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Focus on the Living Vets This Veterans Day
It was 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 1918. At that precise day and hour, the guns that had raged and thundered across the fronts in the...

Dennis L. Peterson
Nov 7, 20253 min read
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Two Examples of Great Resolve
On this final day of October, we have at least two historic events we can celebrate, and both of them feature people who showed great...

Dennis L. Peterson
Oct 31, 20253 min read
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Godsend or Government Boondoggle?
"I've got an old mule and her name is Sal. Fifteen years on the Erie Canal.... "Low bridge, e'vrybody down. Low bridge. We must be...

Dennis L. Peterson
Oct 24, 20254 min read
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"The Greatest Naval Engagement Ever Fought"
The last half of October marks the anniversary of what has been called "the last great fleet action" and the "greatest naval engagement...

Dennis L. Peterson
Oct 17, 20254 min read
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An Achievement and a Warning
In today's post, I'd like to focus on two historical events that occurred in the coming week. One was a discovery. The other was a...

Dennis L. Peterson
Oct 10, 20253 min read
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Libraries or Bookstores?
I can't decide which I prefer, libraries or bookstores. They both have their advantages and disadvantages, some of them unique but others...

Dennis L. Peterson
Oct 3, 20255 min read
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A Day of Remembrance, a Day of Honor: Why We Must Never Forget Our Veterans
October 1 holds deep meaning for our family. It is a day etched by both sorrow and joy. It is a day that reminds us of the immense cost...

Dennis L. Peterson
Oct 1, 20253 min read
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Love Notes
Today is National Love Notes Day . It's "celebrated" annually on the same date. This year, it happens to fall on Friday. It set me to...

Dennis L. Peterson
Sep 26, 20255 min read
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A Good Book for Gold Star Mother's Day
Today is Gold Star Mother's Day, a day to commemorate and honor all the mothers who paid the nation the highest honor of giving their...

Dennis L. Peterson
Sep 26, 20252 min read
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Washington's Warnings for Then and Now
I took this date in history as an occasion to read in its entirety George Washington's "Farewell Address," which was published in the...

Dennis L. Peterson
Sep 19, 20254 min read
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"A Republic--If You Can Keep It"
This coming Wednesday, September 17, is Constitution Day , commemorating the day that document was signed in 1787. A major problem is...

Dennis L. Peterson
Sep 12, 20254 min read
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Readers: Made in Their Parents' Laps
As you well know if you've read this blog for any length of time, I'm a strong proponent of books, reading, libraries, and literacy....

Dennis L. Peterson
Sep 5, 20254 min read
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V-J Day Coincidence?
Today, September 2, marks the eightieth anniversary of the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II. On this date in 1945,...

Dennis L. Peterson
Sep 2, 20252 min read
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Carnegie and His Libraries
Andrew Carnegie's life is the stereotypical rags-to-riches-by-self-improvement story. He went from his first job as a bobbin boy in a...

Dennis L. Peterson
Aug 29, 20254 min read
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Jeb Stuart Got His Revenge
Jeb Stuart, a major general of cavalry in the Confederate Army, had a score to settle. It might have seemed a little thing to most other...

Dennis L. Peterson
Aug 22, 20252 min read
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A Wet Date in History
It's probably a little-known detail, hardly worth noting, but water played a part in a lot of events that occurred on this date in...

Dennis L. Peterson
Aug 15, 20252 min read
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It's National Book Lover's Day!
Get out that stack of books in your tottering to-be-read pile, choose one, and get ready to celebrate. Tomorrow is National Book Lover's...

Dennis L. Peterson
Aug 8, 20253 min read
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The Ill-Fated Operation Tidal Wave
When the airmen were awakened at 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 1, 1943, had their breakfast, and attended their pre-flight briefing, the...

Dennis L. Peterson
Aug 1, 20253 min read
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A Good Read--With a Caveat
When I first began to enjoy reading, my grandparents were good about giving me some good books to read, feeding an appetite for the...

Dennis L. Peterson
Jul 25, 20253 min read
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The Danger of Assumptions
We often look at a few facts and quickly reach conclusions based on our assumptions about some of the missing facts. History provides...

Dennis L. Peterson
Jul 18, 20253 min read
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