Take a behind-the-scenes look at American creativity and amazing inventions that began right here in the United States.
Welcome to America Comes Alive!, a site I created to share little-known stories of America’s past.
These stories are about Americans—people just like you—who have made a difference and changed the course of history. Look around the site and find what inspires you.
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The White House Correspondents’ Dinner: A Postscript
In Washington, D.C. this weekend for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, I have three experiences to share with you, each of which has been changed by the news of the success of the daring plan to bring down Osama bin Laden.
1. Friday night we met a staff member with a job that puts him in the Situation Room whenever major action is taking place. He was cool, calm, and professional, and never once looked distracted or in any way indicated that it was anything other than a normal weekend around the White House.
He also said something that will stay with me forever. He had been hired for his job under the Bush administration and had clearly survived to work in the Obama White House. When we asked about this, he replied: “I am not political — I don’t align with Republicans or Democrats; I am a patriot. I am here to serve my country.”
NYC Fire Museum: A Hidden Gem
Walk west on Spring Street, through SoHo, past the enticing restaurants and the tempting clothing shops, and after you pass Varick Street, you will come to a fire house that still looks like a fire house, but this one welcomes you in to hear stories and see old fire trucks and other memorabilia from some 225 years of fire fighting in Manhattan. The museum itself is a gem that is worthy of visits from old and young.
The Times Square Ball Drop and the Story Behind this New Year’s Eve Tradition
Tonight people from around the world will pack into Times Square in anticipation of being at the “center of the universe” for the countdown to midnight. In addition to the one million people expected to be there in person, an estimated audience of one billion people around the world will be viewing the climactic moment when the ball descends into New York’s Times Square to mark the beginning of a new year.
