July 1 150th Anniversary of the opening of the Philadelphia Zoo, the first public zoo in the U.S. (1874) July 3 250th Anniversary George Washington assumed command of the 17,000-man Continental Army in Cambridge, MA (1775) July 4 Independence Day July 8 Liberty Bell tolls to announce Declaration of Independence (1776) July 20 Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong takes historic […]

By Anne Gilbert  Imagine being able to own an original piece of art documenting an important moment. In time of American history, and for only a few hundred dollars or less! Even harder to believe, many examples, just like original illustrations, were trashed. Fortunately a goodly number were saved and have found their way to museums. The largest collection is […]

By Anne Gilbert  Surprisingly ancient Roman glass objects are still showing up at auctions. But are they really ancient? As you are about to learn glass makers over the centuries discovered that they could learn a lot from ancient Roman and Egyptian techniques. And, glass fakers have never stopped reproducing faked ancient glass. Emile Galle’ and Louis Comfort Tiffany experi- […]

Like Mother’s Day, the modern American version of Father’s Day has a history that goes well beyond greeting cards. The first known Father’s Day service occurred in Fairmont, West Virginia, on July 5, 1908, after hundreds of men died in the worst mining accident in U.S. history. The Sunday service happened be- cause of the efforts of Grace Golden Clayton, […]

The American Old West has a special allure because it reflects the value Americans place on persistent endeavor, sociality, and a belief in progress. Although the Old West has lost some of its appeal in recent years, it remains an essential part of our heritage and identity. The Americans of the Old West challenged the class structure and snobbery of […]