FEATURED STORY

Today in History

July 4, 1776: Birth of a Nation and the 11 years before

Editor's note: As the nation celebrates its 250th birthday in 2026, it's interesting to review a timeline of events leading to the Thirteen Colonies declaring independence from England. The adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, was preceded by years of events that drove many colonists...

June 10

1921: Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, husband of England's Queen Elizabeth II, and grandfather to Prince William and Prince Harry, was born in Greece. He died in 2021.

1898: U.S. Marines landed at GuantAinamo Bay. For the next month, American troops fought a land war in Cuba that resulted in the end of Spanish colonial rule in the Western Hemisphere. Cuban rebels had gained the sympathy of the American public while the explosion and sinking of the U.S.S. Maine, widely blamed on the Spanish despite the absence of conclusive evidence, further boosted American nationalistic fervor. On July 17, just five weeks after the landing at Guantánamo Bay, the Spanish forces under Admiral Pascual Cervera surrendered at Santiago. In the Treaty of Paris, the United States gained sovereignty of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. Spain lost its colonial empire, and the United States emerged with greater influence in international affairs and an increased sense of national pride. (Source: Library of Congress)

 

STAY CURRENT

Pressure, New Movie About the D-Day Weather Forecast, Opens

0
May 29, 2026 - Pressure, the new movie about the D-Day weather forecast, opens today in theaters nationwide. Brendan Fraser stars as Gen. Dwight...

Memorial Day: Honoring Heroes

0
May 23, 2026 - Along with grilling and chilling during this long Memorial Day weekend, one only has to drive past or visit a...

SCIENCE IN HISTORY

Pathfinder Pilot Recalls D-Day

0
Editor's Note: In May 2019 I traveled to Oxford, Connecticut for media day hosted by the D-Day Squadron as they prepared to depart to...

See the Forest AND the Trees at Redwood National Park

0
Editor's Note: In 2015, I visited a redwood forest in northern California for the first time. Before arriving at the edge of the forest,...

Take a Hike – Into a Cauldron!

0
Editor's Note: In 2015, I visited Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California. Its history is the history of the National Park Service because...

Glass: a Hot and Cool Combo of Art and Science

0
Editor's note: One of the hottest and coolest stories I have covered was my 2016 visit to the Toledo Museum of Art's Glass Pavilion...

Sneakers Have Soles – and Soul

0
Editor's note: In December 2015 I learned of a new exhibit at the Toledo Museum of Art - The Rise of Sneaker Culture. Curated...

A Graphic Novel: On the Front Lines with Larry Lather*

0
Editor's note: Feb. 11, 2026 - In 2020 as the pandemic unfolded, I decided to create a graphic novel about the importance of handwashing...

RECOMMENDED READING

Nancy Love: WASP Pilot

0
May 22, 2026 - Nancy Love: WASP Pilot by Sarah Byrn Rickman (2019) is the story of...

Book Recommendation: The Berlin Candy Bomber

0
March 20, 2026 - The Berlin Candy Bomber by Gail Halvorsen (2010, 244 pages) is Halvorsen's autobiography...

Book Recommendation: Rosa Parks: A Life

0
March 17, 2026 - In the 1990s, Douglas Brinkley, author and historian, was searching for a definitive...