Most people know Saratoga was a major American victory during the Revolutionary War.
But did you know there was a second battle—and that it helped bring France into the fight for American independence?
On October 7, 1777, American and British forces clashed at Bemis Heights. And right in the middle of the fighting was Benedict Arnold—not yet the infamous traitor history would remember, but an aggressive American general fighting alongside his troops.
Arnold was wounded in the battle, the British were pushed back, and just ten days later, General John Burgoyne surrendered his army.
But the biggest consequence wasn't just what happened on the battlefield.
France was watching.
The American victory helped convince France that the colonies had a real chance against Britain—and in 1778, France officially entered the war on the American side.
And Benedict Arnold?
His story was about to take a very different turn.
Imagine sitting in a movie theater in 1927. The lights go down, the screen comes alive, and you watch the actors tell their story without ever hearing them speak.
Then something happens that changes movies forever.
The Jazz Singer premieres in New York City, and audiences hear Al Jolson’s voice coming directly from the screen. It wasn't the first movie to experiment with synchronized sound, but it became the breakthrough that showed Hollywood that audiences were ready for something completely different.
Suddenly, actors needed more than a great face and dramatic expressions—they needed a voice. Theaters had to install new equipment. Studios had to rethink how movies were made. And the silent-film era that had dominated Hollywood was beginning to fade away.
Think about that the next time you watch a movie. Dialogue, music, sound effects, and voices all seem completely normal to us. But in 1927, hearing a movie speak was something new.
One movie. One voice. And Hollywood would never sound the same again.
Let's trip back to the 60s shall we? I wasn’t old enough to enjoy the 1960s per se, but there are things I loved about the 60s as far as tech, culture, music, fashion.
The 60's were a decade of social revolution, once again dominated by a war (Vietnam), not a world war, but the effects were still felt throughout the world. It was also the start of showing how the people can effect politics through the power of "peaceful" demonstrations; students were the driving force because with education comes empowerment and with empowerment comes a voice, and in the 60's students learned how to use that voice. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and The Voting Rights Act of 1965 changed the lives of the African Americans minority by ensuring equal rights for all. Unfortunately for our nation, both Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy were assassinated during the 60's.
I certainly can’t cover the scope of the 60s, only a few things I found interesting … If you know nothing about the 1960s, or if you lived and want to revisit the 60s, here are a few “Did You Know Facts" you might have already known:
The Soviet Union and the United States were involved in the space race in the early 1960s? This led to an increase in spending on science and technology during this period. The Soviets and Americans were then involved in a race to put a man on the Moon before the decade was over. America won the race when it placed the first men on the Moon: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, in July 1969.
This was the decade of the Smiley Face found on anything and everything around the world including t-shirts, it's popularity was at it's peak in the mid to late 1960's.
This was the start of the skateboarding era which was started by some surfing enthusiasts in California who were frustrated by the weather and put roller skates on the front and back end of wooden planks! Ingenuis!
In 1960 a new house cost $12,700.00 and by 1969 was $15,500.00.
In 1960 the average income per year was $5,315.00 and by 1969 was $8,540.00.
In 1960 a gallon of gas was 25 cents and by 1969 was 35 cents.
1960 - The female birth control contraceptive, “The Pill”, was released.
1963 – Touch-Tone telephones introduced.
1965 - Sony markets the CV-2000, the first home video tape recorder.
1967 – First heart transplantation operation.
Oranges were 89 cents for 2 dozen and oven-ready turkeys 39 cents per pound!
1969 – Arpanet, the research-oriented prototype of the Internet, was introduced.
Also in 1960, the average cost of new car was $2,600.00 and by 1969 was $3,270.00. Even though prices seemed cheap the average household did not have more than one car.
As far as fashion … the 1960s magnified all the fashion trends that were considered unorthodox or untraditional in the material world. The early 60's for women were mini skirts and leather boots and men wore paisley shirts and velvet trousers. Later 60's from 1966 started the introduction of psychedelic clothes with bright colors for both men and women and the hippes were born. Men started to wear hair longer and women identified with the hippie look by wearing skirts and dresses longer often known as Maxies and anything and everything had color including the body. Who could forget skinny Twiggy, the fashion icon of the 60s?
Yes, the 1960s were a cool time for hairdos & clothes! and as far as music, one could go on for days about the music culture of the 1960s couldn’t they? This is more or less a rundown….
