There is no master plan of History. Events happen, we witness and, later, we try to make sense of them. When tragic or momentous events do occur, we often seek to forgo patience for prescience. We want it all to make sense now. We want order and meaning restored. In an age when reporting has…
In July 1947, the Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF) issued a press release saying they had recovered debris of a crashed “flying disc” sparking intense media interest. They later corrected themselves by stating the materials were that of a downed weather balloon. 60 years later, speculation and fascination about the incident continues. Just this week,…
Even the night before the Fourth of July, it’s easy to obtain (where legal, of course) nearly an unlimited supply of fireworks, sparklers and other brilliant incendiary devices. Though such gunpowder-based confections stir delight in children and swelling patriotism in grown-ups, they belie the true state of affairs that General George Washington and his troops…
In the bibliography of David McCullough’s bestselling book, “1776“, (see what else we’re reading) lies an interesting source: “Revolutionary Pension Records.” Much of the power of McCullough’s writing comes from his ability to recount an event that happened more than 220 years ago and make seem like it happened yesterday. The powerful drama unfolds in…
Until recently, interest in Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) seemed to be waning. But lately they appear to making a comeback – especially in Canada where this year they have become more conspicuous. According to a study mentioned in the Toronto Star: Aliens and spaceships are a bit passe these days, but 736 reported UFO sightings…
As we continue to get closer to a complete collection of The Pennsylvania Archives, we find more interesting facts.Here is an alphabetical list of Revolutionary Soldiers “compiled chiefly from The Depreciation Account books in the office of the Auditor General of Pennsylvania”. The introduction continues: “It contains nearly ten thousand names, and, as will be…
We are excited to announce the release of some of the volumes in Series 2 through 7 in the Pennsylvania Archives. With these new records we now have about 78% of the Pennsylvania Archives online. These additional records include topics such as marriage records, muster rolls, tax lists and various records relating to the Revolutionary…
