AmericaComesAlive

It's not too early to be thinking about foods for Thanksgiving. One of my favorite stories is about cranberries, partly because they really are native to North America. Growing them organically? Not so easy! americacomesalive.com/cranbe… #thanksgiving #cranberries

There really was a James Kilroy, but the repeat doodle "Kilroy was Here" became much bigger than one man could have imagined. It gave hope to the soldiers fighting in the field. The story is still important today: americacomesalive.com/kilroy… #Kilroy #veteransday

As we near Veterans Day, it's important to remember the wide variety of people who have served our military. This story is about the Hello Girls, the women who were sought out to work as telephone operators in Europe during World War I. americacomesalive.com/wwi-u-… #veteransday

Chief Standing Bear fought for years for his rights as a citizen to be taken seriously. He was ultimately victorious but paid a terrible price: americacomesalive.com/chief-… #nativeamericanhistory

Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte was the first Native American to receive a medical degree. She was a member of the Omaha tribe. After gaining her degree, she returned to the Omaha Nation to help her people and the white people nearby: americacomesalive.com/first-… #nativeamericanculture

The NYC marathon is underway now, and it's an interesting time to look back at how this marathon began in Peekskill, NY. Learn, too, about the working men who ran in marathon after marathon with not much break inbetween: americacomesalive.com/early-… #marathon

There are many touching stories about pets in the White House. One of my favorites is about Gerald Ford's dog Liberty: americacomesalive.com/libert… #presidentialpets

Today, kids, adult and even dogs wear Halloween costumes. How did this tradition come about? americacomesalive.com/costum… #halloweencostumes Happy Halloween!

Mischief night--the night before Halloween--has been around since the late 1800s. The young people then were VERY creative: americacomesalive.com/hallow… #halloween #mischiefnight

If you live near Los Angeles and have never been to Knott's Berry Farm, Halloween is a great time to go. americacomesalive.com/walter… #knottsberryfarm

If you love candy corn, Halloween is your big time! It's been around around for 150 years. Here's the story: americacomesalive.com/candy-…

In its social media wisdom, IG has been sending me "cute animal" videos. I have to admit that I watch some of them, but other people who do might like to know the history of them. Meet Harry Frees: americacomesalive.com/animal… #cuteanimals

Before there were slide projectors and PowerPoint, people had access to what was called the "magic lantern." The first were used in the 1600s, and with updates, magic lanterns lasted for a very long time: americacomesalive.com/the-ma…

Pete Fernandez is a lesser-known hero who should be remembered. The military hoped to keep him stateside to teach because he was so good at it. Finally, he was assigned to Korea and excelled: americacomesalive.com/ace-pi… #hispanicheritagemonth

If you're lucky enough to go apple-picking this month, remember that the types you pick will likely be ones that are never available in groceries. As you pick, learn about the different heritages of what you take home: americacomesalive.com/apple-… #appletree

New York City public schools are revamping their reading program in response to poor testing results with kids. They might do well to look back to see what was learned about reading skills during the "Dick and Jane" era: americacomesalive.com/dick-a… #schools #teachingreading

If your Labor Day travels take you to Maine, you might like to know the story of the Maine environmentalist and his love of his Irish setters: americacomesalive.com/the-ir… #mainegovernor #irishsetter

Today's circuses rarely feature animals, but there was a time when elephants and the "big cats" were a huge draw. Mabel Stark made her name as a rare woman tiger trainer. She worked for Ringling and others for many years: americacomesalive.com/mabel-… #circus #femalefirsts

Isabella Greenway was an entrepreneur who became the first woman to represent Arizona in Congress at a time when the state had a single representative in the House of Rep: americacomesalive.com/isabel… #arizonahistory #femalefirsts

Vacations in the Catskills used to entail visits to places like Grossinger's where kosher food was served. But Jennie made the hotel so famous that she entertained people like Eleanor Roosevelt and Jackie Robinson: americacomesalive.com/jennie… #catskillresorts