary Ann Shadd Cary, Black abolitionists whose critical work in Canada and the United States advanced emancipation and the enrollment of Black soldiers in Union armies. 1865 RICHMOND

3/8: American Civil Wars: A Continental History, 1850-1873 Hardcover – May 21, 2024  by  Alan Taylor  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/American-Civil-Wars-Continental-1850-1873/dp/1324035285 In a fast-paced narrative of soaring ideals and sordid politics, of civil war and foreign invasion, the award-winning historian Alan Taylor presents a pivotal twenty-year period in which North America's three largest countries―the United States, Mexico, and Canada―all transformed themselves into nations. The American Civil War stands at the center of the story, its military history and the drama of emancipation the highlights. Taylor relies on vivid characters to carry the story, from Joseph Hooker, whose timidity in crisis was exploited by Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson in the Union defeat at Chancellorsville, to Martin Delany and Mary Ann Shadd Cary, Black abolitionists whose critical work in Canada and the United States advanced emancipation and the enrollment of Black soldiers in Union armies. 1865 RICHMOND

It was the bloodiest battle ever in the Western Hemisphere. For 3 days in July 1863 Americans slaughtered each other on a terrible scale around a small town in Pennsylvania, where the honored dead "gave the last full measure of devotion".Find out why Robert E. Lee invaded the north, and why he failed so terribly; why the civil war dragged on for almost two more years after this union victory; and how this conflict inspired one of the greatest speeches ever in the English language. 

Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 1215, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: The Shirley Booth 1: Before the closing of the theaters in 1642, James Shirley wrote about 30 plays during the reign of this king. Charles I. 2: "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" is a Gothic novel by this author also known for her short stories. Shirley Jackson. 3: This Welsh singer sang the theme songs for 3 James Bond movies. Bassey. 4: In the miniseries "Mrs. America" about 1970s feminist wars, Uzo Aduba played this pioneering Black presidential candidate. Shirley Chisholm. 5: Post-Hollywood, Shirley Temple served as a U.S. ambassador and head of the office of this, diplomatic procedure. the office of protocol. Round 2. Category: Sleepy 1: This sleepy Pennsylvania town is often called "The Most Famous Small Town in America". Gettysburg. 2: In 2010 the sleepy Hudson River town of Rhinebeck, N.Y. hosted the nuptials of this first kid. Chelsea Clinton. 3: Big Arm, Bigfork, and Big Sky are all little towns in this state. Montana. 4: A 1920s query asked, "Will it play in" this Illinois town that experts considered a bellwether?. Peoria. 5: Tim McGraw called this Colorado ski resort city southwest of Aspen and Vail a "sleepy little town". Telluride. Round 3. Category: Major Generals 1: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993, he's now a member of Bush's cabinet. Colin Powell. 2: For sure he was a major general at Fort Sumter; that bit about inventing baseball.... Abner Doubleday. 3: Eisenhower, MacArthur and Marshall all got big promotions in December of this year. 1944. 4: Some generals got better nicknames than others -- Joseph Hooker was "Fighting Joe" and he was "Mad Anthony". Anthony Wayne. 5: Lincoln took the command of the Army of the Potomac away from this man -- twice. George McClellan. Round 4. Category: A Marriage In Ruins 1: Board the Hiram Bingham train in Cuzco and have your ceremony near these ruins with a shaman as your officiant. Machu Picchu. 2: There's an idea to turn the ruins of this old metropolis S. of Baghdad into a wedding venue, but you may want to wait for calm. Babylon. 3: Chichen Itza may be a good site for your nuptials; it's located in this Mexican state with the same name as a peninsula. the Yucatán. 4: Come clean with your bride at a wedding in Rome's baths of this emperor, opened in 216 A.D.. Caracalla. 5: Wed at the Talisay Ruins, once a sugar plantation on Negros Island, part of this Southeast Asian archipelago. the Philippines. Round 5. Category: To L With Science. With L in quotes 1: On average, this organ produces up to 2.5 pints of bile every day. liver. 2: A tree branch, or a solar flare seen at the edge of the Sun. a limb. 3: Any of a hydrophobic group of organic compounds, including fats and oils. lipids. 4: When you activate a light stick, the chemicals within react to produce this type of cold light. luminescence. 5: 5-letter term for a center of activity, or the position of a gene on a chromosome. a locus. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia!Special thanks to https://blog.feedspot.com/trivia_podcasts/ AI Voices used

The Battle of Chancellorsville raged for more than five hours near the crossroads "town." Fighting in the woods north of the Orange Turnpike was confusing and vicious throughout May 3, 1863. Fires engulfed part of the woods while Robert E. Lee's and Joseph Hooker's armies clashed for control of the Chancellorsville Crossroads. Jeb Stuart pushed the Army of the Potomac from the west, while Robert E. Lee attacked from the east. Join Chris Mackwoski, Sarah Kay Bierle, Steward Henderson, Greg Mertz, and Kris White as they examine this heartbreaking clash of arms at Chancellorsville. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/battlefields/support

Excuse Me History is back with a new addendum to "The Gettysburg Campaign." In this mini-series "Meade on Trial", we'll discuss the 1864 hearings held by the United States Congressional Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War. The Joint Committee, led by the Radical Republican Senators Benjamin Wade and Zachariah Chandler, sought answers as to why the Army of the Potomac failed to destroy the Army of Northern Virginia at Gettysburg or along the banks of the Potomac River. The Committee convened in the late winter and early spring of 1864 to investigate the actions of the army during the Gettysburg campaign and General George Meade in particular. Their goal was to remove Meade from command and replace him with a more radically minded general, ideally Joseph Hooker. In this first episode we'll discuss the formation and purpose of the Joint Committee, the Radical Republican plan for the war, and the first two witness testimonies: Daniel Sickles and Abner Doubleday.

This week we have two pivotal battles in the Chattanooga Campaign with the Union looking to take control of the state of Tennessee for good. First up, it's the battle of Lookout Mountain on November 24th, 1863, as Union Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker and his squad hope to defeat Confederate Maj. Gen Carter L. Stevenson at Lookout Mountain and assist Grant's Army at Missionary Ridge. That very next day, Grant looks to take out Bragg's Army at Missionary Ridge and open the gateway to the South, and capture Tennessee for good.Check out our YouTube where we post clips, shorts, and exclusives! youtube.com/@bangdangnetwork

The first installment (June 3-22, 1863) carried the armies through the defining mounted clash at Battle of Brandy Station, after which Lee pushed his corps into the Shenandoah Valley and achieved the magnificent victory at Second Winchester on his way to the Potomac. Caught flat-footed, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker used his cavalry to probe the mountain gaps, triggering a series of consequential mounted actions. The current volume (June 23-30) completes the march to Gettysburg and details the actions and whereabouts of each component of the armies up to the eve of the fighting. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

It's the year we Gettysnerds love: 1863! Our buddy Matt Borders (author/historian/ranger/cohost of the History Things Podcast) joins Matt at Meade's Headquarters in GNMP. 1863 was a transformative year for the Army of the Potomac and Matty B does a great jobs laying it all out there for us.    Check out The History Things Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.    Support the Show by:  Becoming a Patron- https://www.patreon.com/addressinggettysburg  Grabbing some merch- https://www.addressinggettysburg.com/shop  Getting a book- https://www.addressinggettysburg.com/books  Joining our book club. Email addressinggettysburgbookclub@gmail.com     Supporting Our Sponsors:     The Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides https://gettysburgtourguides.org/albgseminar/  Mike Scott Voice- https://www.mikescottvoice.com  The Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides- https://gettysburgtourguides.org/  Seminary Ridge Museum- https://www.seminaryridgemuseum.org/  For the Historian- Mention us for 20% off retail sales (in store) plus free shipping (online)- https://www.forthehistorian.com  The Badgemaker- https://www.civilwarcorpsbadges.com  Civil War Trails- https://www.civilwartrails.com  Bantam Roasters Use "HANCOCK" for 10% off your order https://www.raggededgerc.com/  Buy Billy Webster's Music- Billy Webster arranged and performed the rendition of "Garryowen" that you hear at the end of the show. https://billysongs.com     Music possibly by:  "Garryowen" by Billy Webster  Camp Chase Fifes & Drums and our website is https://www.campchasefifesanddrums.org  California Consolidated Drum Band check them out here: https://www.facebook.com/CCDrumBand Kevin MacLeod www.incompetech.com 