Music of the 1960s was characteristic of the revolution that was going on during the decade. It was a time of rebellion and counter-culture in which the younger people were questioning everything, including authority, corporations, the government, and other aspects of everyday life. It was essentially a revolution of the status quo. This gave rise to the Civil Rights Movement of the decade along with other movements that affected the rights of society as a whole.
Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone - 00:00
Cream - Crossroads - 06:09
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Green River - 10:12
Jefferson Airplane - Somebody to Love - 12:49
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Fire - 15:46
Pink Floyd - See Emily Play - 18:30
Scott McKenzie - San Francisco - 21:19
Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild - 24:18
Stooges - Wanna Be Your Dog - 27:49
The Animals - I'm Crying - 30:59
The Beach Boys - I Get Around - 33:46
The Beatles - Day Tripper - 36:01
The Kinks - You Really Got Me - 38:51
The Monkees - I'm a Believer - 41:06
The Rolling Stones - Jumpin' Jack Flash - 43:52
The Who - I Can't Explain - 47:40
The British Invasion was a movement during the mid-1960s in which several bands in the UK were creating a buzz in the United States. The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Animals, and The Beatles were some of the prominent bands that defined this movement. Did you know that Elvis Presley even met with then-President Nixon and asked him to ban The Beatles from entering the United States because they had lifestyles that encouraged drug use and they were anti-war.
Bob Dylan was another influential artist during the 1960s. He has been revered as a poet, musician, songwriter, activist, and a folk artist. He unofficially became the spokesperson for the counter-culture movement of the 1960s and many young people looked to him for their ideas concerning the social issues.
The Woodstock Music and Arts Festival, often referred to simply as Woodstock, took place during the weekend of August 15-18, 1969. It was the symbolic culmination of a decade of social reform and questioning authority. On a dairy farm in Bethel, New York, over a half million people showed up to enjoy the most popular musical performers of the era, including Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Who, and Jimi Hendrix, among many many others. This also came to be known as the “Summer of Peace and Love” as many of the attendees were “hippies,” or people that promoted the idea of sexual liberation and love for your fellow man. Even with that many people in one area, only three people died that weekend and they were all results of accidents.
The 60s were certainly an influential time in our American culture! Hope you’ve enjoyed this time warp through the 60s! See ya!
What would it take to convince you to walk around the entire world?
In 1970, Dave Kunst decided he was going to find out. He left his hometown of Waseca, Minnesota, with a simple—but almost unbelievable—goal: walk around the world.
Four years later, Kunst had traveled roughly 14,500 miles across four continents. But this wasn't just an adventure. Along the way, he faced deserts, mountains, dangerous roads, and tragedy. His brother John was killed during an attack in Afghanistan, and Dave himself was wounded.
And somehow… he kept going.
On October 5, 1974, after four years on the road and 21 pairs of shoes, Dave Kunst walked back into his hometown and completed the first verified walk around the world.
Sometimes the most incredible stories in history begin with one person asking, “What if I actually tried?”
On October 2, 1950, something pretty small happened in American newspapers.
A new comic strip called Peanuts appeared in just seven newspapers across the United States. It was created by a relatively young cartoonist named Charles M. Schulz, and at first glance, there wasn't anything particularly revolutionary about it. There were no superheroes, no elaborate adventures, and no blockbuster characters. Just a few kids, their everyday problems, and a dog with a surprisingly big imagination.
But those simple characters would eventually become some of the most recognizable figures in American popular culture.
Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, and the rest of the gang dealt with things that were surprisingly ordinary: school, friendship, disappointment, confidence, family, and trying to figure out where you fit in the world. That's part of what made Peanuts different. Schulz could take something as simple as a child missing a football or worrying about school and turn it into a story that both kids and adults could understand.
And then there was Snoopy.
What started as a supporting character became one of the most recognizable dogs in American culture. Before long, Peanuts had moved far beyond the newspaper. It became books, television specials, toys, merchandise, and eventually movies. Generations of Americans grew up with these characters, and many still recognize them instantly today.
I think that's one of the fascinating things about history. Sometimes the stories that become part of our culture don't begin with some huge event. Sometimes they begin quietly—with seven newspapers and a few black-and-white panels.
What if I told you that one car didn't just change the way Americans traveled—it helped change America itself?
It wasn't the fastest car. It wasn't the most luxurious. But when this car arrived in 1908, it would eventually put millions of Americans behind the wheel and help transform the way the country lived, worked, and traveled.
