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Ronald Reagan has been an inspiration to countless millions the world over. Nicknamed the Great Communicator, he had the ability to deliver moving speeches that touched the hearts of the masses with their direct style, humor and sincerity. During his long career in politics, he gave a great many speeches – some of which rose to the level of greatness. Perhaps the most memorable phrase one recalls when thinking of Ronald Reagan comes from his speech of 6/12/87. Here in an address at the Brandenburg Gate (Berlin Wall) in Berlin, he uttered the phrase “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” to the thundering applause of all people who were free or sought to be free of tyranny. Read the rest of this entry »

The period from the end of the Civil War to 1920 was a dynamic time of change in the United States. It was influenced by massive European immigration and major population shifts amongst the various regions of the country. One of these major shifts was a vast migration from rural farming communities to urban centers. City populations exploded during this time.. In fact, during this fifty year period, the nation’s city dwelling population increased from less than ten million to more than fifty million people – a remarkable 500% increase in population. All manner of working people benefited from an increase in personal income and leisure time that city life offered. Tourism in America suddenly became available to masses of people, annual vacations became the norm, and city dwellers even began reducing their work day – as compared to their rural counterparts. With all this extra free time, inexpensive amusements of all types appealed to growing numbers of people -rich and poor alike. Read the rest of this entry »

During WWII, the U.S. Army determined that there was a need for a mobile long range heavy artillery weapon to attack strategic targets behind enemy lines – communication centers, fortified positions, enemy long range artillery and other high value targets. After the war, it was determined that a heavy artillery weapon that could fire an atomic warhead would be even more desirable. This kicked off a dual development effort – designing and building the actual weapon and designing a small enough atomic warhead to be used as a shell for the weapon. Read the rest of this entry »

The Nazi Holocaust – a signature program of Hitler’s Master Race program – began with Hitler’s rise to power in January of 1933 and ended on VE Day (May 8, 1945). During this time, more than 6 million Jews and millions of people in other ethnic groups were exterminated by Nazi Germany. While all the murders were devastating to native populations, none were so devastating than that of the Jews. During this period, thousands of Jewish communities were completely wiped out and it is estimated that a full 1/3 of all Jewish people in the entire world were destroyed. Read the rest of this entry »

Ronald Reagan, one of our greatest presidents, was a fascinating man who began his life in the humblest of ways.

Roanld Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois. He was born in a second floor apartment on February 6, 1911 to John Edward “Jack” Reagan and Nelle Wilson Reagan. His father was a strong Irish Catholic whereas his mother was of a Scottish background. Ronald had one brother – Neil “Moon” Reagan.

In his early childhood, his father nicknamed Ronald “Dutch” due to his overweight appearance and resemblance to the fat little Dutchman. This is a nickname that stayed with him for many years. Read the rest of this entry »