Articles

Seventy-two years ago on June 21, 1945, the fierce fighting that had been going on for eighty-two days came to a halt.  It was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific, and Winston Churchill’s cable to President Truman acknowledged that this lengthy and epic battle for Okinawa would be remembered as “among the most intense and famous of military history.” It indeed took its toll on both sides with 7,613 American casualties on land and another 4,907 killed in the air or from kamikaze attacks. A total of thirty-six American warships were also sunk. The Japanese suffered even greater losses […]

According to the US Census, there are over 70 million fathers in the US, and many will be celebrating Father’s Day with their families this Sunday. The push to have an annual holiday recognizing fathers started as early as 1908 but it was not as quickly embraced as the efforts had been to honor mothers. In fact there was much controversy and push-back for establishing a day to honor fathers. Sonora Smart Dodd from Spokane, Washington, was the first person to garner statewide support for such a holiday, and on June 19, 1910, the entire state of Washington celebrated their […]

“Saturate yourself with your subject and the camera will all but take you by the hand” Margaret made history throughout her career and achieved many firsts with her pioneering style which started when she was an industrial photographer based in Cleveland, Ohio. Her photos of the Ohio steel mill interiors caught the eye of Henry Luce with Fortune magazine and he asked her to come to work for him. She joined the magazine and was sent to Germany in 1930 to photograph their emerging industries and followed that up with visits to the Soviet Union. She then became the first […]

During a recent trip to my hometown of Maryville, Tennessee, I found another treasure trove of WWII memorabilia at the River Mill Antique Mall on the road to the Smoky Mountains. After our traditional stop at Becky’s Grocery & Grill for their mouthwatering burgers and homemade coconut cream pie, we decided to check out this local antique shop with its random merchandise overflowing onto the expansive front porches. Inside, there were individual booths also overflowing with a variety of once-loved items. At first it was overwhelming trying to screen through all the displays, but my cousin’s sharp focus quickly spied […]