Stories about N.C. told in 200 words. To receive the stories, just SIGN UP here:http://www.ncdcr.gov/thisdaync. That’s the gist of “This Day in North Carolina History.” Written to be read aloud on radio. Delivered as daily blogs with Illustrations and links to additional resources. Available to anyone who signs up. The NC Department of Cultural Resources launched the blog in October 2012 with plans to continue “This Day” for at least two years and hopes of publishing a book or calendar at the end. The briefs build on the department’s vast resources. What’s on the blog?
- The formation of the Oregon Inlet
- An attack by Spanish ships on Brunswick
- A fire at a chicken processing plant in Hamlet
- The dedication of the “Mile-High” bridge at Grandfather Mountain
- The accomplishments of NC-born African American journalist Robert Lee Vann
- Little Eva’s roots in Belhaven, NC
- Mary L. Wyche’s work in NC in support of nurses and nursing
- Terry Sanford, Black Mountain College, Virginia Dare, Nat Turner...and much more
Ansley Herring Wegner, Research Historian, and Jeff Miles, web content manager, administer the blog. They search historical dates on the sites for highway historical markers, NCpedia, the NC History Project and the state’s music and literary halls of fame. Wegner also mines LEARN NC, another online source for facts and information that is written to support teaching and learning. To obtain more from LEARN, Director Andy Mink writes, “Be sure to sign up to receive regular LEARN NC email announcements here:
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/2769.” Wegner checks facts and tries to find something notable and deserving, as well as interesting for each day. Some days offer clear subjects, but others have required 12 to 14 hours of research to find a good topic. So what’s interesting? Reporters and editors will not be surprised. Asked to explain why news is not more positive and, well, less graphic, they cite reading habits. Clicks on online news sites show the same pattern that Wegner finds. “Killings, murders and unusual events and people, such as NC’s three sets of conjoined twins—those are what’s popular,” Wegner says. Miles offers data to support Wegner’s conclusion. The most widely viewed posts during the blog’s first year dealt with the discovery of Laura Foster’s body, Isaac Avery’s dying words at Gettysburg, the hanging of Frankie Silver, the death of prison escapee Otto Wood and the pass of conjoined twin Millie McKoy. Both Miles and Wegner speak of the rewards in calling attention to NC History and all that can be learned about the state through widely-available resources. USE THE NEWS:
Making history in North Carolina. Write key events in the news on a daily calendar. Use community and regional newspapers to focus on local and/or state news. At the end of a week, month, season or year, decide which you think will make or shape history. Which are likely to show up later in a blog that answers the question, Do you know what happened today in North Carolina history? A graphic organizer titled “Making history in North Carolina” supports this activity. Write the news you choose in 200 words. Read it aloud, with expression, as if you are a radio announcer. After practicing, rewrite the blog and try reading the edited version.
North Carolina, then and now. Pull from the blog to create A to Z about North Carolina and do the same with current newspapers, in print and online. Compare North Carolina today with North Carolina in the past, providing examples or evidence from the blog and current news sources. A graphic organizer titled “North Carolina-then and now” supports this activity.
