Here's an irony for you: When nothing is sure, everything is possible. I know that "everything" can encompass both good and bad outcomes. We can find a great job or spend another two frustrating months looking, see our relationship thrive or devolve into chaos, hit it big in the stock market or lose a boatload of money. Life is really what we make of it. The possibilities are there -- we need only seize them. But we make that impossible to do if: 1. We give up prematurely. Thomas Edison once said,"I haven't failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that don't work. This quote, too, is attributed to the famous inventor: "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were when they gave up." Indeed, some people draw so close to the promised land they can almost taste it -- only to wave the white flag. Perhaps they become dissuaded by a friend or relative, don't see the financial returns of a venture as quic...

We give up our power when we become convinced we don't have any. What power, you ask? While we may not be able to control everything that happens to us, we have the power to shape what comes after that. In other words, we can control what we do with what happens to us. Though it may seem difficult at times, we should try to look at hardships and challenges in a positive light. Notice how we emerge stronger after overcoming obstacles life throws our way, and are better able to navigate future ones. We should never take a defeatist attitude in life. Getting down on yourself won't solve anything. Instead, believe in the power within you to shape your own destiny. If you want to effect change, let your voice be heard. It doesn't mean you'll get what you want every time, but you will at least have tried. Imagine if people who changed the course of history -- George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Albert Einstein, and Martin Luther King Jr. among th...

If you were a collector of any item -- be it coins, paintings, or china -- how much would you be willing to fork over for one at auction? What about if you were a very wealthy collector? Dozens of rare documents from periods spanning 200 years of American history just went up for auction, with historical artifacts and original manuscripts fetching millions of dollars each. Among them were original copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment -- marking the first time the pair have been sold at the same time. The Emancipation Proclamation sold for a whopping $2.17 million and the 13th Amendment sold for a massive  $2.41 million . They are each among a handful of original copies that still exist and are being held in private hands. What's more, they each bear the original signatures of Abraham Lincoln, Secretary of State William Seward, and other prominent men of the day. Lincoln originally issued the order abolishing slavery in 1863, but the copy just...

Even if you aren't into politics, you're probably aware of the turmoil in the Republican Party right now, which finds itself mired in a civil war as we draw ever closer to the general election. Still, you might not know how the Republican Party started in the first place, which is the subject of this timely post. On March 20, 1854, former members of the Whig Party met in Ripon, Wisconsin, to establish a new party to oppose the spread of slavery into the western territories. Created in 1834 to oppose the “tyranny” of President Andrew Jackson, the Whig Party had been unable to cope with the national crisis over slavery. The party derailed as a result of the successful introduction of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill of 1854, an act that dissolved the terms of the Missouri Compromise and allowed slave or free status to be decided in the territories by popular sovereignty.  By February 1854, anti-slavery Whigs had begun convening in the upper midwestern states to consider the format...

On this day in 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated as the 32nd president of the United States. His inaugural address included what arguably became his most famous words: "Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." He had defeated Republican candidate Herbert Hoover, whom many blamed for the Great Depression, handily. It would be the first of an unprecedented four terms in office for the charismatic Roosevelt. (He died before he could complete his fourth.) No president before him served more than two terms, and none would do so afterward following passage of the 22nd amendment to the Constitution. With his wide-ranging spate of "New Deal" legislation, Roosevelt guided the country through the worst economic downturn in the country's history. His leadership also helped the United States and the Allies achieve victory over the Axis powers in World War II. Franklin Roosevelt was the fifth cousin of Theodore Roo...

What an eventful couple of days! Oddly enough, Valentine's Day fell on a Sunday this year. Even weirder. I think, is the fact that the Grammys are today -- on a Monday, no less! I suppose the awards show was pushed to today because the top brass at the network feared it would pull low ratings if aired on Valentine's Day. After all, staying holed up at home watching the Grammys hardly makes for a romantic evening, right? And some of us were fortunate enough not to have to work today, which happens to be Presidents Day. What you might not know is that the actual federal holiday is called "Washington's Birthday," after the nation's first president, George Washington. Washington and Abraham Lincoln have birthdays in February, and Presidents Day was coined as a way of honoring all commanders-in-chief. Though most people pay no mind Presidents Day, I can certainly appreciate the occasion given my interest in presidential history. What's more, I think it shou...

I'll give you a few hints: He was born in 1809 in Hodgenville, Kentucky He grew up a member of a poor family in Kentucky and Indiana He attended school for only one year, but thereafter read on his own in a continual effort to enhance his mind Standing a whopping 6'4," he was a popular wrestler in Illinois  He entertained friends and strangers alike with his folksy wit and sense of humor, which helped him conceal bouts of depression He was quite the animal lover As an adult, he lived in Illinois and performed a slew of jobs before entering politics, including stints as a surveyor, postmaster, surveyor, and shopkeeper He served in the Illinois legislature from 1834 to 1836, and then became an attorney In 1842, he married Mary Todd, with whom he raised four sons He became leader of the new Republican party Known as the Great Emancipator, he signed the Emancipation Proclamation He warned that "a house divided against itself cannot stand" He guided the ...

