
Henry David Thoreau, a Man Who Took Simplicity to Heart
“The earth is not a mere fragment of dead history, stratum upon stratum like the leaves of a book, to be studied
“The earth is not a mere fragment of dead history, stratum upon stratum like the leaves of a book, to be studied
In 1962, our young, charismatic president John F. Kennedy was entertaining the year’s Nobel Prize winners at the White House. He said
Near the end of World War I, the Russian Empire, its army rent by defeat after costly defeat and with morale ebbing,
In the fall of 1962, a little airplane manufacturer on Long Island, Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, beat out seven competitors for the
In 1887, Nellie Bly boarded the boat with the other patients bound for Blackwell’s Island, now known as Roosevelt Island. Their stay
In the autumn of 1885, Cornelius Vanderbilt II paid a little over $400,000 for a summer cottage in Newport, Rhode Island. The
It was the spring of 1781, and war had come to Virginia. Many Virginians were fighting elsewhere with George Washington’s forces, weakening
It was Ray Whitley who started the excitement. Throughout the 1930s, Whitley traveled with the World’s Championship Rodeo, providing musical entertainment with
“The hills bear all manner of fantastic shapes,” Charles Bessey observed, noting that they sometimes featured open pockets of bare sand in
As of this writing, about 700 billion photographs have been uploaded to the internet. Billions and billions more exist in physical form.
George Washington, universally acclaimed nowadays as one of our best presidents, encountered a little bad press in his own day. Even before
Walt Disney’s 1948 animated short, “The Legend of Johnny Appleseed,” famously depicts its main character as a Pennsylvania farmer yearning to join
Among the Founding Fathers, Roger Sherman is one of the best-kept secrets. But he shouldn’t be, especially in light of the cumulative
In mid-1772, a British customs schooner, the HMS Gaspee, attempted to catch an American packet ship off the coast of Rhode Island.
As I step outside the House chamber on the second floor of the Capitol, I guide my visitors halfway down the stairs
The crypt of the U.S. Capitol isn’t the dark, dank dwelling conjured up by its evocative moniker. On the contrary, the crypt
World War II Veteran Editor’s note: Stanley Feltman passed away on September 23, shortly before this issue went to press. In
In war, information can be more valuable than tanks, planes, ships, or soldiers. Information sent and received without detection can mean the
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the start of President John F. Kennedy’s administration. When he took office in January 1961,
On a summer’s day in 1955, the stars aligned for an airman second class at the Lowry Air Force Base in Denver,
The hourlong flight across lower Michigan was nearing completion when Ed Cole found himself in fog on his approach to Kalamazoo. It
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American Essence focuses on traditional American values and great American stories. It recounts significant historical events, from the time of the Founding Fathers through today, including average Americans who want to give back to their communities and country.
New Year’s Resolution
We are often stronger than we give ourselves credit for—Kick off 2023 with a fresh dose of confidence and self-reliance.