Below are three fun facts regarding events in history that occurred on October 19, the most recent of which took place a little over 30 years ago: 1781: Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown On this day in 1781, British General Charles Cornwallis formally surrenders 8,000 British soldiers and seamen to a French and American force at Yorktown, Virginia, effectively bringing an end to the American Revolution and paving the way for American independence. Interestingly, as the British and Hessian troops marched out to surrender, the British band played the song "The World Upside Down." The Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, formally recognized the United States as a free and independent nation. 1796: Editorial accuses Jefferson of affair with slave On October 19, 1796, an essay appears in the Gazette of the United States in which a writer by the name of "Phocion" craftily attacks presidential candidate Thomas Jefferson, who was running against incumbent president John...

Yesterday, I finished reading "Jefferson and Hamilton: The Rivalry That Forged a Nation" by John Ferling. If nothing else, the book demonstrates how the intense partisan battles we see today can be traced all the way back to the late 1700s, when the first political parties were formed. The Federalist Party, which pushed for a strong central government, assumption of war debts, and a national bank, was headed by the first secretary of the treasury, Alexander Hamilton. Meanwhile, Thomas Jefferson, who served as George Washington's first secretary of state (and went on to become the third U.S. president), started the Democratic-Republican Party, which favored states' rights and limited government. Jefferson and Hamilton clashed inexorably, from the moment they joined Washington's cabinet through the Elections of 1796 and 1800, the latter of which Jefferson won by a whisker. Most historians agree that Jefferson and Hamilton, for all their differences, rema...

Today's quote comes from Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) -- founding father, first treasury secretary of the United States, and the subject of the hit Broadway musical that has taken the country by storm. Not only did he coauthor The Federalist Papers , a collection of 85 articles and essays promoting the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, but he founded the Federalist Party and was the mastermind behind the establishment of the first national bank. Like his arch-nemesis Thomas Jefferson, who everyone knows wrote the Declaration of Independence, Hamilton was a prodigious writer in his lifetime, penning scores of letters, reports, and even George Washington's Farewell Address. Sadly, he died at age 47 after being shot in a duel with Aaron Burr. Because of their sheer brilliance and masterful pen, I consider Jefferson and Hamilton the two most fascinating figures in American History. Hamilton once said, "Those who stand for nothing fall for anything." If th...

On this day in 1783, The American Revolution finally comes to a close with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. Involving representatives of the United States, Great Britain, France, and Spain, it cemented America’s status as a free nation, as Britain formally recognized the independence of its 13 former American colonies, and the boundaries of the new republic were established: Florida north to the Great Lakes and the Atlantic coast west to the Mississippi River. The events leading up to the treaty dated back to April 1775, when American colonists in Lexington, Massachusetts responded to King George III’s refusal to grant them economic and political reform with armed revolution. On July 4, 1776, more than a year after the first shots of the war rang out, the Second Continental Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson. Five years later, in October 1781, British General Charles Lord Cornwallis surrendered to American and French forces a...

I was just telling my coworker how tempted I am to sit this election out. To me, the presumptive Republican and Democratic nominees -- Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, respectively -- are equally lousy. And I think we have the media to blame for glorifying them. We know all politicians have a few skeletons in their closet, but these two take it to a whole new level. Trump has made disparaging remarks about women, Muslims, fellow Republicans, and other groups. His reluctance to release his tax returns has dogged his campaign. And many within his own party don't even regard him as a true conservative, for he has taken liberal positions on a host of issues in the past. (Not to mention he, as a former Democrat, donated boatloads of money to various Democratic campaigns.) For Clinton's part, the email scandal has proven to be an albatross around her neck, as are Benghazi and her husband's affairs, which many feel will forever blight his legacy. Poll after poll shows t...

Most people know very little about James Monroe (1758-1831) other than the fact that he was one of the first presidents of the United States, if that. A recent discovery proves that the fifth commander in chief lived in much higher style than historians and history geeks previously thought. Indeed, the modest residence once touted as Highland, Monroe's estate near Charlottesville, Virginia, is now being classified as a mere guest house. So where did Monroe live? It turns out that the well-preserved foundation of what is being described as a "free standing and sizeable house" was discovered in the front yard of what was believed to be Highland for so many years. Archaeologists unearthed stone foundations, charred planks, a a chimney, and a wealth of artifacts, suggesting that a fire in the mid-19th century destroyed a considerably large and imposing structure. Tree rings visible on the wood in the house that still stands indicates it was cut down around 181...

Here are 20 fun facts about Virginia , officially known as the Commonwealth of Virginia : It is nicknamed "Old Dominion" due to its status as the first colonial possession established in mainland British America. It is also nicknamed "Mother of States" because eight U.S. presidents were born there, more than any other state. Among them were four of the first five commanders-in-chief: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. Six future first ladies were born in Virginia. It is the 35th largest state by area, being divided into 95 counties and 38 independent cities. Virginia has five major airports. The state has five different climate regions: the Tidewater, Piedmont, Northern Virginia, Western Mountain, and Southwestern Mountain regions. Forests cover over 60% of the state. The first people are estimated to have arrived in Virginia over 12,000 years ago. Virginia was named for Elizabeth I, England's "Virgin Queen....

Wouldn't it be cool to go back in time and see what it was like to live in an era well before your own? It conjures up images of Marty McFly getting in the Delorean and blasting his way to 1955 in Back to the Future. (It's a classic movie, in case you've never seen it!) Perhaps you'd be interested in visiting the 70s, which was defined by the civil rights movement, the war in Vietnam, women's liberation movement, gay rights movement, and, of course, disco. Or maybe you'd want to immerse yourself in the Roaring 20s, which saw the rise of the automobile, radio, and home refrigeration, catapulting America into the modern age. For the first time, more Americans lived in cities than on farms. The decade was also noteworthy for Prohibition, the soaring popularity of jazz music, and the 19th amendment, which at last granted women the right to vote. If I were to have my pick, it'd undoubtedly be the colonial era. How awesome would it be to live through the A...