Back in September of 2022, Matt, Six Questions Lentz, LBGs Chris Army and Tracy Baer and friends went down to Culpeper, Virginia to take a tour of Brandy Station battlefields with Clark "Bud" Hall and then record a show on Fleetwood Hill. Bud has led a remakable effort to preserve hundreds of acres of battlefield over the decades and it's truly an amazing place to visit. The grounds saw far more activity that just that famous cavalry battle on June 9, 1863.  From the American Battlefield Trust: "Fought in the second week of June 1863, Brandy Station was the largest cavalry battle ever fought in North America. With momentum firmly in hand after his stunning victory at Chancellorsville, General Robert E. Lee decided to launch a second Northern invasion. On June 3, the Army of Northern Virginia began the movement away from Fredericksburg. The first leg of the march took the Confederates to Culpeper Court House. From there, Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry division was to screen the infantry as the march continued to the Shenandoah Valley. Stuart's concentration, however, was detected by Union cavalry led by Alfred Pleasonton. Under the assumption that Stuart planned a raid around his right flank toward Washington, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker, the commander of the Army of the Potomac, directed Pleasonton to cross the Rappahannock River and destroy the Confederate cavalry. Early on the morning of June 9, Pleasonton sent columns over the Rappahannock at Beverly Ford and Kelly's Ford. Following the crossing at Beverly Ford, the Union troopers truck Stuart's camp in the vicinity of a rail station on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad, Brandy Station. The Confederates quickly rallied, and the Federals ran into stiff resistance at St. James Church and the Richard Cunningham farm. After moving over Kelly's Ford, the Union cavalry split up. One division headed for Brandy Station while the other made their way to Stevensburg. The arrival of blue troopers at Brandy Station threatened the rear of Stuart's position. Stuart countered by deftly shifting his brigades, and the two sides clashed in mounted combat on a long, low ridge that rose from the station called Fleetwood Hill. Correspondingly, Pleasonton's force at Stevensburg were stymied by Confederate horsemen. Unable to break through Stuart's position, Pleasonton abandoned the field after fourteen hours of fighting." This episode is brought to you without commercial interruption by our Patreon page. Patreon is the primary way to keep AG going. Unlike other Patreon accounts, we give you weekly content in exchange for your support. So... weekly episodes on Patreon PLUS the free stuff you listen to? Man, do we spoil you or what? So join our community at www.patreon.com/addressinggettysburg

Greg Elder is the chief historian for the Defense Intelligence Agency,. Professor of intelligence at Johns Hopkins and joins me to talk about the Bureau of Military Information establish by Joseph Hooker for the Army of the Potomac.   Listen to the rest of this episode by being a Patron. The Second Lieutenant Level gets all episodes that come out each month. Just go to www.patreon.com/addressinggettysburg

Resurge la Biblioteca y resurge el Sur. Nueva entrega de la saga que nos traslada a los avatares de la guerra civil estadounidense. Tras repasar en la anterior entrega aspectos políticos, económicos y sociales del conflicto volvemos al campo de batalla. Y lo hacemos en un nuevo intento de la Unión por superar las líneas confederadas en el norte de Virginia. El recién nombrado comandante del Ejército del Potomac, Joseph Hooker, ideó una audaz maniobra con la que sorprender a las fuerzas sudistas en un lugar llamado Chancerllorsville. Pero plantear un juego de movimientos a Lee tenía sus riesgos, como bien vamos a ver hoy. Tras la extensa entrega del Sur, no habrá un segundo contenido nuevo, pero sí que recuperamos una sección de antiguas temporadas. En este caso, será la que fuera la primera entrega de Los Viajes de Aspasia, de la mano de la historiadora y antropóloga Maria José Noain. En esta primera colaboración, hablábamos precisamente del personaje histórico que le dio nombre a la sección: Aspasia de Mileto, una mujer que dio luz a su tiempo, siendo maestra de retórica en la Atenas de Pericles. Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

About this episode:  In mid-April of 1863, Major General Joseph Hooker oozed with confidence. So assured was he about his offensive preparations to defeat and, in his mind, destroy the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, he remarked to a group of his officers, "My plans are perfect, and when I start to carry them out, may God have mercy on General Lee, for I will have none." This is not the story of Joseph Hooker's greatest success, but that of the man he faced. For our 50th podcast, this is the story of Robert E. Lee's greatest and, perhaps, costliest victory. This is the story of Chancellorsville. ----more----   Some Characters Mentioned In This Episode: Joseph Hooker Daniel Butterfield George H. Sharpe Robert E. Lee James Longstreet Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson George Meade   Additional Resources: Hooker's Plan   Military Situation, April 30th 1863 and Movements Since April 27th   Actions, May 1st, 1863   Actions, May 2nd, 1863   Actions, Early Morning May 3rd, 1863   Actions, 10am - 5pm May 3rd, 1863   Actions, May 4th - May 6th, 1863   Get The Guide: Want to learn more about the Civil War? A great place to start is Fred's guide, The Civil War: A History of the War between the States from Workman Publishing. The guide is in its 9th printing.   **Title Image by Time Life **Map Images 1 & 3-7 by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com **Map Image 2 by United States Military Academy   Producer: Dan Irving   Thank you to our sponsor Bob Graesser, Raleigh Civil War Round Table's editor of The Knapsack newsletter and the Round Table's webmaster at http://www.raleighcwrt.org  

Joseph Hooker bows out of the campaign, the Confederates occupy Pennsylvania, and George Meade takes command of the Army of the Potomac.

Robert E. Lee's greatest victory was against Joseph Hooker at a small crossroads in Virginia called Chancellorsville. Known as 'fighting' Joe Hooker, he formulated a plan that would trap Lee against two arms of the Army of the Potomac. Unfortunately for Hooker, Lee reacted in an unexpected and bold manner. Dividing the Army of Northern Virginia, he kept Union forces at Fredericksburg at bay and flanked Hooker's main force. Hooker lost his nerve and his plan was dashed. While the Army of the Potomac was not destroyed, it set up the conditions that would allow Lee to raid Pennsylvania.  Have a question, comment, or compliment, contact us at americawarpodcast@gmail.com. You can also leave comments and your questions on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/americaatwarpodcast/. Thanks for listening!

In our last chronological episode, we ended with Ambrose Burnside's disastrous campaign against Lee's army entrenched above the heights of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Undeterred, Burnside launched another march against the Army of Northern Virginia which was ruined by the weather. Tired of the relentless attacks on his character, Burnside attempted to have his critics removed. Lincoln turned the tables, accepted his resignation and elevated Burnside's vocal critic, Joseph Hooker, to be commanding general of the Army of the Potomac. Hooker unleashed his considerable energy in restoring morale. Take a listen!  Have a question, comment, or compliment, contact us at americawarpodcast@gmail.com. You can also leave comments and your questions on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/americaatwarpodcast/. Thanks for listening!

