This story is crazier than you think. — You know who President John Tyler is, right? You should know he spent some time in the White House, and that even though he died in 1862 in the early days of the American Civil War, he still has one grandchild living today. How is that even possible? It’s strange…

All the books on my nightstand now. — Each Friday, Tim Ferris writes his famous “5-Bullet Friday” post regarding various things happening in his life. I didn’t want to copy him, but I wanted to put an interesting twist on the matter. Here’s what I came up with: All the books I am currently reading on my nightstand: “Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave Ona Judge” by Erica Armstrong Dunbar

He was one of the best historians of our time. — In my pursuit to learn as much American history as I can, historian David McCullough always appeared in my studies. Whether it was one of his wonderful narrative books, one of his lectures or just chatting on a news program, he was always there. I was saddened to hear about…

This quote should be what lights your fire. — It’s Friday night. You’ve got your case of beer ready. Plans with friends are all set. Hours of Netflix lie ahead. This is a common occurrence for most people nowadays. They work five days a week so they can relax for the next two. Then the cycle continues and continues…

I never wanted any of them to end. — If I had to choose any subject matter I enjoyed above all the others, it would be anything about the American presidency. As an amateur historian, I’m learning everything I can on the subject matter. Some books about the topic I didn’t care for, but the following three are some…

I should’ve known this a long time ago. — I first began my Medium journey in Feb. 2021. I dove into the waters not knowing what I was doing or what I would write about. This is all still partly true. Since then, I’ve learned quite a bit about the platform, much of which I’ve accepted: Nothing On Medium is Guaranteed You know what…

All while walking around the world. — There’s something magical about waiting in line to meet your favorite celebrity after a concert or before a sporting event, even random on the street, and having them sign something for you. But what if you did that for the bulk of your life, all the while hitchhiking around the…

I couldn’t read enough of them. — As many of you know, in May 2022, I graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in journalism and minors in political science and journalism. It’s one of my life’s greatest accomplishments to date. During my time in higher education, especially attending Illinois, I fell in…

It may just help you out of your slump too. — We’re all human. We like to all think we’re writing machines. Some of us may be but most of the time, it takes a lot out of us physically and mentally to keep writing and growing as a writer. But this one habit keeps me motivated to write even on…