In 2022, the movie Amsterdam opened in movie theaters. It was loosely based on an alleged plot that is said to have occurred in 1933, which became known as the Business Plot. The hero of the story of the real life plot was also a military hero and an interesting historical figure with the unusual name of General Smedley Darlington Butler. (Robert ( Read more... )

In the election of 1924, Calvin Coolidge, who had become President upon the death of Warren Harding, sought the office in his own right. Theodore Roosevelt had done the same thing two decades earlier, making him the first "accidental president" to go on to win the office. The dutiful Coolidge wanted to be the second. His opponent would John W. ( Read more... )

2023 wasn't my most prolific year when it came to reading. It was a year of personal transition that intruded into reading time. Still, there were 10 books that were read and reviewed in this community, some new, some old ones that I've been meaning to get to. Here's a look back at the books we read and reviewed in this community.

( Ten Books Read and Reviewed in 2023 )

The longest convention to select a candidate for president held by a major political party took place in 1924 when the Democratic Party needed 103 ballots to nominate John W. Davis as their candidate to challenge Republican incumbent Calvin Coolidge for the presidency. The fascinating story of this ultra-marathon political event is ably told in ( Read more... )

(This article was originally posted on June 29, 2016 as part of a series on Presidential Nominating Conventions.)The longest convention to select a candidate for president held by a major political party took place in 1924 when the Democratic Party needed 103 ballots to nominate John W. Davis as their candidate to challenge Republican incumbent ( Read more... )

[This article was recently posted on January 2nd of this year as part of another series. It is reposted because of its relevance to our current series on the Great Depression.]

In 2022, the movie Amsterdam was loosely based on an alleged plot that is said to have occurred in 1933, which became known as the Business Plot. The hero of the story of ( Read more... )

Although Franklin Roosevelt came from a wealthy family and was a rich man himself, some of his greatest opposition as President came from a group of very wealthy and privileged Americans who called themselves the "American Liberty League." This was a political organization officially formed in 1934. Its membership consisted primarily of wealthy ( Read more... )

As the Great Depression overtook the United States in the early 1930s, Americans looked in desperation for a savior, even going so far as to flirt with some of the extreme forms of government that had taken hold in Europe, such as fascism and communism. When Herbert Hoover alienated the nation over his failure to address the economic suffering of ( Read more... )

As 2023 begins, and candidates for next year's presidential election start to ramp up their campaigns, this month we'll look at 28 people (27 men and 1 woman) who "almost" became President of the United State. The criteria we'll be using will be the difference in electoral college votes between them and the ultimate winner. The margins of victory ( Read more... )

In 2022, the movie Amsterdam was loosely based on an alleged plot that is said to have occurred in 1933, which became known as the Business Plot. The hero of the story of the real life plot was also a military hero and an interesting historical figure with the unusual name of General Smedley Darlington Butler. (Robert DiNiro's character in ( Read more... )