On this ID the Future, biophysicist Cornelius Hunter and host Eric Anderson discuss the RNA World hypothesis, an explanation for how the first self-reproducing organism might have arisen via mindless chemical processes. Hunter and Anderson have each written on the topic, and together they unpack some of the many and growing problems with this RNA-first explanation for the origin of life. They also spotlight some recent admissions in mainstream scientific publications that it’s time to move on from the cherished but embattled RNA World. The conversation pivots off of a recent essay by Hunter at Evolution News, “RNA World: Repeated Downfalls, Repeated Resurrections.” For more on the challenges of creating the first self-reproducing biological entity, see Eric Anderson’s Chapter 3 Read More › Source

JANUARY 26 -- 1820 Happy birthday notetaker George Templeton Strong; 1863 Joseph Hooker takes command of the Army of Potomac;  SUPER BOWL: 1986 Bears beat Pats 46-10, 1992 Redskins beat in SB 26, 1997 Packers beat Patriots 35-21, 2003 Hungover Raiders get slapped by Buccs at the Q in SD

Origin-of-life research got a boost with the recent publication of a massive new computer program that was designed to model early chemical evolution. At least, that's what the headlines say. Dr C explains that things are only getting worse for the evolutionary story of how life arose and how these problems tie into the study of genetics. Location: Pickett's Mill Battlefield State Historic Site, Dallas, GA. Links: Tan, C. and Stadler, R., 2020. The Stairway to Life: an origin-of-life reality check, available on Creation.com. Remember to add "I love Biblical Genetics" to the comment section on your order! Evolution's Achilles' Heels (book and documentary), available on Creation.com. Ditto about the comment! The main paper being discussed: Wolos A, et al. 2020. Synthetic connectivity, emergence, and self-regeneration in the network of prebiotic chemistry, Nature 369(6511):eaaw1955. Popular-level summary from MSN.com: Starr, M. 2020. A New Chemical 'Tree of The Origins of Life' Reveals Our Possible Molecular Evolution. Video: New “Allchemy” Software Helps Chart Chemical Origins of Life Uracil synthesis link: DeGraw, J. 1990. Synthesis and antifolate properties of 10-alkyl-5,10-dideaza analogs of methotrexate and tetrahydrofolic acid, J Med Chem 33:673–677. Grigg, R. 2012. Did Darwin become a Christian before he died? on Creation.com. There is also an audio version of this article available. Jacob's Livestock Breeding Experiment, Biblical Genetics (episode 22) July 1, 2020. You can copy and paste these quotes into any search engine to find the proper reference or the larger context: Letter from Darwin to Joseph Hooker in 1863: “But I have long regretted that I truckled to public opinion & used Pentateuchal term of creation, by which I really meant ‘appeared' by some wholly unknown process.—It is mere rubbish thinking, at present, of origin of life; one might as well think of origin of matter.” Darwin's Origin of Species last page: “Authors of the highest eminence seem to be fully satisfied with the view that each species has been independently created. To my mind it accords better with what we know of the laws impressed on matter by the Creator, that the production and extinction of the past and present inhabitants of the world should have been due to secondary causes, like those determining the birth and death of the individual.” Darwin's Origin of Species last sentence: “There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.” Darwin's 'warm little pond' quote in another letter to Joseph Hooker, 1871: “But if (and oh what a big if) we could conceive in some warm little pond with all sort of ammonia and phosphoric salts,—light, heat, electricity present, that a protein compound was chemically formed, ready to undergo still more complex changes, at the present such matter would be instantly devoured, or absorbed, which would not have been the case before living creatures were formed”

Origin-of-life research got a boost with the recent publication of a massive new computer program that was designed to model early chemical evolution. At least, that's what the headlines say. Dr C explains that things are only getting worse for the evolutionary story of how life arose and how these problems tie into the study of genetics. Location: Pickett's Mill Battlefield State Historic Site, Dallas, GA. Links: Tan, C. and Stadler, R., 2020. The Stairway to Life: an origin-of-life reality check, available on Creation.com. Remember to add "I love Biblical Genetics" to the comment section on your order! Evolution's Achilles' Heels (book and documentary), available on Creation.com. Ditto about the comment! The main paper being discussed: Wolos A, et al. 2020. Synthetic connectivity, emergence, and self-regeneration in the network of prebiotic chemistry, Nature 369(6511):eaaw1955. Popular-level summary from MSN.com: Starr, M. 2020. A New Chemical 'Tree of The Origins of Life' Reveals Our Possible Molecular Evolution. Video: New “Allchemy” Software Helps Chart Chemical Origins of Life Uracil synthesis link: DeGraw, J. 1990. Synthesis and antifolate properties of 10-alkyl-5,10-dideaza analogs of methotrexate and tetrahydrofolic acid, J Med Chem 33:673–677. Grigg, R. 2012. Did Darwin become a Christian before he died? on Creation.com. There is also an audio version of this article available. Jacob's Livestock Breeding Experiment, Biblical Genetics (episode 22) July 1, 2020. You can copy and paste these quotes into any search engine to find the proper reference or the larger context: Letter from Darwin to Joseph Hooker in 1863: “But I have long regretted that I truckled to public opinion & used Pentateuchal term of creation, by which I really meant ‘appeared’ by some wholly unknown process.—It is mere rubbish thinking, at present, of origin of life; one might as well think of origin of matter.” Darwin's Origin of Species last page: “Authors of the highest eminence seem to be fully satisfied with the view that each species has been independently created. To my mind it accords better with what we know of the laws impressed on matter by the Creator, that the production and extinction of the past and present inhabitants of the world should have been due to secondary causes, like those determining the birth and death of the individual.” Darwin's Origin of Species last sentence: “There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.” Darwin's 'warm little pond' quote in another letter to Joseph Hooker, 1871: “But if (and oh what a big if) we could conceive in some warm little pond with all sort of ammonia and phosphoric salts,—light, heat, electricity present, that a protein compound was chemically formed, ready to undergo still more complex changes, at the present such matter would be instantly devoured, or absorbed, which would not have been the case before living creatures were formed”

