At the turn of the 20th century, Donora, PA was just a sleepy farm community located in a narrow valley near the Monongahela River, with cliff walls rising over 400 feet on either side, about 30 miles away from Pittsburgh, the booming metropolis. Just across the river lay the town of Webster, Donora's "sister" city. … Continue reading The Donora Smog Incident

As World War II officially came to a close with the signing of surrender documents on September 2, 1945, the world celebrated. Adolf Hitler was dead, Japan summarily defeated. The long years of death, destruction, and loss were finally coming to an end. There was a collective sigh of relief, a jubilation that spread to … Continue reading Retribution

It's officially October! My absolute favorite time of the year, October is full of cooler temps, falling leaves, pumpkin everything, and--my favorite--all things spooky. But, let's be real. When I say "all things spooky," I'm not talking about blood or gore or horror. I'm talking more about the nostalgic spooky of my childhood. Things like … Continue reading It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

October, 1969. It was a warm, muggy night in Leary, Georgia. Around 7:15 that evening, outside a local Lions Club, a group of men were gathered, one of them preparing to enter the meeting and give a speech. Suddenly, from out of the crowd, came a voice, it's owner's hand pointed at the sky. "Look!" … Continue reading “I’m Not Saying It Was Aliens, But…”

Happy Birthday to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, born on this day back in 1859! Though he is most well-known as the creator of beloved sleuth Sherlock Holmes, there was so much more to the famed writer than just his enduring literary works. Doyle was born in Edinburgh, Scotland to an alcoholic father and Irish Catholic … Continue reading Breaking Character

On May 7, 1915, one hundred and eleven years ago yesterday, the British ocean liner Lusitania was torpedoed without warning by a German submarine off the south coast of Ireland. Within 20 minutes, the vessel sank into the Celtic Sea. Of 1,959 passengers and crew, 1,198 people drowned, including 128 Americans, such as Alfred Gwynne … Continue reading The Mystery of The Lusitania

There is perhaps no greater symbol of the emerging twentieth century than the humble automobile. Bicycle mechanics J. Frank and Charles Duryea of Springfield, Massachusetts, designed the first successful American gasoline automobile in 1893, then won the first American car race in 1895, capturing the public's imagination. They then went on to make the first … Continue reading Birth of A Rite of Passage

"And so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." One of the most beautiful sentences in American literature, ending one of the most beautiful books in all of American literature. And not just according to me, although I've made secret of my love for Fitzgerald's masterpiece, published on this … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Old Sport

The story, at first glance, seems harmless, at least by today's standards. It opens on the Arthur Shelby plantation in Kentucky as two enslaved people, Tom and 4-year old Harry, are sold to pay Shelby family debts. We then shift focus onto two protagonists; Tom, a strong, religious man living with his wife and three … Continue reading A Book and A War

In 1835, big changes started happening in Mexico. The country, which had won its independence from Spain in 1821 after more than a decade of fighting, The first constitution, known as the Federal Constitution of the United Mexican States of 1824 which inaugurated the First Mexican Republic, was repealed. A new constitution, Las Siete Leyes, … Continue reading Remember the Alamo!