Governor Tom Ridge’s Letter of Resignation

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on Governor Tom Ridge’s Letter of Resignation The peaceful, orderly transfer of political power is a hallmark of a mature democracy, occurring every year at various levels of government. In nearly every instance, it has become uneventful and routine; however, several transfers of power in the history of the Keystone State have been prompted by unusual circumstances. Since the creation of the office of governor, as required by Article II,...
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Robert Edwin Peary (1856-1920)

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on Robert Edwin Peary (1856-1920) On Tuesday, April 6, 1909, Robert Edwin Peary accomplished an achievement worthy of the legendary explorers of history. Exhausted from sleep deprivation, in temperatures of forty degrees below zero, after sailing thousands of miles on the ship Roosevelt, with teams of dogs, and with the knowledge that more than 750 men had died in failure, Peary, along with Matthew Henson, four Eskimos, and...
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Pennsylvania’s War Governor

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Pennsylvania’s War Governor On September 14, 1862, Pennsylvania’s Governor Andrew Gregg Curtin invited the governors of the northern and border states to a meeting to be held at Altoona, Blair County, in ten days. The purpose of the meeting that became known as the Loyal War Governors’ Conference — or, simply, the Altoona Conference – was to “take measures for a more active support of the government’s prosecution of...
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General Meade’s Press Warfare!

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on General Meade’s Press Warfare! Not all the skirmishes and engagements of the American Civil War were fought on the battlefield. Many were waged in popular publications of the day, pitting war correspondents against high-ranking officers in a war of words. One Union commander who waged his own intensely bitter war with the established press and held the Fourth Estate in contempt throughout the entire rebellion was Major...
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