 In 1842, Colonel William J. Worth, Commanding in Florida, unilaterally "announced" the end of hostilities between the US Government and the Seminole Indians of Florida. He ordered a reburial of many Soldiers who had perished in the seven-year Second Seminole War. Despite its inconclusive ending, the war had been an important proving ground for the Army and its West Point trained leadership. Although falling short of its goal of total Seminole removal to the Oklahoma Territory, the Army had succeeded in forcibly relocating the majority of the approximately 5,000 Seminole who called Florida home when the war commenced It did this at the staggering cost of $40 million and the deaths of some 1,500 military as well as an unaccounted number of civilian and Seminole deaths. In the Everglades, the Army abandoned efforts against the 500 or so remaining defiant and unconquered Florida Seminole.  On August 15th, then, hundreds of regular Army soldiers marched through St. Augustine. They were escorting seven wagons carrying the remains of the fallen soldiers. These included those of Major Dade's ill-fated column who died in a Seminole ambush on December 28, 1835, which is traditionally marked as the start of the Second Seminole War. The column bore the remains to their final resting place, a garden next to St. Francis Barracks. One finds them in graceful cochina pyramids in the St. Augustine National Cemetery. This subsequent re-interment procession was a solemn remembrance, not a victory march. For more than a decade in today's St. Augustine National Cemetery, The West Point Society of North Florida has organized an annual commemoration of this first event, as a means of keeping faith with those fallen, and to bring attention to all who suffered and sacrificed – soldier, citizen, and Seminole alike – during this long, difficult struggle.   Joining us today is Joseph Naftzinger, a retired Army Colonel and West Point Graduate of the U.S. Military Academy Class of 1960. He discusses the strong ties to the Second Seminole War demonstrated through the outsized role of many U.S. Military Academy graduates -- and how it served as a proving ground for some who went on to command armies in the Mexican and American Civil wars. Familiar names include Joe Johnston, Joseph Hooker, William Sherman, and Braxton Bragg, among others. Worth was a former Commandant of Cadets at West Point, and five of the seven officers who perished in Dade's Command were U.S. Military Academy graduates. Joe also describes the somber 1842 March of the Fallen and how it has been commemorated in recent years with a march led by soldier re-enactors atop two elegant mules pulling a US flag-draped caisson representing the remains brought to St Augustine for interment from temporary burial locations, including the Dade Battlefield. This is an annual living history event held each August 15. First sponsored by the West Point Society of North Florida, in 2020, the Florida National Guard assumed lead responsibility for the event from the Society, and is assisted by the Seminole Wars Foundation, producer of this podcast. With Joe Naftzinger, the late Lieutenant Colonel Greg Moore, then-Florida National Guard historian, spearheaded the first organized effort patterned on the 1842 march to recognize the service and sacrifice of all who perished in the war. Greg authored a book called Sacred Ground: The Military Cemetery at St Augustine that delves into the details of the first march and interment of Seminole War remains and the cemetery's expansion since.  He also promotes the Annual Convocation of Seminole War Historians, first held in St Augustine in 2017, and scheduled for the spring of 2021 in Jupiter, Florida, site of the two battles of Loxahatchee from January 1838. The convocation is open to anyone with an interest in the Seminole Wars and features presentations and activities on topics related to the conflict.   Host Patrick Swan is a board member with the Seminole Wars Foundation. He is a combat veteran and of the U.S. Army, serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Kosovo, and at the Pentagon after 9/11. A military historian, he holds masters degrees in Public History, Communication, and Homeland Security, and is a graduate of the US Army War College with an advanced degree in strategic studies. This podcast is recorded at the homestead of the Seminole Wars Foundation in Bushnell, Florida.  Subscribe automatically to the Seminole Wars through your favorite podcast provider, such as iHeart or Stitcher or Spotify, or Pandora or Google podcasts or iTunes, or ...Check it out so you always get the latest episode without delay where and when you want it. Like us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube! 

