On this day back in 1493, noted explorer Christopher Columbus, while sailing near what is now the Dominican Republic, noticed something shocking. Grabbing his log book, he wrote, "...when I was going to the Rio del Oro, I saw three sirens that came up very high out of the sea." Sirens. Not the woo-woo kind … Continue reading Oh Look–A Mermaid!

"Marley was dead: to begin with." A rather macabre start a Christmas story, and yet its legacy is such that almost everyone, whether they've read the book or not, can immediately place the sentence in its proper context. I'm talking about A Christmas Carol, of course, one of the most well-known and beloved works by … Continue reading Marley Was Dead

At 2:10 p.m. on December 5, 1945, five U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo-bombers comprising Flight 19 took off from the Ft. Lauderdale Naval Air Station in Florida on a routine three-hour training mission. Led by United States Navy Lieutenant Charles Carroll Taylor, an experienced pilot with approximately 2,500 flying hours, the squad was rounded out by … Continue reading The Lost Squadron

"Call me Ishmael." Chances are, even if you haven't read it, you know the book from which this line is taken. Commonly known as one of the canonical Great American Novel, Moby Dick, which was first published in the United States on this day back in 1851, is the celebrated tale of quest of Ahab, … Continue reading Ahab’s Nightmare

Okay, I know the subject of Halloween can be taboo in some Christian circles but, I have to admit, I love it. I love the candy, the cute costumes, the pumpkins, caramel apples, and spooky stories. I love the coming together of our neighborhood when everyone sits out in their driveway and passes out goodies … Continue reading Happy Halloween!

On January 17, 1899, Italian immigrants Gabriele and Teresa Capone welcomed a baby boy in their newly adopted home city of New York. They named him Alphonse Gabriel Capone but to his friends--and later the world--he was simply known as Al. Even from an early age, Al was trouble. Although he showed promise as a … Continue reading Two Inevitable Things: Death and Taxes

When World War II came to an end in 1945, a pair of Allied peace conferences at Yalta and Potsdam convened to determine the fate of Germany’s territories. After much discussion, they decided to split the former Axis power into four “allied occupation zones”: The eastern part of the country went to the Soviet Union, … Continue reading When The Wall Came Down

On July 16, 1945, the United States conducted a test of the world's first nuclear weapon, an event now known as Trinity. It came about after months of tireless research and development by a group of scientists living and working in Los Alamos, New Mexico, who had been authorized by President Roosevelt, in response to … Continue reading Come Down (or Up) Somewhere?

History Friday is back! And I can think of no better way to kick it back off than diving right in to another fascinating but tragic episode in American history... By the mid 1800's, the United States was bursting at its seams. A rapidly growing population needed, well, room to grow, and the U.S. government … Continue reading A Legacy of Resistance