The Thanksgiving tradition stretches all the way back to the early days of the republic, when George Washington was at the helm of the fledgling nation. Following a resolution of Congress, President Washington proclaimed Thursday the 26th of November 1789 a day of “public thanksgiving and prayer” devoted to “the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.” Reflecting American religious practice, Presidents and Congresses regularly designated days of fasting and thanksgiving through the the mid-1800s. But the Thanksgiving holiday we celebrate every November was formally established by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and made into law by Congress in 1941, when Franklin D. Roosevelt was in office. I think everyone should be thankful for their blessings each day of the year, not just on the fourth Thursday of November. We often get so caught up in work and other responsibilities that we neglect to focus ...

On November 19, 1863, at the dedication of a military cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln delivered what's considered one of the most memorable speeches in American history. In fewer than 300 words, Lincoln articulated why the Union was engaged in the bloody conflict and what was at stake if the North didn't come out victorious. The Battle of Gettysburg, fought roughly four months earlier, was the single bloodiest battle of the Civil War. More than 45,000 men were killed, injured, captured or went missing over the course of three days. The battle also proved to be the key turning point of the war: General Robert E. Lee’s defeat and retreat from Gettysburg signaled the last Confederate invasion of Northern territory and the beginning of the end for the Confederates. An attorney named David Wills bought 17 acres of pasture to turn into a cemetery for the more than 7,500 who died. Wills invited Edward Everett, one of t...

On this day in 1861, Jefferson Davis (1808-1889) was elected President of the Confederate States of America. Like his Union counterpart, Abraham Lincoln, Davis was a native of Kentucky. After graduating from West Point in 1828, he went on to serve in the Black Hawk War of 1832 as well as the Mexican War. Davis married twice in his life. His first wife, Sarah Knox Taylor, who contracted malaria and died a few months after the wedding, was the daughter of general and future U.S. President Zachary Taylor. He later served as senator of Mississippi and as secretary of war under President Franklin Pierce. Davis ran unopposed for president of the Confederacy and expressed great fear in what lay ahead once he was elected. Those fears weren't unfounded: He and Lincoln presided over the bloodiest conflict in American history. The Civil War left over 600,000 Union and Condederate soldiers dead. Davis was imprisoned in 1865 and would remain there for two years. In his later years, Dav...

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, once said that the best way to predict your future is to create it. Eleanor Roosevelt, first lady to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, stated that the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Still another great quote -- and I believe this one was dreamed up anonymously -- is that we ought to strive to do something today that our future self will thank us for. I know I sometimes have a tendency to harp on here about the past. (After all, I do love history!) And while reminiscing at times is good and healthful, we mustn't spend too much time ruminating over past events. I think doing so gets in the way of our growth -- whether personal or professional. Sometimes we might get so caught up reliving the past that we forget to live in the present. While memories of yesterday might be special, memories created tomorrow might prove even more profound. Thinking too much about the past prevents us from mo...

Tonight's quote comes from Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), 16th President of the United States. They called him "Honest Abe" for a reason, as Lincoln gave us some of the most relatable and profound quotes on record. Here's yet another one with which most of us will probably concur: "I have come to realize that people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." - Abraham Lincoln What I think Lincoln is trying to say is that happiness is largely a state of mind -- it's mostly mental. Think about those days where one thing goes wrong -- say, you lose your job or break up with your boyfriend -- and it seemingly casts a shadow over your life for quite some time. While going through this, how often do we really stop and say, "Hey, cheer up. There are people out there who have it worse. I am happy this happened, as it gives me an opportunity to improve my life. I will find an even better partner or job." Not too often, right? Some pe...

If you had the opportunity to meet anyone -- dead or alive, past or present -- who would that person be? I would probably pick a historic figure like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, or Abraham Lincoln. I think it would be fascinating to ask the individual what it was like to live in his day, through events that forever changed the course of history, such as The American Revolution and Civil War. Even better would be the ability to go back in time to Colonial America or the mid-19th century (Back to the Future, anyone?) and spend a day walking the streets and chatting with people from those eras. But that's just my my nerdy pick. I eat, sleep, and drink history, so there's no way I'd pass up the opportunity to meet a Founding Father or Honest Abe himself, for example. At least there's always a slim possibility you could still meet a living person. What's your pick? Who would you opt to meet? For prior entries, please click here:  How...

Today's quote comes from the Great Emancipator himself -- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). Ranked among the best U.S. presidents of all time, Lincoln is best known for guiding the country through the Civil War -- the bloodiest conflict in the nation's history -- and abolishing slavery. "The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time." - Abraham Lincoln What Lincoln is saying here is that the future comes only gradually, thus giving us ample time to plan for what lies ahead and realize our goals. I would argue, though, that this isn't always the case. How many times has the future caught up with us when we've least expected it? As I stated in my previous post, I proposed to my wife in 2012. We agreed to set the date for March 2014, which, at the time of the proposal, seemed a long way off. Well, those two years came around a lot quicker than I anticipated. The same goes for other life events that seemed to occur just the other day...

Few things have revolutionized the world in the 20th and 21st centuries like the internet has. As consumers, we depend on the internet for everything from buying groceries to making doctor's appointments. Have you ever imagined what life without the internet would be like? If the internet weren't around, We would not be able to buy gifts, groceries and other consumer goods on sites like Amazon and arrange to have them delivered in a day or two There would be no online banking, necessitating a trip or call to the bank every so often Many of us would not be in relationships or married since a good percentage of us first met our partner online We wouldn't be able to communicate with friends and family members via email, blogs, Facebook or other social media Companies would not be able to sell their products online - (can you imagine how much lower their profits would be?) There would be no iTunes or YouTube There would be little to do via our mobile devices other ...