Quote of the Moment: Nikita Khruschev, whose side is history on?

About the capitalist states, it doesn’t depend on you whether or not we exist. If you don’t like us, don’t accept our invitations, and don’t invite us to come and see you. Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you.*

Nikita Sergeyevich Khruschev (1894-1971); reported statement at a reception for Wladyslaw Gomulka at the Polish Embassy, Moscow, November 18, 1956

Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev enjoying a hot dog in Des Moines, Iowa, during his 1959 tour of the U.S. (Photo from American Meat Institute, National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, http://www.hot-dog.org)

* The exact phrasing of the last line is debatable. As Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, 16th Edition has it, “Neither the original nor the translation of the last two sentences appeared in either Pravda or the New York Times, which carried the rest of the text. Another possible translation of the last sentence is: We shall be present at your funeral, i.e., we shall outlive you; but the above is the familiar version.”

Christian Seniors push bogus history

California Congressman Pete Stark answered a query about his religious beliefs, saying he does not believe in God. This is not unusual, really. Through history the U.S. has had people of many religious beliefs, and disbeliefs, serve in Congress.

A group calling itself the Christian Seniors Association, a division of Traditional Values Coalition, hit the panic button unjustly, issuing a press release noting a “Sad First in the History of Congress.”

“It is sad but not surprising that the current Congress has produced this historic first – one of its members has denied God,” said CSA Executive Director James Lafferty. “The liberals in Congress want to throttle any school child who bows his or her head in prayer, but they want to establish a right for liberals to bash Christians and berate God around the clock.

Would it be too much to ask such a group to actually study history? This is not a first, and probably not all that historic, either. Their claim is bogus history.

In 1846 an Illinois state representative ran for Congress, against a famous Methodist preacher,

Historic carnival season

Early Modern Notes hosts the 50th History Carnival. Early Modern Notes was the inaugural host for the carnival, back in 2005. A lot of history under the bridge since then.

Posts at the Carnival include a small handful of tributes to the late Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., whose death should remind us how valuable can be the contributions of historians who get the ear of policy makers. The Carnival also features posts useful to teachers, on grading and plagiarism.

The host sprinkled “Bonus links” throughout the Carnival, including this link to the 21st Teaching Carnival at the Salt Box, which I had missed earlier this month.  Good ideas, nice presentation — you could learn something if you dropped by.

•  Image of Big Tex at the Texas State Fair by Kurt Nordstrom