Ever since his death on July 4th, 1826 (50 years to the day after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, I might add), subsequent generations of Americans have appropriated the life and legacy of Thomas Jefferson in order to advance agendas and justify arguments.
Read MoreSure, personally and professionally Edison was a real bastard, but thanks to him we can stay up late and raid our well lit refrigerators for delicious Hot Pockets!
Read MoreYesterday my father and I made a visit to Washington, DC's Theodore Roosevelt Island to gather footage for an upcoming video which will soon be released on HistoricAmerica.org (that's why there was no blog post yesterday - sorry!). My father served as cameraman and I was the onscreen, *ahem*, talent. We shot a little behind-the-scenes movie after we were done,
Read MoreHeavy handed and overly long, Annette Gordon Reed's Pulitzer Prize winning, The Hemingses of Monticello, is a chore to read - which is probably why it won the Pulitzer Prize in the first place.
Read MoreThe Main Reading Room is the central chamber inside the Library of Congress’ Jefferson Building. It is arguably the most beautiful study space in the world and 363 days out of the year it is closed off to the general public, accessible only to those who are conducting research. On Presidents Day and Columbus Day, however, the great unwashed are allowed to enter in and explore. Guess where I was yesterday afternoon.
Read MoreOn October 13th, 1792 (222 years ago today) the cornerstone of the White House was laid. The building’s architect was James Hoban, an Irish immigrant whose previous work on the Charleston County Courthouse caught the eye of George Washington and gave him a leg up in the design competition.
Read MoreThe Women's Titanic Memorial of Washington, DC is one of the city attractions you don't often hear about. That’s because it’s located well away from the hustle and bustle. Settled alongside Washington Channel in the quietude of DC's Southwest Waterfront area, the granite memorial honors the men who sacrificed themselves that women and children might be saved during the famous RMS Titanic disaster of 1911.
Read MoreI don’t know how many of you can relate, but there’s nothing I enjoy more than absently browsing around a bookstore. If you can sympathize, surely you’ve noticed that every bookstore in America seems to have a copy of Stephen Ambrose’s, Undaunted Courage nestled somewhere amongst the stacks. I don’t think I’ve even been in the history section of a Barnes & Noble or Books-a-Million and not seen it (along with Jared Diamond’s, Guns, Germs & Steel and everything David McCullough ever wrote).
Read MoreHave you ever been in the Decatur House? Neither had I, until yesterday.
Read MoreI’ve embarked on a new e-book project inspired by my ongoing work at the Jefferson Hotel. Thomas Jefferson: Defining America, will be a short biography of T-Jeff (new nickname I just came up with) and it should be out sometime towards the end of winter, 2015.
Read MoreIf you're not familiar with author Nathaniel Philbrick, that'll soon change. Ron Howard is making Philbrick’s In the Heart of the Sea into a feature film, his book Mayflower is being adapted into a television series by FX, and Ben Affleck’s production company has optioned Bunker Hill, his most recent book. Not half bad.
Read MoreAs some of you might remember, the other day I paid a visit to the brand new Marvin Gaye mural in DC's Shaw neighborhood. The experience inspired me to find out more about Marvin Gaye's relationship with Washington, DC. Yesterday, I hopped on the bike and rode all around the city to do just that. What follows is a video diary of that journey. Enjoy!
Read MoreOn Saturday mornings I work at the Jefferson Hotel off of 16th Street in Washington, DC serving as the hotel historian. Throughout the hotel are objects, artifacts and design elements related to the life & legacy of Thomas Jefferson, and it’s my privilege to talk about these fascinations with hotel guests...It’s a great gig.
Read MoreIf you want to pay a visit yourself, it's on the 700 block of S St. NW between 7th & 8th. The artist's name is Aniekan Udofia.
Read MoreThe genius of Common Sense was that it gave voice to the collective anger and frustration felt by countless American patriots and it succeeded in spinning an already angry populace even further into the realm of tear-ass rebelliousness. In order to get into the revolutionary spirit, I read it for the first time while on my recent trip to Yorktown, Virginia.
Read MoreThe parental units and I made a trip down to Yorktown, Virginia a few weeks back, what-for-to-see the battlefield and such. Lucky for me my parents are fans of American history, which probably does much to explain my singular fascination with the subject.
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