History-1900+

  After the Chair for Lithuanian Studies was endowed in the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in 1984, UIC launched a new course under the title “Lithuanian Culture.” Prof. Violeta Kelertas taught the course until 1994. Then I was hired to teach it. During two decades over 700 students …

By Liuda Žiaugra On the Trail of Our Lietuvininkai Ancestors in Texas IT IS ALMOST A DECADE SINCE WE FIRST BEGAN TO find items in the Lithuanian American press about Lithuanians emigrating from Lithuania Minor to Texas some 150 years ago. At that time and in subsequent articles in the …

BY ALGIS GINTAUTAS Lituanica’ – the Unsolved Mystery 75 years after a still-unexplained crash killed the two Lithuanian flyers who were trying to establish a new record in aviation history, the cause of the crash and their death continues to be a mystery. JULY 15-17, 2008 MARKS THE 75TH ANNI- …

by Randy Richards Untangling angling anglingThe Jungle   ONE OF THE MAIN PURPOSES of our trip to Lithuania was to continue the research begun by Dr. Giedrius Subačius on the people and places behind the writing of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle. Giedrius’ book, Upton Sinclair: The Lithuanian Jungle, has triggered …

by John Majikas Lately, there has been considerable talk and worry about the closing of the Our Lady of Vilnius (Aušros Vartų) church in Manhattan, N.Y., and other Lithuanian churches in the United States. Churches that early Lithuanian immigrants built with their sweat and hardearned money a hundred or more …

By JUSTINAS RIŠKUS Throughout my trip, I saw and visited a great number of places and sights. The following article contains descriptions of experiences within the Komi Republic that stand out most in my mind for several reasons, most significant being historical importance and relevance to the expedition’s purpose. I …

by William T. Kvetkas, Jr. IN THE LATE 1930S AS A TOTAL WAR IN EURO- pe appeared inevitable, Lithuania took the precautionary measure of depositing more than $1 million (a huge sum in those days) in a Washington, D.C. bank to sustain a continuing Lithuanian presence in its Embassy building …

BY JOHN MILLAR (JONAS STEPŠIS) MY INTEREST IN THE LITHUANIAN COMMUNITY in Scotland stems, firstly, from the fact that I am the Scots-born son of Lithuanian immigrants who settled in Scotland at the beginning of the 20th century. Secondly, from a deep, compulsive desire to find my roots. When I …

BY JAMES M. BOUBONIS Lithuanians often refer to their northern neighbors as “the nation of brothers.” But how many similarities and differences can we find between the two countries? THE CULTURE OF LATVIA BEARS A STRONG RE- semblance to that of its ethnic and linguistic sister to the south – …

by Janina Birutė Litvinas The Lithuanian Song Festival tradition in America is almost as old as Lithuanian immigration itself. From its early beginnings in 1914, this tradition has continued almost uninterrupted to this day. MY ALMOST SACRED RELIC, A TRAVEL BOOK from my Father’s library, Lithuania, Guiding Facts for Tourists, …