Billy Joel performing in Jacksonville, Florida...Image via WikipediaAnyone interested in history or is a student of history will appreciate this fantastic website called Teacher Oz’s Kingdom of History. What drew me in was a link to Billy Joel‘s “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” In it, an educator from Texas named Tracey Oz, provides links to sites that explain each of the words in his lyrics. The result is a page that provides detailed information on the major historical events of the 20th Century.
 For instance, the suicide reference links to  Religious Tolerances’ explanation of Jim Jones’s People’s Temple. The links are so in-depth that you can get lost in each one.

I just “wasted” a couple of hours just following the marvelous links on the one page, when I wandered down to the bottom to click on her index. My eyes popped out of my head! The Billy Joel song lyrics page was just the tip of the iceberg. The vast amount of history found in her pages is so comprehensive, so astounding, I’m drooling.
I read somewhere that colleges are having trouble with students using Wikipedia as a resource for their assignments. The problem with Wikipedia is its often incorrect, as the information is entered by volunteers. You don’t have to worry about the validity of Ms. Oz’s research. I also like that she tells students how to reference her website in their papers.
Its easy to see that this educator has such a passion for her calling that it would be so cool to be her student. But don’t take this history lover’s word for it. She has received kudos from The History Channel, librarians, historians, grad students, and most importantly other teachers.
This website not only covers the 20th Century History of the US, but Ancient History, Military History, World History, Religious History, Art History, Biographies, etc. etc.
Educators and parents will especially appreciate that she has dedicated one page just for them encompassing education, lesson plans, study skills, teaching links, and all links relating to education.
If that wasn’t cool enough, she even has some “fun” topics, like the history of food.
Come on already! Go visit her site! Teacher Oz’s Kingdom of History

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