As my readers well know, even though this blog centers primarily on how people think, every now and then I like to throw in a tidbit or two concerning key figures and events in American History. Not only is history my second biggest passion after psychology, but at the end of the day, both subjects are more entwined than most people realize. Historians aim to understand the rationale behind the decisions that Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King Jr., and other figures have made, dissecting everything from their upbringing and social relationships to their innermost fears and aspirations. And while historians delve into these men and women's personalities, psychologists -- for their part -- cannot paint a full picture of the individuals without essential historical facts like when they were born, the places they lived throughout their lives, etc. The month of February has witnessed countless important events over the past 200 or so years, two of which occurred 37 years apa...

With Halloween just a couple of weeks away, I felt now would be a great time to begin spotlighting some of the many hotels across the United States that are purportedly haunted, much like I did last year. We begin with the Hay-Adams Hotel, a luxury hotel situated in Washington D.C. It occupies the site where the 1885 homes of John Hay and Henry Adams once stood at 16th and H Streets NW. The site soon became a bustling scene of intellectual activity, hosting stimulating discussions about art, science, literature, and politics. Famous guests included Mark Twain, Henry James, and Teddy Roosevelt. Hay had quite the resume. He served as a personal secretary to President Abraham Lincoln, U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, and Secretary of State under Presidents William McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt. Adams was a historian and Harvard professor, not to mention a descendant of Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams. Both men were also accomplished writers. In 1927, Harry War...

On this day in 1767, John Quincy Adams, son of the second U.S. president, John Adams, is born in Braintree, Massachusetts. John Quincy Adams not only shared the elder Adams' passion for politics, but seemed to have inherited his father's cantankerous personality as well. At 14, he was already joining his dad on diplomatic missions; he entered the legal arena upon completing his schooling. As a young man, he served as minister to several countries, including the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Prussia, and England. In 1803, he commenced his first term as a Republican in the Senate and helped negotiate the Treaty of Ghent that ended the War of 1812. From 1817 to 1824, he served as secretary of state to President James Monroe. While it is Monroe who gets most of the credit for his eponymous Doctrine, historians assert that Adams was the true mastermind behind it. In the heavily contested presidential election of 1824, a tie between Quincy Adams and Democrat Andrew Jackson p...