Today we welcome the new month - July - and we remember the first meeting of the Vale of York Field Naturalists Club. We'll also learn about the Illinois State Flower, which was adopted on this day. We'll usher in the new month with some July poetry. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book about how gardens and growing food help people maintain their culture. It's a personal favorite of mine. And then we'll wrap things up with a newspaper story from 1932 called "Plant Explorer Finds Adventure." But first, let's catch up on some Greetings from Gardeners around the world and today's curated news.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   Gardener Greetings To participate in the Gardener Greetings segment, send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org And, to listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to play The Daily Gardener Podcast. It's that easy.   Curated News Before & After: An Urban Oasis - Flower Magazine Dwight Brown of Father Nature Landscapes wanted to honor his client's wishes for a garden that would remind him of his European travels. Brown aged the exterior with a creeping fig (Ficus pumila) for a climber on the side of the house. He also added an Oakland holly, a 'Shi-Shi Gashira' camellia, and a shaped boxwood hedge that edged a gorgeous group of 'Limelight' hydrangea. Brown says, "Much like English ivy, the creeping fig with boxwoods, mondo grass, and hydrangeas helped create the classic cottage look I wanted. We love working edibles into the ornamental landscape. Our goal was to bring back memories of the homeowner's travels to Europe, especially Italy..."   Welcome July in the Garden                         Welcome July and all that you may bring us! For gardeners, July hosts a riot of color in our gardens. History tells us that many flowers have claimed to be the birth flower for the month of July - which, by the way, the Roman Senate named to honor Julius Caesar by. In China, July's birth flower is, fittingly, the water lily. In the rest of the world, other top July blooms for the month include the Larkspur, the Delphinium, the Sweet Pea, and the Rose. Thinking about all of these gorgeous summer blossoms that claim July's top spot reminded me of a sweet verse from the Maud poem by Tennyson. It goes like this: She is coming, my dove, my dear; She is coming, my life, my fate; The red rose cries, "She is near, she is near;" And the white rose weeps, "She is late;" The larkspur listens, "I hear, I hear;" And the lily whispers, "I wait." — Alfred Lord Tennyson, English poet, Maud (Part I) The Rose, the Larkspur, and the Lily; many of July's favorite flowers are in that little verse. Truly, July is a month of abundance and extremes. On the one hand, there's the heat, and on the other, there are the storms. In 2001, the year my daughter was born, it was mighty hot in Minnesota - well over 100 degrees for weeks on end.  As a result, she ended up wearing all of the ridiculous outfits people tend to give you when you have a little baby girl; things like little halter tops and itty bitty bikini tops, teeny tiny little skorts and sundresses.  Now, I always preferred to have my babies properly covered - dressed in layers and bundled.  But the summer Emma was born, I changed my tune.  Suddenly those little outfits seemed mighty appropriate, and I have many pictures of her - san's blankets and sweaters -  keeping cool in her summer barbie-inspired clothes. In reality, the average temperature in most places in America during the month of July is a very pleasant 70 degrees. That said, just don't ask about the range - which can vary wildly.  And, July is traditionally known as the month to make hay. It's been called Haymonth or Maed month, referring to haymaking and the flowering of the meadows.  By July, most gardens are set, and gardeners tend to get their work done in the mornings when it is cooler and less buggy. Still, experienced gardeners know that July's biggest challenge, outside of the heat, is thunderstorms. I remember the summer a dear friend of mine had a garden tour planned for the middle of July. Sadly, it was a tour that never happened.  The night before her big day, a huge storm whipped through the area, taking down trees and pelting the garden with hail.  There was nothing to do but clean up.  And I remember sitting on her patio after we had righted her table and chairs eating one of the little radish and cucumber sandwiches that were supposed to be for the guests that day. That day was as sour as the lemonade we sipped in the chopped salad that was my friend's garden. It's no wonder that the folk sayings of July reflect her temperature extremes. For example: If the first of July be rainy weather, 'Twill rain more or less for four weeks together.                                                     Despite the storms, we seem to remember mainly the heat of July and the vibrant blooms in the garden. It's a glorious month for ornamentals and cut flowers.           One of my personal favorites is Martagon Lilies.  Martagon Lilies are in peak right now in most gardens. They bring the most beautiful architectural aspect and form to the garden; they are so exquisite. Offering a Turk's cap-style bloom, Like many plants, Martagon colonies get better and better with age. Martagons like rich soil and they will be grateful for a dusting of lime every year. And here's a gentle reminder to divide your Flag Iris after they finish blooming. Regular division can re-invigorate your iris and promote healthy new growth. The saddest thing in the garden is to lose your Iris because you failed to divide them. Experienced gardeners know that the best time to divide flag iris is immediately after flowering. Once again, as I like to say, "Prune-time follows bloom-time" - or in this case, division follows bloom-time. In any case, the end of any bloom-time is usually your cue to act - so get going! With the Iris, you'll want to lift out the whole clump with a pitchfork and use a sharp knife to separate any new rhizomes. Finally, don't forget that flag irises need full sun. So if you don't have them situated properly, stage a relocation immediately.   Alright, that's it for today's gardening news. Now, if you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck, because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. There's no need to take notes or search for links - the next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Today's Important Events 1871  The Yorkshire Herald reported the first meeting of the Vale of York Field Naturalists Club. On that day, the weather was very poor. Still, almost fifty ladies and gentlemen left the Society's Rooms in Micklegate to travel in three four-horsed carriages to go to Rivaulx ("ree-VOH") Abbey. Once they arrived at the Abbey, the group then broke into small parties made up of geologists, botanists, and entomologists, and then they went out and explored the valley by the Abbey. "The geologists were interested in the sections laid bare in the quarries, and many interesting and beautiful fossils were found. [Meanwhile], the botanists collected: Saxiraga tridaclylitet (nailwort) Helianthemum vulgare (rock rose) Cuscuta Epithymum (clover dodder) Aquilegia vulgaris (columbine) Atropa Belladonna (belladonna or deadly nightshade) Polypodium Phegopterit (northern beech fern) P. Dryoplerit (oak fern) Scolopendrium vulgare (hart' s-tongue fern) At six o'clock the party sat down to dinner at the Crown Hotel, Helmsley, which was served in Mr. and Mrs. Cowen's usual substantial style… the Rev. Vice-President Rowe addressed those assembled on the advantages of natural history and the beauties and history of the Abbey. (Rowe was also the hon. secretary of the Architectural Society). It was arranged that the next monthly field day should be held at Bolton Abbey and Woods. They then left for home, after a most agreeable day, which left everyone with the feeling that this the first excursion of the club was a great success."   1908  Illinois adopted the Violet as its State Flower. As with many State Flowers, Illinois decided to let the school children of the state vote to decide the state flower. The purple Violet received 15,591 votes, and the wild rose came in second with 11,903 votes. The children also decided on the state tree, and they selected the white oak. Meanwhile, newspapers were running a piece that blared the headline, "The Reign of the Violet is Over." It said this: "Strange and unbelievable, but a fact, nevertheless, violets are no longer fashionable. Gardenias, Orchids, and American Beauty Roses are as much in evidence as ever, but the reign of the Violet is temporarily over. It is true that a large bunch of deep purple violets relieved by a single mauve orchid, a deep pink rose, or a single wax-like gardenia is still an acceptable gift, but it is not the gift that is so frequently chosen this year, as a small cluster of gardenias or even of two or three exquisitely beautiful orchids… Roses are much in favor at the moment... A new flower hailing from Paris is the pink American Beauty, and well does it deserve the name... The color is an adorable shade of shell pink, and for all decorative purposes, this flower has already a firmly established place in fashion's regard....  One cannot but regret the sense of chivalry of a generation back when etiquette demanded that flowers always be sent to a hostess before even the least formal entertainment, and when a debutante [would rather] stay at home than go to a ball without ... [a] little bouquet of flowers."   1910  The Allentown (Pennsylvania) Democrat paper reported that Joseph Hooker was 93 years old. Here's what it said: "Sir Joseph Hooker, the world-famous botanist, received a personal note of congratulations from King George today on the occasion of his ninety-third birthday. Sir Joseph, who is still remarkably active for a man of his great age, has had a long and brilliant career in his chosen field of science. As early as 1839, he accompanied the expedition of Sir James Ross to the Antarctic region. Later he conducted scientific expeditions to many parts of the world… In the course of his active career, he rendered invaluable services to the British arts, manufacturers and commerce by promoting an accurate knowledge of the floras and economic vegetable products of the various colonies and dependencies of the empire."   Unearthed Words As I mentioned earlier in the show, July is the month of heat and storms, and that is reflected in a number of poems.   In scorched July The storm-clouds fly. — Christina Georgina Rossetti, English poet, The Months If the first of July be rainy weather, It will rain, more or less, for four weeks together. — John Ray, English naturalist and writer, English Proverbs   When storms finally break through the July heat, there is also the immeasurable pleasure that accompanies the deluge: the smell of rain.   A break in the heat away from the front no thunder, no lightning, just rain, warm rain falling near dusk falling on eager ground steaming blacktop hungry plants Thirsty turning toward the clouds cooling, soothing rain splashing in sudden puddles catching in open screens that certain smell of summer rain. — Raymond A. Foss, American poet, Summer Rain   This poem perfectly captures the ferocity of summer storms in the garden: The rain to the wind said, 'You push, and I'll pelt.' They so smote the garden bed That the flowers actually knelt, And lay lodged--though not dead. I know how the flowers felt. — Robert Frost, American poet, Lodged   The July rains encourage special summer blooms. Hot July brings cooling showers, Apricots, and gillyflowers. — Sara Coleridge, English author, The Garden Year If you are wondering what gillyflowers are, you are not alone. Gillyflowers was a term that often referred to plants from the mustard family like the wallflower, carnation, clove pink, or white stock. Gilly is derived from the Latin and Greek words for clove.   Grow That Garden Library The Earth Knows My Name by Patricia Klindienst This book came out in April of 2007, and the subtitle is: Food, Culture, and Sustainability in the Gardens of Ethnic Americans Patricia Klindienst is a master gardener and an award-winning scholar and teacher. She lives in Guilford, Connecticut, and teaches creative writing each summer at Yale University. Patricia Klindienst went to many different gardens - urban, suburban, and rural - in order to write this book. She had seen an old family photo of her Italian immigrant family and was inspired not only to learn about her ancestor's struggle to adapt to America, but also eager to hear stories from other families. The jacket to Patricia's book reminds us that, "As we lose our connection to the soil, we no longer understand the relationship between food and a sense of belonging to a place and a people." How do gardens and growing food help people maintain their culture? This is the question Patricia explores in her book. Vegetables, fruits, and flowers provide so much more than sustenance, food, and beauty. They convey who and where we are and what we are about. In her review of this book, the author Deborah Madison said, "We who are far removed from our own immigrant roots will do well to study these eloquent stories and learn from them. Patricia Klindienst has given us nothing less than a great gift." The book is  208 pages of ways we can connect to the earth - all shared with today's gardener in mind. You can get a copy of The Earth Knows My Name by Patricia Klindienst and support the show, using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $3.   Today's Botanic Spark 1932  Newspapers worldwide ran a fascinating article about the botanist Frank Kingdon-Ward titled "Plant Explorer Finds Adventure." "Captain Frank Kingdon-Ward, tall, well-built son of Britain, probably one of the world's most noted plant seekers... has journeyed all over the world in search of rare flowers, has led a life as exciting as any explorer and has given the world some of its most beautiful and rare blooms. Now In his late 40's, he is tanned from the winds and suns of tropical India, Asia, and the forbidden land of Tibet. He has collected flowers from the heights of the Himalayas, and from the depths of marshy Indian -jungles. His last expedition occurred In 1931. On it, he discovered a new pass into Tibet 35,000 feet above sea level, through an out-flung range of the Himalayas. His efforts in prying through thick jungles and climbing high mountains were rewarded in the discovery of a new species of slipper orchid, said to be worth about $500. On another of his Tibetan expeditions, he discovered the blue poppy, a flower that is sought by all Horticulturists in this country and obtained by few. To give an idea of the trying conditions under which he labored, consider that he discovered a new river, the Nam-Tamai, the lost source of the Irrawaddy, which no white man in 2,000 years of civilization had found. All along this river, through virgin forest, he and his small band trudged, meeting wild beasts and hostile bands of natives… He located a people … known only as...the Darus. These people had never seen a white man before Kingdon-Ward arrived. One of the most unusual plants he ever discovered was the rare Nomocharis farreri, a beautiful flower of China. This plant was found by accident and during the height of a violent rainstorm. The flower itself Is rose pink outside and dappled with royal purple inside. Each stem, from 12 to 15 inches in height, bears one, two, or three of the flowers, which grow as large as teacups. The flower which Captain Kingdon-Ward prizes most of all is the Campanula Calicola, "perhaps the most beautiful rock plant I discovered." It was found growing in limestone cliffs and is adaptable lo rock gardens. The Orient is rich in flowers. That land has given us many of our choice blooms. Roses come from India and China; pinks, carnations, and daffodils from Asia Minor; and numerous rare orchids come from the wilds of Tibet. Captain Kingdon-Ward describes a land of rare rhododendrons vividly in a book he wrote on his adventures in China and Asia. "You may wander for days ankle-deep through a chromatic surf of rhododendrons, rose pink, ivory white, lavender, plum purple, crimson and amber yellow. They are woven into carpets of queer design and ample pile, or form tuffets, or hassocks or mere tangles, mats, or brooms. "They spread and sprawl everywhere, bushy and twigulous, all; looming Into flower together; still looking across the dark ocean of moorland, you see the billowy hills crested with color; and, where escarpments break the even roll, the plant growth surges high up the rocks. It Is western Szechwan - the Tibetan marshes - [and] home of the 'Lapponicum' rhododendrons.

