Author W. Michael Farmer believes the story lines of his historical novels should adhere to known facts, as such an approach “helps hold the reader’s interest into what happened and helps them ask good questions about the history.” At times that belief has led him to write companion books—a history and a novel—on the same topic. Farmer based his first novel, Hombrecito’s War, on the unsolved 1896 murders of New Mexico Territory legislator and attorney Albert Jennings Fountain and his 8-year-old son, Henry. To that historical plot-line, however, the author added a fictional Apache character. More recently, Farmer published his history Geronimo: Prisoner of Lies, Twenty-Three Years as a Prisoner of War, 1886–1909 (2019), followed by his novel The Odyssey of Geronimo (2020), and he is working on other books focused on Apache stories both historical and fictional.
What prompted you to research and write about Apaches?
When I wrote my first novel, about the Fountain murders, I used a Mescalero tribal policeman character, Yellow Boy, as the practically invisible man who saved the child [Henry Fountain], became his mentor and taught him much about the world. To develop Yellow Boy’s character, I started researching the culture and history of the Mescaleros. It was an eye-opening experience, especially when I realized how different Apache culture is from that of the Plains Indians. The deeper I got into researching the Apaches, the more I wanted to know. In the process I discovered that if you want to understand Apache history, you must first understand their culture.
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What intrigued you about the Fountain murders?
What happened to the Fountains is a great mystery, and like most folks in New Mexico, I was curious about their disappearance. In the introduction to [his 1958 novel] Warlock Oakley Hall said that the business of fiction is to find the truth, not the facts. I decided to write a fictional story about the murders that might give me some insight into who the murderers were after I read [C.L.] Sonnichsen’s [1960] book Tularosa, which gave [suspect] Oliver Lee the benefit of the doubt, whereas Leon Metz, in his biography of Pat Garrett, claimed Lee was guilty. I never intended to write a novel, just a story of maybe 10,000–20,000 words for my own benefit that might give me a good idea of who the murderers were. I started writing and researching. When I finished the story, it was 18,000 words, and I had learned how much I enjoyed writing.
How did you approach writing from Geronimo’s point of view?
I put in hours of research into Apache culture and history. I read what George Wratten, the famous interpreter for the Army with Apaches in captivity, had Geronimo saying in English to, for example, Generals George Crook and Nelson Miles, Teddy Roosevelt and artist Elbridge Ayer Burbank and at church services when he decided to become a Christian. I learned what a terrifically complex and fascinating character Geronimo was. I wanted my readers to understand his humanity, why he thought the way he did, and to see things as he saw them. To tell his story from his point of view was the most straightforward way to convey his humanity, warts and all, and I wanted the history in the story to be accurate.
How do you rate Geronimo as a tactician?
Geronimo was a brilliant and fearless tactician, but he sometimes made very bad judgment calls.
For example, when he and Juh (chief of the Nednhi Chiricahuas, with strongholds in northern Mexico) left San Carlos in September 1881, they had over 375 people with them and crossed the border with the loss of two men, two women and three children while being chased by hundreds of cavalry and Apache scouts from San Carlos. Six months later, Geronimo led the warriors who forced about 350 of Loco’s people out of San Carlos and got them to the border while again being chased by hundreds of cavalry and Apache scouts, and again he lost no more than five or six people.
After they crossed the border, he let them stop and rest, against the advice of Chato, Naiche and Kaytennae. Geronimo assumed the cavalry wouldn’t cross the border (legally they couldn’t), but the cavalry crossed the border anyway and two days later attacked them in a seven-hour fight that killed 14 warriors and several women. The next day, the Apaches were ambushed by Mexican soldiers waiting for them at Aliso Creek. Most of the Apaches escaped after another long day of fighting between two parallel arroyos—one filled with Apaches, the other with Mexicans. But Loco lost nearly 40 percent of his people—most of them women and children—in the two days of fighting.
In 1886, after Geronimo and Naiche broke away from those who surrendered to General Crook in late March, they had 18 men and 22 women and children. The army under General Miles chased them across southern Arizona and northern Sonora for five months with 5,000 soldiers. The Mexican military chased them with 3,000 soldiers in Sonora and Chihuahua, and there were numerous civilian posses on both sides of the border. The Apaches didn’t lose a single warrior captured or killed during the five months before Geronimo and his warriors surrendered.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most significant achievement in the field medicine?
