I used to kind of ignore the plaques, but there's where all the real information is. I love going through these historic sites and imagining the stories that happened, and all the lives involved, and how most of it is almost kind of...forgotten. Even charismatic powerful fellows don't always leave much of a legacy. It's sad and powerful all at once.
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So true. My brother-in-law, @preparedwombat, writes a lot about history on his blog, even in 50-word short stories. It sort of brings characters back to life for me. It's really neat because it's such a digestible amount of information, and it piques my interest. I often go searching for more info. Here's one of my favorites: The Art of the Deal.
That little story from @preparedwombat...was brutal (at least the historical context made it so). I may have heard the story back in my high school days, but perhaps not. There are millions of those kinds of stories throughout history, and so few of them ever get told.
It's true. Well, when you think about the many events that occur in even one life, and then you start to multiply by everyone alive today and throughout history, it becomes so overwhelming. The neat thing about plaques (and biographies, and historical fiction, for that matter) is that although they can't possibly capture the complexity of a person's life, you can hone in on its most important or startling highlights.