Victoria Woodhull had a few things stacked against her: She ran for president a half century before women had the right to vote. She ran on a platform of sexual and gender equality that so enraged her political enemies they passed laws to silence her. She spoke about free-love nearly a century before the sexual revolution. Her running mate was a Black man and former slave. Oh, and she spent Election Day behind bars. Indeed, Woodhull might be the longest long shot of them all -- a candidate so visionary she'd still be considered an edgy progressive today. Her Long Shot campaign came in 1872.

On January 23, 2020, Douglas Waller delivered the Banner Lecture, "Lincoln’s Spies: Their Secret War to Save a Nation." Lincoln’s Spies is a story about dangerous espionage and covert operations during the Civil War. It is told through the lives of four Union agents. Allan Pinkerton, whose detective agency had already brought him fame nationwide, was George McClellan’s failed spymaster, delivering inflated intelligence reports that made the Union general even more cautious. Lafayette Baker ran counter-espionage operations in Washington for the War Department, putting hundreds in jail and pocketing cash from graft he uncovered. George Sharpe, a New York lawyer, successfully ran spying for generals Joseph Hooker, George Meade, and Ulysses S. Grant, outpacing anything the Confederates could field. Elizabeth Van Lew, a Virginia heiress, ran a Union espionage ring in Richmond, providing Grant critical information as his army closed in on the Confederate capital. And behind these secret agents was Abraham Lincoln who became an avid consumer of intelligence and a ruthless aficionado of covert action. The phone tapping, human collection and aerial snooping you see today’s spies doing can be traced back to the Civil War. Douglas Waller is a former correspondent for Newsweek and TIME, where he covered the CIA, Pentagon, State Department, White House, and Congress. He is the author of several bestselling books, including Wild Bill Donovan: The Spymaster Who Created the OSS and Modern American Espionage; The Commandos: The Inside Story of America's Secret Soldiers; and Disciples: The World War II Missions of the CIA Directors Who Fought for Wild Bill Donovan. His latest book is Lincoln’s Spies: Their Secret War to Save the Nation.

Martagon Lilies are in peak right now in most gardens.  They bring the most wonderful architectural aspect and form to the garden; they are so very elegant.  Offering a Turk’s cap-style bloom, Like many plants, Martagon colonies get better and better with age. Martagons like sweet soil and they will be grateful for a dusting of lime every year.     Brevities #OTD  It was on this day in 1871, the Yorkshire Herald reported the first meeting of the Vale of York Field Naturalists Club. Although the weather was very unfavorable, forty-seven ladies and gentlemen (members and friends of the club) left the Society's Rooms, in Micklegate, in three four-horsed conveyances. When they reached Rivaulx ("ree-VOH")Abbey,  the company then broke up into small parties - geologists, botanists, and entomologists - and proceeded to examine the valley for their own specialities. "The geologists were interested with the sections laid bare in the quarries, and many interesting and beautiful fossils were found The botanists collected, amongst other plants, Saxiraga tridaclylitet (nailwort), Helianthemum vulqare (rock rose), Cuscuta Epithymum (clover dodder), Aquilegia vulgaris (columbine), Atropa Belladonna (belladonna or deadly nightshade), Polypodium Phegopterit (northern beech fern), P. Dryoplerit (oak fern), besides the common Scolopendrium vuigare (hart's-tongue fern). At six o'clock the party sat down to dinner at the Crown Hotel, Helmsley, which was served in Mr. and Mrs. Cowen's usual substantial style, after doing justice to which the Rev. Vice-President Rowe addressed those assembled on the advantages of natural history and the beauties and history of the Abbey, and also stated he would shortly bring a very interesting piece of information concerning it before the public, he being hon. secretary of the Architectural Society. It was arranged that the next monthly field day should be held at Bolton Abbey and Woods. They then left for home, after a most agreeable day, which left every one with the feeling that this the first excursion of the club was a great success."     #OTD  It was on this day in 1908 that Illinois adopted the Violet as its State Flower. As with many State Flowers, Illinois had decided to let the school children vote to decide on the state flower. The purple violet received 15,591 votes and the wild rose came in second with 11,903 votes. The children also decided the state tree and they selected the white oak.   Meanwhile newspapers were running a piece that blared the headline, "the reign of the violet is over". "Strange and unbelievable, but a fact, nevertheless, violets are no longer fashionable. Gardenias, orchids and American Beauty roses are as much in evidence as ever, but the reign of the violet is temporarily over. It is true that a large bunch of deep purple violets relieved by a single mauve orchid, a deep pink rose, or a single waxlike gardenia is still an acceptable gift, but it is not the gift that is so frequently' chosen this year, as a small cluster of gardenias or even of two or three exquisitely beautiful orchids... Roses are much in favor at the moment, ... A new flower hailing from Paris is the pink American Beauty, and well does it deserve the name...  the color is an adorable shade of shell pink, and for all decorative purposes tins flower has already a firmly established place in fashion's regard. ... one cannot but regret the sense of chivalry of a generation back, when etiquette demanded that flowers be sent always to a hostess before even the least formal entertainment, and when a debutante had better stay at home than go to a ball without her ... little bouquet of flowers."     #OTD   It was on this day in 1910 that the Allentown Democrat out of Allentown PA reported that Joseph Hooker was 93 years old. "Sir Joseph Hooker, the world-famous botanist, received a personal note of congratulations from King George today on the occasion of his ninety-third birthday. Sir Joseph, who is still remarkably active for a man of his great age, has had a long and brilliant career in his chosen field of science. As early as 1839 he accompanied the expedition of Sir James Ross to the Antarctic region. Later he conducted scientific expeditions to many parts of the world including Eastern Bengal, the Himalayas, the Khasia Mountains, Morocco and the Greater Atlas, New Zealand Ceylon, California and the Rocky Mountain region of North America. In the course of his active career he rendered invaluable services to the British arts, manufactures and commerce by promoting an accurate knowledge of the floras and economic vegetable products of the various colonies and dependencies of the empire."     Unearthed Words Today's poem is by Ann Taylor - an English poet and literary critic. In her youth she was a writer of verse for children, for which she achieved long-lasting popularity.  Her sister, Jane, wrote the words to "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star".   The Violet   Down in a green and shady bed, A modest violet grew; Its stalk was bent, it hung its head As if to hide from view.   And yet it was a lovely flower, Its color bright and fair; It might have graced a rosy bower, Instead of hiding there.   Yet thus it was content to bloom, In modest tints arrayed; And there diffused a sweet perfume, Within the silent shade.   Then let me to the valley go This pretty flower to see; That I may also learn to grow In sweet humility.     Today's book recommendation: Tree in the House by Annabelle Hickson A Tree in the House is stunning; an ode to flower arranging.  A Tree in the House celebrates the art of arranging flowers for celebrations big, small and in-between held throughout the year. Annabelle Hickson provides ideas and instructions for celebratory botanical installations and arrangements, each staged and photographed in different rural homes, gardens and sheds using the beauty of what's growing wild. Interspersed throughout are snapshots—in words and pictures—of rural life and that aspirational rustic country aesthetic.     Today's Garden Chore   Divide your Flag Iris after they finish blooming Regular division can re-invigorate your plant and promote healthy growth. The best time to divide flag iris is immediately after flowering. Lift the whole clump and use a sharp knife to detach new rhizomes. Don't forget that flag irises need full sun.       Something Sweet  Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart #OTD It was on this day in 1932, that newspapers around the world ran a fascinating article about the botanist Frank Kingdon-Ward titled "Plant Explorer Finds Adventure". "Captain Frank Klngdon-Ward, tall, well-built son of Britain, probably one of the world's most noted plant seekers, who has journeyed all over the world in search of rare flowers, has led a life as exciting as any explorer, and has given the world some of its most beautiful and rare blooms. Now In his late "40's, he is tanned from the winds and suns of tropical India, Asia, and the forbidden land of Tibet. He has collected flowers from the heights of the Himalayas, and from the depths of marshy Indian -jungles. His last expedition occurred In 1931. On It he discovered a new pass into Tibet 35,000 feet above sea level, through an out-flung range of the Himalayas. His efforts in prying through thick jungles and climbing high mountains were rewarded in the discovery of a new species of slipper orchid, said to be worth about $500. On another of his Tibetan expeditions, he discovered the blue poppy, a flower that is sought by all Horticulturists in this country and obtained by few. To give an idea of the trying conditions under which he labored, consider that he discovered a new river, the Nam-tamai, the lost source of the Irrawaddy which no white man in 2,000 years of civilization had found. Along this, river, through virgin forest, he and his small band trudged, meeting wild beasts and hostile bands of natives. Back in the wild country he located a people hitherto known only ; as a vaguely surmised race, the Darus. These people had never seen a white man before Kingdon-Ward arrived. One of the most unusual plants he ever discovered was the rare Nomocharis Farreh, a beautiful flower of China. This plant was found by accident and during the height of a violent rainstorm. The flower itself Is rose pink outside, and dappled with royal purple inside. Each stem, from 12 to 15 inches in height, bears one, two or three of the flowers, which grow as large as teacups. The flower which Captain Kingdon-Ward prizes most of all is the Campanula Calicola, "perhaps the most beautiful rock plant I discovered." It was found growing in limestone cliffs, and Is adaptable lo rock gardens. The Orient is rich in flowers. That land has given us many of our choice blooms. Roses come from India and China; pinks, carnations and daffodils from Asia Minor, and numerous rare orchids come from the wilds of Tibet. Captain Kingdon-Ward describes a land of rare rhododendrons vividly in a book he wrote on his adventures in China and Asia. "You may wander for days ankle-deep through a chromatic surf of rhododendrons, rose pink, ivory white, lavender, plum purple, crimson and amber yellow. They are woven into carpets of queer design and ample pile, or form tuffets, or hassocks or mere tangles, mats or brooms. "They spread and sprawl everywhere, bushy and twigulous, all; looming Into flower together; still looking across the dark ocean of moorland you see the billowy hills crested with color; and, where escarpments break the even roll, the plant growth surges high up the rocks, It Is western Szechwan, the Tibetan marshes. home of the 'Lapponicum' rhododendrons.     Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

