U.S. History
Echoes of George Washington in Joe Biden?
Our current president has never been confused with the nearly mythical figure who first occupied that office more than 230 years ago. Not ever. Yet there are striking parallels between…
Read MoreTwo Peas in a Pod: Trump and Andrew Johnson
Two Peas in a Pod: Trump and Andrew Johnson With the announcement that he will not attend the inauguration of President Joseph Biden, outgoing President Donald Trump cemented the connection…
Read MoreMadness at the U.S. Capitol
In the aftermath of yesterday’s attack on the U.S. Capitol, a history publication posed provocative questions to me. These are my responses: What is your view of what happened at…
Read MoreWhat Happens When the President Gets Sick?
The recent news of positive COVID-19 tests for a valet for President Trump and an aide to Vice President Pence revive a thorny question: What happens if the president gets…
Read MoreImpeachment and George Washington: When it rains, it pours
Back in April, I wrote two short pieces on history topics of interest to me — impeachment trials and George Washington. So, naturally enough, they both launched on the web…
Read MoreDoes Going There Matter?
Multi-prize-winning author T.J. Stiles (Custer’s Trials, The First Tycoon) recently posed this question on social media. “Do historians have to visit the sites in their books?” he asked. “I say…
Read MoreMisspelling: An American Tradition
Occasionally I despair over rampant, often intentional misspellings in the modern world. Doesn’t anyone, I rant inwardly, proofread any more? Was H&M being droll when it misspelled “genius” in the…
Read MoreTrump: Haunted Anew by the Ghost of Andrew Johnson
More echoes of the benighted Andrew Johnson Administration of 1865-69 reverberate around President Trump with the current logjam at the top of the Consumer Financial Protection Board. Deputy Director Leandra…
Read MoreWriting Great Characters Like Babe Ruth
Writing about familiar historical figures is a central challenge of writing historical fiction, and also a great joy. The writer, of course, has to replicate any widely-known qualities about the…
Read MoreBabe Ruth Built the Best Brand Ever
Our digitized world is obsessed with branding. The road to success, we’re told, is to create a public image of a consistent experience/product/person that people will want to acquire or…
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