Published in About Me Stories·PinnedAbout Me — Noah NelsonA small town kid just living the dream. — Hi everyone! My name is Noah Nelson and I am from the small town of Taylorville, located smack dab in the middle of Illinois. Currently, I am a junior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign majoring in journalism with minors in political science and history. Outside of the classroom…About Me3 min read
Published in The Biographical Historian·PinnedPresident John Tyler Still Has One Living Grandchild — SeriouslyThis 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…History2 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·6 days agoI Can’t Wait for the New “Elvis” MovieI know I will love it as much as my expectations — I barely ever go to the movies. Seriously. Even as I don’t have a Netflix or Hulu subscription, or on any streaming platform for that matter, I just don’t watch movies. Maybe on cable every now and again but that’s it. But when a movie looks good — and I…Music2 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Jun 233 Writers I Would Love to MeetTheir work is some of my favorites; their character is all the better. — Have you ever just loved a book so much that you wanted to meet the mind behind it? I have plenty of times. That’s why I love meeting authors at book signings and other such occasions. It allows me to learn about them more while also having a great conversation. …Writing3 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Jun 176 Life Qualities of “High School Musical” CharactersThere’s more meaning behind the characters than I thought. — I grew up in the early 2000s loving Disney Channel’s “High School Musical” trilogy. The films are filled with great music, addictive storylines, and some of the best characters out there. But the six main casts have a different meanings behind their characters. This shocked me more than I thought…Life2 min read
Published in Nothing But Noah·Jun 15Will You Write Today?It’s the burning question inside us all. — We’ve heard it all before: I want to be a writer. But in order to do that, have we written yet? The answer is simple: probably not. We need to write if we want to be a writer. That’s how we get better. Here’s a quote to leave you thinking: …Writing1 min read
Published in The Biographical Historian·Jun 10The Story Behind the Heath BarIt’s an unknown tale that needs to be told. — Have you ever eaten a Heath candy bar? I only have a few times in life. But nowadays, after learning what I did recently, I want to eat them more often. The famous candy comes with a nice little backstory. …History2 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Jun 7I Don’t Use Snapchat at AllAnd I’m grateful for it every day — I don’t understand the Snapchat craze. Take picture Attach a message to it Keep doing that with the other person forever Sure, there is a texting option on the social media platform, but even then, I’m good. I’m still not going to waste my time on the app. Folks are…Social Media3 min read
Published in Books Are Our Superpower·May 313 Presidential Books I Never Wanted to EndI lost track of time reading them. — I love learning about presidential history. It’s one of the aspects of the past that keep my nose in a book for hours on end. Whenever I can, I’m always reading something about the men who have worked in the White House. …Reading3 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·May 31I Use This Quote for My Writing CareerIt makes more sense than I ever thought it would. — In the 1989 film “Field of Dreams,” Kevin Costner’s character Ray Kinsella wanders out into his Iowa cornfield when he hears a voice. It whispers: “If you build it, they will come.” It means that he must build a baseball field so that players of the past may visit him…Writing2 min read