“We are a president-obsessed nation, so much so that we undermine the very idea of our constitutional democracy,” writes John Dickerson in his May cover story in The Atlantic. “No one man—or woman—can possibly represent the varied, competing interests of 327 million citizens.” Have we heaped so much upon the president that the job has become impossible? Is Trump testing the office in valuable ways? And if the presidency is broken, how do we fix it? Links - "The Hardest Job in the World" (John Dickerson, May 2018 Issue) - “Scott Pruitt Bypassed the White House to Give Big Raises to Favorite Aides” (Elaina Plott and Robinson Meyer, April 3, 2018) - "Letter to Joseph Hooker from Lincoln, January 26, 1863" (Library of Congress) - Educated (Tara Westover, 2018) - Meltdown: Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About It (Chris Clearfield and András Tilcsik, 2018) - Lincoln in the Bardo (George Saunders, 2017) - “There’s Something Funny About Tiffany Haddish” (Caity Weaver, GQ, March 26, 2018) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Episode 27 we learned there is an old English saying from the Bible (Proverbs 16:18), “Pride goeth before a fall.” That was certainly the case with Union General George McClellan, but also with General Joseph Hooker. Many times in 1862, the Northern armies greatly outnumbered their Southern foes, but the Rebel armies under the brilliant leadership of Lee, Jackson, and others, continually beat back the Yankee armies. When Lincoln named Hooker lead general of the Northern Army of the Potomac, Hooker boasted: “My plans are perfect, and when I start to carry them out may God have mercy on General Lee, for I will have none.”That boast reminds me of another old English saying: Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched. In Hooker’s case, he should have had more humility and less conceit when taking on the wily Lee, even though Hooker’s men outnumbered Lee’s by about two to one! Despite those lopsided odds, Hooker managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and led the Northern army to another horrific loss at the Battle of Chancellorsville.Lee’s stunning victory at Chancellorsville in May 1863 then gave him the confidence to invade the North, which led to the titanic struggle at Gettysburg in July. Had things at Gettysburg gone differently, Lee’s army might have invaded Washington, taken Lincoln prisoner, won the Civil War, and been independent! Truly an amazing “what if?” to think about. Word of the Day: conceited (adj.) overly prideful; arrogantQuestion of the Day: Where is the “fine line” between healthy self-confidence and conceit? Can one be confident, yet still humble? If so, how?Have a question or feedback? Maybe a topic you’d like to hear in a future episode? Please email Scott at lifeapppodcast@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you! If you enjoy our podcasts, please subscribe, write a review, and share them on social media and by word of mouth! Those are GREAT ways to help more people find our podcasts. Please also visit us at www.DreyerCoaching.com; check out the blog posts at the bottom of the page for more information about life in the USA and the crazy English language.

The current heat wave in Europe is proving deadly. High day and night temperatures, coupled with high humidity, can be a very dangerous combination. A new study has calculated the risk of deadly heat on a global basis, and shown that between 48% and 74% of the world's population will be subjected to life-threatening heat and humidity for at least 20 days a year. Ed Hawkins, Professor of Climate Science at the University of Reading, discusses the findings. Gareth also asks BBC weatherman, Darren Betts, whether the recent wave of climate trend animations, or gifs, doing the rounds on social media, are a helpful tool in communicating climate change risks. Professor of Mathematics, Eugenia Cheng, is one of the shortlisted authors for the Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize 2017. She talks Gareth through the inspiration for her book "Beyond Infinity: An expedition to the Outer Limits of the Mathematical Universe". The UK Government announced last week that it was aspiring to remove all petrol and diesel vehicles from roads by 2040. Current battery technology relies on lithium-ion batteries. Are lithium, and the other metals required for batteries, sustainable for a totally electric transport system? And do they have the charge capacity to make them a reliable alternative to fossil fuels? Dr Billy Wu, of the Dyson School of Design Engineering at Imperial College London, goes through the alternatives and the next generation of battery technology. To mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of Victorian Britain's most important scientists, Joseph Hooker (1817-1911), Kew Royal Botanic Gardens is holding an exhibition titled Joseph Dalton Hooker: Putting plants in their place. It's a fascinating selection of his photographs, journals and paintings. Gareth is taken on a tour by the curators - historian Professor Jim Endersby of the University of Sussex and Galleries and Exhibitions Leader at RBG Kew, Maria Devaney. They explain how as a tireless traveller and plant collector, Hooker was the founder of modern botanical classification and a close friend of Charles Darwin. Produced by Fiona Roberts Presented by Gareth Mitchell.