Modern medicine has been revolutionized by penicillin's discovery. Alexander Fleming was unaware of the importance of his mold when he discovered it. His discovery led directly towards the creation of antibiotics which saved millions of people's lives.
This breakthrough made the world a better place. It has led to a longer and more fulfilling life.
Fleming, however, did more than simply discover an anti-biotic. He also developed a method of growing bacteria in large amounts. Scientists could then study them for the very first time.
Fleming’s discovery gave us insight into our bodies as well as diseases that we hadn't imagined. For example, it allowed doctors to identify the cause of tuberculosis.
The discovery of penicillin led to major changes in public healthcare policy. People with infections like meningitis and pneumonia were previously treated with toxic drugs.
Penicillin was discovered to cure patients without causing death.
Since its invention, penicillin is used to treat bacterial infected. In fact, it is now considered one of the greatest medical advances of all time.
There are two reasons why Fleming's discovery stands out. First, he was working solo and alone from the rest of scientific community.
He published his findings in Nature, second.
He knew exactly what he had discovered and could publish his findings. That made him a pioneer.
He didn't know where his research would lead, but he followed his instincts. It paid off. It paid off.
Alexander Fleming, age 65, died on May 25, 1955. His entire career was spent at St Mary's Hospital, London.
When he retired, he went home to Scotland. He lived there up to his death.
Why is fire the greatest achievement in human history?
Fire is an amazing force of nature and a symbol of power and energy. Our culture holds fire so high that we give names to days of week based on the amount of fire in them. Tuesday, for example, is "fire day" since it's when sunset occurs.
The symbol of fire can be used to denote more than heat. It can represent power, passion, strength, action, life, strength, etc. So why is fire the greatest achievement for man?
Fire, which is the most powerful element in all of creation, represents the beginning, the end, and the destination. This makes it the best way to explain its versatility.
Fire isn't just about providing warmth and light. Fire is used by human beings to make art, cook food, provide warmth, and light for studying and reading.
Fire can also be used to cause destruction. This includes destroying trees in order to make paper and burning coal to generate electricity. Fire can also be used to kill animals and help us communicate.
So while fire may seem like a destructive element, it isn't. Instead, fire can be a great resource for us. It allows us to survive, protect ourselves, and offers entertainment.
What is the greatest human achievement?
It's a great accomplishment when you make a positive difference in the world and do something that makes a real difference. It's when you create something new and different that isn't available before.
Great accomplishment is not measured in how many people you helped or how much money you made. It's measured by the amount of impact you made on the world.
The greatest achievements aren't the ones where we find answers. We already know the answer. The greatest achievements are those which change our perspective on life. That changed our outlook.
Great achievements are often small because they happen slowly and quietly. They may not even seem important at the time. But later on, you'll look back and realize how far-reaching an effect they really had.
There are two types, one lasting forever and one that fades. A greatness that lasts is when people create something they love and treasure for generations.
It's because great achievements are often achieved anonymously, as people tend to admire them more when it's not known who did it.
But great achievements fade away quickly. It is possible to believe lies told by others about great achievements. This is because you've grown accustomed to thinking of greatness as permanent.
It is easy to lose sight on the importance of greatness, as it fades so quickly. Therefore, great achievements are rare. It is rare that anyone ever achieves them.
What is the most significant invention in human history?
This question is obvious if we look back on history. However, today's answers are not always the same. Many people believe it was electricity, fire, or both.
However, it doesn’t matter as everyone has the same answer: the ability and willingness to communicate.
Human progress is only possible through communication. Communication allows us all to grow and learn. We share our lives, create art, heal, love, laugh, cry, dream, live, and die.
Communication is why we're here.
It doesn't matter how many years pass, regardless of whether we are referring to the inventions or inventions of the Internet, or even the inventions of writing themselves, the answer will remain the same.
The invention is a way of communicating. The invention is a means of sharing knowledge, ideas, thoughts, emotions, experiences, memories, dreams, hopes, fears, and desires...
Communication is more important than anything.
And that is why we need to invent.
Which invention has done the most damage to the earth?
The most useful inventions can make our lives easier. But not all inventions are good.
The internal combustion engine is one example of such an invention. This invention was instrumental in the industrial revolution. However, global warming can be caused by carbon dioxide released when fossil fuels are burned for energy.
Laser is another invention. This laser can also be used to dismantle objects far away. It can cause blindness, burns and even death.
