On a wintry morning in February 1956, a riding instructor named Harry de Leyer drove four hours from his Long Island farm to New Holland, Pennsylvania. Every Monday as many as 300 horses were auctioned at this Amish community. Harry, a Dutch immigrant, knew horses. He had $80 in his pocket and hoped to purchase a gentle animal that could… Read more »
It’s often said that before we can hope to understand someone else’s life, we need to walk a mile in their shoes. Or perhaps join them on a car ride from Washington D.C. to Texas. Before he became vice-president and ascended to the White House following JFK’s assassination in November 1963, Texas senator Lyndon B. Johnson sometimes asked his black… Read more »
Loggerhead sea turtles are navigational savants. Against all odds, they somehow “know” exactly where they’re going – even though they usually swim the world’s oceans alone. Baby loggerheads aren’t much to look at. They are about two inches long and weigh less than one ounce. If they can survive their harrowing first walk from their nest on a Florida beach… Read more »
The reign of King Solomon represents the high water mark of the Old Testament. For centuries, faithful Jews looked back to the time of Solomon and his father, King David, as a kind of Golden Age. Solomon was a remarkable person. He is credited with composing 1,005 songs, authoring more than 3,000 proverbs, and expanding the boundaries of Israel to… Read more »
The woman in the silver SUV laid on her horn. And closed in on the bumper of the guy in front of her. She was exasperated by his not-one-mph-above-the-speed-limit pace. As they approached the next intersection, the light turned yellow. Instead of accelerating, the guy in front hit his brakes. The woman pulled onto the shoulder, absolutely committed to… Read more »
Sir Timothy Berners-Lee, the computer scientist credited with inventing the World Wide Web, was recently asked what aspect of internet usage surprised him the most. His one-word answer? “Kittens.” Cats have gradually taken over our homes and our hearts. Within the past decade they have soared past dogs as America’s most common house pet, now taking lengthy naps in at… Read more »
What is the meaning of life? The Greek philosopher Plato declared that the entire task of philosophy is melete thanatou: “mindfulness of death.” In 2006, medical journalist Dr. Timothy Johnson wrote, “The meaning of life is that it stops.” Not much has changed during the past 2400 years. Mortality rates are holding steady at 100%. For the past six months,… Read more »
Viruses can definitely mess up your summer. In the summer of 1981, Chris – a nine-year-old resident of Grand Saline, Texas – got the news that he had mononucleosis. In a heartbeat, all of the outdoor activities that make life worth living for nine-year-boys – baseball games, fishing trips, bike rides – were declared off-limits. Chris would need to lay low. … Read more »
When it comes to love relationships, our culture assumes that big moments are a big deal. That’s what we see on the screen. Humphrey Bogart tenderly wraps his arms around a weepy Ingrid Bergman and she surrenders her heart. A real man ought to embrace his woman while they lie together in the pounding surf, or boldly declare, “Nobody puts… Read more »
Even though Harry Houdini has been gone almost 100 years, people continue to tell stories associated with his legendary career as a magician and escape artist. One of the most spectacular of those stories is connected to his 1903 visit to Russia. During the course of a private performance in the Kremlin, Houdini asked each member of the royal family… Read more »