Author Archives: John G. Whitacre

Merriam-Webster Word of the Day

Posted on November 18, 2019

This is today’s  Word of the Day from Merriam-Webster, which you can receive by email. I like the quote comparing spoken sentences to cats landing on their feet: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgxwGBmsmQLgcVCpmthNkHFDMXDWR

Posted in Language

Lessons From the Hardy Boys

Posted on September 3, 2019

I avidly read Hardy Boys books as a child, and I still use lessons I learned in the books. This article expounds on those lessons. https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/9-things-a-grown-man-can-learn-from-the-hardy-boys/

Posted in D. Books

18th-Century Ink Advice

Posted on July 22, 2019

This video on the Townsends site gives advice on the proper ink for quill pens.

Posted in History - 18th Century, Writing Materials

Boxing the Compass

Posted on July 20, 2019

I learned about the sixteen points of the compass in Boy Scouts, adding terms such as NNE and WSW to the eight I already knew — N, S, E, W, NE, SE, SW, and NW. The compass I learned in … Continue reading →

Posted in Geography

Erie Maritime Museum

Posted on July 20, 2019

The Erie Maritime Museum in Erie, Pa., is home to the reconstructed brig Niagara, famous for Commodore O.H. Perry’s defeat of the British near present-day Sandusky in the War of 1812. The museum has two floors of displays of lake … Continue reading →

Posted in History - Ohio

Fort Niagara

Posted on July 20, 2019

Guarding the mouth of the Niagara River at Lake Ontario, Fort Niagara, on the river’s east bank in the state of New York, is a restored fort (not reconstructed) that was built by the French in 1726 and used successively … Continue reading →

Posted in History - 18th Century

Revolutionary War Movies

Posted on July 4, 2019

This article briefly reviews movies set in the Revolutionary War. Our colonial period seems to be neglected on film compared to the Civil War, the West (with shootings ad nauseum as if that is all they did out there in … Continue reading →

Posted in History - 18th Century