The Marquis de Lafayette’s Great American Love Affair

Why a 19-Year-Old Frenchman Traded Versailles for Valley Forge

The 19-year-old Marquis de Lafayette had met only a handful of Americans when he signed up to join General George Washington’s army, but he felt certain that the people of the United States were as honorable as the cause of freedom for which they fought. Their idealism was intoxicating, and its hold on Lafayette reminds us of a time when the young United States seemed to promise a brighter future for all mankind.

Lafayette was hardly the only Frenchman of his time to view Americans in a virtuous light. The Comte …

by Laura Auricchio | January 16, 2015

A Nuclear Warhead in Suburban Orange County?

In the Hills Above Brea Lies a Spot That Could Have Started World War III

by Tyler Spicer | January 10, 2015

From here, atop a concrete tower in the Brea Hills, I have a commanding view of Southern California. Behind me, I can see, faintly, the top of the monumental skyscrapers …

Remember When America Tried to Conquer Canada?

It's Too Bad We've Forgotten Pretty Much Everything About the War of 1812

by Matthew Dennis | December 24, 2014

This Christmas Eve marks an American bicentennial—the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812. It’s hardly surprising that this event has …

Crashing the Turnstile at Knott’s Berry Farm

How I Learned to Push Through Life's Limits

by Jose Luis Gonzalez | December 2, 2014

Many of my middle-school memories feature my cousin Efrem scooping my brother Adam and me up in his ride and taking us to Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park. Those …

Out of the Army—and Out of a Job

Military Drawdowns Overseas Mean More American Veterans Struggle to Find Meaningful Work at Home

by Mike Stajura | November 11, 2014

As the military drawdown in Afghanistan continues, the United States will add an additional 80,000 veterans from the Army alone to the civilian workforce. This is on top of the …

Did the Midwest Win the Civil War?

States Like Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin Fed and Armed the Union—and Sent Men to Die for Their Country, Too

by Lance J. Herdegen | October 24, 2014

Fort Sumter. Bull Run. Antietam. Vicksburg. Gettysburg. Appomattox Courthouse.

These are the places you usually think of when you think about the Civil War. Not Milwaukee, Detroit, Indianapolis, Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul, …

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