Articles by Kelli Ballard

“The pull, the attraction of history, is in our human nature. What makes us tick? Why do we do what we do? How much is luck the deciding factor?” ~David McCullough April 12, 1961: First Human in Space World War… Read More

When you check out a book from the library and don’t return it on time, you can expect to pay a fine. But what happens when something worth millions of dollars is taken from a library? Something of historical significance… Read More

“Human history in essence is the history of ideas.” ~ H.G. Wells April 3, 1860: The Pony Express Began Today, we have the post office, Amazon, UPS, and a dozen other ways to have our mail delivered to our homes,… Read More

Thanks to the supply chain crisis left over from the COVID-19 pandemic, people are seeing the cost of goods rising while also waiting longer to receive them. There are shortages of everything from foods to computer chips and automobiles. Cargo… Read More

“History is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soul.” ~ Lord Acton April 2, 1513: Ponce de Leon Discovered Florida Looking for a land that was rumored to have magical waters, known as the “fountain… Read More

“History provides no precise guidelines.” ~ Douglas Hurd March 22, 1972: Equal Rights Amendment Passed by Senate It took a long time for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to make it through Congress – and the proposed amendment was never… Read More

Shipwrecks and sunken treasure – the stuff dreams are made of. The quest to find a ship that was lost at sea hundreds of years ago with the promise of gold and trinkets has lured many a treasure-seeker to spend… Read More

“The history of mankind is the instant between two strides taken by a traveler.” ~ Franz Kafka March 15, 44 BC: Julius Caesar Assassinated Roman dictator Julius Caesar has one of the most famous names in history. It was he… Read More

“History develops, art stands still.” ~ E.M. Forster March 6, 1836: Remember the Alamo In the 1800s, the area that would become Texas was trying to gain its independence from Mexico. The Battle of the Alamo is a famous skirmish… Read More

“History provides no precise guidelines.” ~ Douglas Hurd March 1, 1961: Peace Corps Was Established John F. Kennedy, who was a senator at the time, wanted to find a way to bridge cultural gaps between the American people and other… Read More

“History is a vast early warning system.” ~ Norman Cousins February 20, 1962: First American Orbits Earth Astronaut John Glenn was the first American to orbit Earth. Aboard the Friendship 7 spacecraft, Glenn completed three orbits in just under five… Read More

“The history of mankind is the instant between two strides taken by a traveler.” ~ Franz Kafka February 14: Valentine’s Day Valentine’s Day. This is a holiday for romance, but not everything that happens on February 14 is to do… Read More