2009 Topps Heritage: History in pairs

I am not a big fan of non-baseball cards. So that begs the question, "Why would I buy a pack of 2009 Heritage, then?" The answer is as simple as anyone with an addiction to anything: it was there. It called out to me. Really. I heard it. "Hey, Dave, buy me. You'll LEARN something..." And the pack was right.

The pack seemed to be a bunch of random cards at first glance. But as I looked closer, I began to notice something... History was being revealed to me in pairs. Take this first example: Susan B Anthony and William Jennings Bryant. How are they connected? They both were advocates for women's right to vote. Sidebar: Why is the right to vote called 'suffrage?' I mean, that makes it sound like it hurts, like some painful process that borders on torture...

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The next pair of cards show both the artist and his finished work. I have never been to South Dakota to see the monument, but would like to one day. Of course, it won't be nearly as entertaining without Phineas and Ferb there, I'm sure.

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I'm a little slow on the uptake, so when I saw the Meriwether Lewis card, I was thinking Oregon Trail (yes, the computer game). Of course, it doesn't take much to see the words "Louisiana Purchase" on the front of the card. That was paired up with the signing of the deal. Know how much Lewis and Clark were paid to trek all over the midwest to the northwest? $2500. Wonder how much that translates into in today's economy...

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These last two were a bit of a challenge to pair up, really. So, I went with "landscapes" as their defining match-up characteristic. See, Church painted them, and Powell explored them... Okay, a bit of a stretch, I agree.

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Finally, the checklist. Interestingly enough, the checklist is actually copyright 2008 instead of 2009... Guess they knew the cards before they made 'em...

Do all Heritage packs come collated like this? While it was interesting, I hope they don't all have a common thread among cards in the pack - keep life random. That's what I've never said before, but will say that I always say it because that is what most folks say. Not to keep life random, but rather "That's what I always say..." My brain hurts.