Another example is the atomic bomb. An entire city could be destroyed by the explosion of this weapon.
Because inventions make our lives easier, they are fantastic. They can also be harmful. These dangerous inventions include nuclear arms, internal combustion engine, lasers, and atomic weapons.
What inventions did you think had a negative outcome?
This list contains examples of inventions that have caused harm to society.
Gunpowder was created during wars. It eventually led to mass shootings. It's estimated that 10 million people died due to this invention.
Our lives have been transformed by inventions such as electricity and the steam engine. They made life easier for us. But, they can also be a problem, like traffic jams, pollution, noise and accidents, etc.
The invention of guns brought death to millions of innocent people. Because of the ease with which these weapons could be used, people started to murder each other. This problem is still a problem today.
The advent of nuclear power plants allowed radioactive radiation to be spread throughout the environment. Many scientists believe that we live in the worst era of human history.
There were several attempts to invent something that would completely change our lives forever. Some of them were successful, while others failed miserably.
Statistics
- With the sequencing of both the human and chimpanzee genome, as of 2012, estimates of the similarity between their DNA sequences range between 95% and 99%. (en.wikipedia.org)
- The linear view of human evolution began to be abandoned in the 1970s as different species of humans were discovered, which made the linear concept increasingly unlikely. (en.wikipedia.org)
- Some 45 million nucleotides of insertions and deletions unique to each lineage were also discovered, making the actual difference between the two genomes ∼4%. (en.wikipedia.org)
- Also proposed as Homo sapiens heidelbergensis or Homo sapiens paleohungaricus.[208]H. rhodesiensis, and the Gawis cranium[edit]H. rhodesiensis, estimated to be 300,000–125,000 years old. (en.wikipedia.org)
- This migration out of Africa is estimated to have begun about 70–50,000 years BP, and modern humans subsequently spread globally, replacing earlier hominins either through competition or hybridization. (en.wikipedia.org)
External Links
nature.com
livescience.com
doi.org
- Evolutionary Biology - The Hybrid Origin of "Modern Humans."
- ScienceDirect: The Mosaic Humans, a hybrid species
web.archive.org
How To
What are the 5 most important inventions from the industrial revolution
Inventions can't be born out of nothingness. They are born from ideas, concepts and thoughts that have been brewing for many years. Therefore, it is natural that the most important inventions are those created internally and not by anyone else.
The Industrial Revolution was the birth of many amazing things like electricity, cars and planes, phones, computers, and trains. Five inventions made our lives easier today.
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ElectricityElectricity was invented during the 18th century when Benjamin Franklin began experimenting with static electricity. He discovered that you could create an electrical charge by rubbing two pieces together of metal.
This discovery led to him discovering that lightning was actually electrical energy. This discovery opened up the doors to more discoveries.
Thomas Edison invent the light bulb. It was later used in films and TV shows. -
Steam Engine
Franklin's original ideas were the basis of another invention, the steamengine. His experiment showed that power could be generated without friction by mixing water and air.
Because they produce more power, steam engines were superior to horses. -
Flying Airplane
Before airplanes were invented, people used animals (birds and ships) to carry their luggage around. After Leonardo Da Vinci claimed that flying was impossible, Wilbur Wright and Orville Flynn made the first powered flight to Kitty Hawk in 1903.
They designed planes that could move, and improved on Da Vinci’s designs. These planes enabled humans to travel across continents and oceans in just hours, instead of days or even weeks.
Today, over 100 million passengers fly per year. -
Railroad
Transport has been transformed by the railroad throughout history. The railroad has made it possible for supplies and resources to travel faster and cheaper than ever before. Prior to the railroad, goods could only be transported by ship. Human cargo could only be carried on horseback.
The railroad was capable of transporting people at a faster pace than any other vehicle. The railroad created thousands of jobs and helped spread democracy.
Railroads were constructed in America at first, but companies outside Europe started to build them. These machines are built by companies such as France, Germany and Russia.
Over half a billion people work in the railroad industry today. -
Television
Television didn't start as something that was supposed to make life easier, it started as a way to watch military battles and spy on your neighbors! It wasn't until years later that people realized this machine can be used for other purposes.
Television sets do not have to consist of huge wooden cabinets that are filled with antennas. Technology has given us small satellite TV box that you can plug into the wall.
Worldwide, there are currently more than 2.5 Billion satellite and cable Tv subscribers.