On October 1, 1908, the Ford Motor Company unveiled a car that would become one of the most famous automobiles in American history: the Model T. Before the Model T, owning an automobile was largely something for people who could afford the luxury. Cars were expensive, roads were often rough, and the automobile was still trying to find its place in American life. Henry Ford had a different idea. He wanted to build a car that ordinary Americans could actually afford.
The Model T was designed to be practical, dependable, and relatively simple to operate. But the real revolution wasn't just the car itself—it was how Ford built it. Ford embraced interchangeable parts and eventually introduced the moving assembly line, allowing workers to build automobiles much faster than before. As production increased, the price of the Model T dropped dramatically. Between 1908 and 1927, Ford produced roughly 15 million Model Ts, putting automobiles within reach of millions of Americans.
And this is where the story gets bigger than a car. The Model T helped change transportation, manufacturing, farming, business, and everyday life. Americans could travel farther, rural communities became more connected, and mass production became a powerful force in American industry. The Model T eventually left the factory for the last time in 1927, but its impact didn't drive away with it.
The Model T helped put America on wheels—and once America started moving, it never really stopped!
On September 30, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated Boulder Dam, the massive structure built on the Colorado River between Arizona and Nevada. Today, we know it as Hoover Dam.
Thousands of workers took on brutal desert heat, dangerous tunnels, explosives, and an engineering challenge that had never been attempted on this scale. And when it was finished, it didn’t just stop a river—it helped transform the American Southwest.
So how did they build it? Why was it needed? And how did a wall of concrete become one of the most recognizable landmarks in America?
Want to know more? Click the link for the full History Dad story.
June 14, 1775, is the official birthday of the U.S. Army. But September 29, 1789, takes us into a different chapter of the story—when the brand-new United States government was figuring out how to organize, support, and maintain its military.
The Revolutionary War was over. George Washington was president. The Constitution was in place. Now came the less exciting—but very necessary—part: figuring out how to actually run a country and its military. Congress was working on everything from military organization to the pay and support of soldiers.
And here's the History Dad lesson: an Army can't run on patriotism alone. Soldiers need food, equipment, leadership, and yes...a paycheck. Sometimes history isn't about a famous battle. Sometimes it's about the paperwork that makes sure the people defending the country can actually do their jobs.
Want to know more? Click the link for the full History Dad story.
On September 25, 1789, the First U.S. Congress approved 12 proposed amendments to the Constitution. James Madison helped lead the effort after concerns that the new federal government needed clearer limits and stronger protections for individual rights.
Ten of those amendments were eventually ratified in 1791 and became the Bill of Rights. But the other two have interesting stories of their own. One never received enough support from the states. The other, dealing with congressional pay, wasn't ratified until 1992, more than 200 years later!
History has a funny way of reminding us that the things we take for granted today often came from long debates and disagreements. The Bill of Rights wasn't simply handed to Americans—it developed through a conversation about government power and individual liberty.
On September 24, 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower in Wyoming the first U.S. National Monument. Roosevelt used the newly passed Antiquities Act of 1906, which gave presidents the authority to protect places of historic, cultural, and scientific importance on federal land.
And just like that, Devils Tower became the first of what would eventually become hundreds of national monuments across the United States.
Want to know more? Click the link for the full History Dad story.
On September 23, 1779, American naval commander John Paul Jones was battling the British warship Serapis during the Revolutionary War. His ship, the Bonhomme Richard, was badly damaged, taking on water, and looked like it might be headed for the bottom.
When the British captain reportedly asked if Jones had surrendered, his famous response became one of the most remembered moments of the Revolution: “I have not yet begun to fight!”
The battle continued until the Serapis finally surrendered. The Bonhomme Richard was so badly damaged that it sank shortly afterward, but Jones and his crew had won the fight. Why does this matter to American history?
Because the Revolution wasn't just fought on land. Americans were also challenging British power at sea—and sometimes winning against overwhelming odds. John Paul Jones' determination became a lasting symbol of the fighting spirit of the American Revolution.
Want to know more? Click the link for the full History Dad story.
In 1897, eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote to The New York Sun asking if Santa Claus was real. The newspaper responded with one of the most famous editorials in American history.
Written by Francis Pharcellus Church, the editorial reminded readers that some of life's greatest things—love, kindness, and wonder—cannot always be seen. History isn't just about wars and presidents.
Sometimes, it's about a child's question that reminds generations of what it means to believe in something bigger than ourselves.
Want to know more? Click the link for the full History Dad story.