Ascension Island is a tiny scrap of British territory, marooned in the tropical mid-Atlantic roughly halfway between Brazil and Africa. It is the tip of a giant undersea volcano – rugged, remote and, up until around 150 years ago, almost completely devoid of vegetation. Peter Gibbs visits to learn how 19th Century botanist Joseph Hooker, encouraged by Charles Darwin, planted a forest on the island’s summit to trap moisture brought by the trade winds, introducing a panoply of flora from around the world - ginger, guava, bamboo, ficus and dozens more. But is Ascension’s cloud forest all it appears? He talks to conservationists struggling to cope with invasive species running riot, hears about the rescue of Ascension’s tiny endemic ferns, encounters nesting turtles on the beaches and ventures among the chattering ‘wideawakes’ on the sweltering lava plains by the coast. (Photo: Ascension Island. Credit: Matthew Teller)

Ascension Island is a tiny scrap of British territory, marooned in the tropical mid-Atlantic roughly halfway between Brazil and Africa. It's the tip of a giant undersea volcano - rugged, remote and, up until around 150 years ago, almost completely devoid of vegetation. Peter Gibbs visits to learn how 19th-century botanist Joseph Hooker, encouraged by Charles Darwin, planted a forest on the island's summit to trap moisture brought by the trade winds, introducing a panoply of flora from around the world - ginger, guava, bamboo, ficus and dozens more. But is Ascension's cloud forest all it appears? He talks to conservationists struggling to cope with invasive species running riot, hears about the rescue of Ascension's tiny endemic ferns, encounters nesting turtles on the beaches and ventures among the chattering 'wideawakes' on the sweltering lava plains by the coast. Producer: Matthew Teller.

The greatest military battle ever fought on the North American continent, Gettysburg has often been considered the turning point of the American Civil War.  Flushed with success from its smashing rout of the Union forces at Chancellorsville in May 1863, the Confederate government agreed to the audacious plan of their commander, Robert E. Lee, to invade the north and force a final showdown with the dispirited Union army in Pennsylvania.  Only four days before the battle, President Lincoln replaced the Joseph Hooker, disgraced commander of the Army of the Potomac, with the taciturn Gordon Meade who immediately faced the prospect of another humiliating defeat that might break the Union will to fight on.  In this podcast, we will learn how the unknown Meade managed to save the Union and defeat a seemingly invincible army that began a cascade of Union victories culminating at Appomattox less than two years later.

The Victorians' pride at the effortless movement of plants around the world during the late 19th century was having an unwelcome side effect. Invasive species were beginning to wipe out native populations of plants. With no natural predators to control them, one man's flower was turning into another man's weed. Prof Kathy Willis hears how during the late 1800s, many invasive species from Japanese knot weed to Himalayan balsam to water hyacinth came from deliberate introductions and asks if today, trying to control them is ultimately futile? As historian Jim Endersby explains both Charles Darwin and Kew's director Joseph Hooker were the first to examine the impact of invasives, having noticed on the island of St Helena and Ascension Island the effect on native plants. One of the current biggest invaders is lantana, familiar to British gardeners as a small pot plant. As Shonil Baghwat of the Open University reveals, since its introduction to Kolkata Botanical garden in the 1870s it decimated native teak plantations. But today opportunities exist to exploit its presence for the wood, basketry and paper industries. And Kathy Willis hears from Kew conservationist Colin Clubbe on the extent to which we should view invasive plants in our ecosystems as part of a strategy to maintain resilience to environmental change in the future. Producer Adrian Washbourne.

Orchids are big business. Today over £5m of orchid hybrids are imported as cut flowers into the UK each year. For the Victorians orchids were the chosen ornaments of royalty and captured the 19th century fascination with scientific oddity and imperial conquest. Prof Kathy Willis explores how orchids, one of the planet's most diverse family of plants, mesmerised Victorian devotees and became not only trophy plants of the rich but also a scientific tool to promote a new theory of evolution. The study of orchids also paved the way for cultivation of exotics for all. Lara Jewitt tours the orchid glasshouses at Kew where over 3000 species are cultivated, and explains the biology unique to orchids that fuels interest for both scientists and plant lovers. Darwin was fascinated with these rare and precious plants. Their unique pollination mechanisms helped back up his new evolutionary theory based upon natural selection. As historian Jim Endersby reveals, the delicate orchid was to play a part in getting botany a seat at the top table of scientific respectability. Even in the 1850s, Kew's director Joseph Hooker had expressed concern about the damage orchid hunters were inflicting on the wild population. Whilst today many species remain endangered, V Sarasan, head of Kew's Conservation Biotechnology Unit, reveals how new conservation efforts in some of the most orchid species-rich areas of Madagascar are helping to successfully reintroduce endangered members of this vast but vulnerable flowering family back into the wild. Producer Adrian Washbourne.

By 1850 identifying and classifying plants had become far more important than mere list making. Establishing the global laws of botany - what grew where and why - occupied the well travelled naturalist Joseph Hooker - son of Kew's director William Hooker and close friend of Charles Darwin. Kathy Willis hears from historian Jim Endersby on how Hooker was to acquire species from all over the world to build up the first accurate maps of the world's flora. Mark Nesbitt, curator of Kew's economic botany collection, reveals how gifts to Hooker in the collection reveal the relationship between the amateur collector in the field and Hooker back at Kew was one built on trust and mutual understanding. But, as Jim Endersby explains, the relationships were frought with tension when it came to naming new plants. Arguments between those claiming they had found new species (often called "splitters") versus cautious botanists, such as Hooker, who would often "lump" together species as variants of the same, raised new debates about what constitutes a new species. And as Mark Chase, Keeper of Kew's Jodrell Laboratory reveals, the arguments continue today. Producer: Adrian Washbourne Presenter: Kathy Willis is director of science at Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. She is also professor of long-term ecology and a fellow of Merton College, both at Oxford University. Winner of several awards, she has spent over 20 years researching and teaching biodiversity and conservation at Oxford and Cambridge.

I love reading, I love reading history, and I especially love reading history books written by authors who understand how to tell a good story. In addition to being beautifully written, Imperial Nature: Joseph Hooker and the Practices of Victorian Science (University of Chicago Press, 2008) does a wonderful job of keeping readers engaged with the story of Joseph Hooker – his travels, his personal and professional battles, his friendships – while offering a thoughtful account of the practices of Victorian science that sustained his life and work. You will not just find texts in this story. It is also full of paper and lenses, leather and wood, paint and pencils, arguing for the importance of a material history of science, and of botany in particular. Jim Endersby ranges with the characters in his book from the Antarctic to Kew Gardens, and helps us understand how the consequences of empire shaped the emergence of a scientific profession in Hooker's lifetime. This will be required reading for scholars of Victorian science, of natural history, and of the history of imperial science, but it will also reward any reader interested in a compelling story written by a writer's writer. It was a pleasure to read, and equally a pleasure to talk with Jim about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I love reading, I love reading history, and I especially love reading history books written by authors who understand how to tell a good story. In addition to being beautifully written, Imperial Nature: Joseph Hooker and the Practices of Victorian Science (University of Chicago Press, 2008) does a wonderful job of keeping readers engaged with the story of Joseph Hooker – his travels, his personal and professional battles, his friendships – while offering a thoughtful account of the practices of Victorian science that sustained his life and work. You will not just find texts in this story. It is also full of paper and lenses, leather and wood, paint and pencils, arguing for the importance of a material history of science, and of botany in particular. Jim Endersby ranges with the characters in his book from the Antarctic to Kew Gardens, and helps us understand how the consequences of empire shaped the emergence of a scientific profession in Hooker’s lifetime. This will be required reading for scholars of Victorian science, of natural history, and of the history of imperial science, but it will also reward any reader interested in a compelling story written by a writer’s writer. It was a pleasure to read, and equally a pleasure to talk with Jim about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sir Peter Crane, Former Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, talks about the fascinating friendship between Darwin and the botanist Joseph Hooker. (An audio-only podcast from the 2009 Cambridge Darwin Festival.)