Today in History
October 11
1890: The Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR, was founded. In 2013, almost 14,000 new members joined the DAR, the highest number of new members in one year in its history.
1809: Meriwether Lewis, the intrepid explorer appointed by President Thomas Jefferson in 1803 to explore the west for a trade route, died. Lewis and his co-leader, William Clark, along with a team of explorers, called the Corps of Discovery Expedition, traveled hundreds of miles from 1803 to 1806 mapping a route west to Oregon. Lewis would send samples to Jefferson of new plants and animals that the explorers found along the way. All of the explorers returned safely from the three-year journey. The trip is now commonly known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
STAY CURRENT
Birds of a Feather – Bird Together
Editor's Note (Oct. 8, 2026): Many years ago I decided to cover The Big Sit, an event at a national wildlife refuge in which...
25th Anniversary of 9/11 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania
Editor’s Note: Sept. 14, 2026 – On September 11, 2001, I was producing a student news section within a major broadcast network’s website. While...
SCIENCE IN HISTORY
Pathfinder Pilot Recalls D-Day
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
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!
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
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
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*
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
May 22, 2026 - Nancy Love: WASP Pilot by Sarah Byrn Rickman (2019) is the story of...
Book Recommendation: The Berlin Candy Bomber
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Book Recommendation: Rosa Parks: A Life
March 17, 2026 - In the 1990s, Douglas Brinkley, author and historian, was searching for a definitive...