The Personal Website for Al Morel

Category: History

  • Still, THE Most Incredible July 4 Story…EVAH

    Still, THE Most Incredible July 4 Story…EVAH

    Perhaps you’ve heard the tale: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the same day,  July 4th. It was also on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1826.  But did you know that James Monroe also died on July 4th and Calvin Coolidge was born on July 4th? The…

  • A few thoughts on Saint Patrick

    A few thoughts on Saint Patrick

    There are many things about Saint Patrick truly amazing: He was a Brit: For all the animosity that the Irish hold for Britian, the man himself was a Briton. He was enslaved by the Irish: He was kidnapped at an early age and brought to Ireland as a slave and sheep herder. He found his…

  • Lincoln’s Inauguration: 150 Years Later

    Lincoln’s Inauguration: 150 Years Later

    Sam and I were driving over to school, a week from yesterday, and he informed me that it was the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s first inauguration. When I got back, I looked it up, and sure enough, 150 years to the day. It got me thinking that the American experiment in democracy was not as…

  • A True ‘Power Couple’…Sargent and Eunice Shriver

    A True ‘Power Couple’…Sargent and Eunice Shriver

    I was bored to tears surfing the channels and I stumbled upon the wake and memorial service for Sargent Shriver, who died this past Tuesday at the age of 95. Sargent Shriver was the first director of the Peace Corps, running mate to George McGovern in 1972, husband to Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and so forth.…

  • JFK Inaguration 50 Years Ago Today

    JFK Inaguration 50 Years Ago Today

    “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country.” On that bright cold winter morning, Robert Frost was to read a poem that he had written for the occasion: Dedication. But the sun was so bright that he could not read his new…

  • The Passing of American Hero: Richard Winters

    The Passing of American Hero: Richard Winters

    I have no idea how this got past me but we were sitting around the dinner table the other night and my son Sam mentioned that Dick Winters had died. Richard Winters was a true American hero made famous as the leader of a group of soldiers in World War II and made famous by…