Walter Reed - chances are, you are familiar with his name only because you have heard of the major army medical center named after him. Maybe you have heard of his name in general references related to yellow fever. Either way, there is so much more to this humble, hard-working man than most know. He wore many hats, and husband, father, military officer, scientist, and doctor are just a few. His scientific achievements are benefiting humanity today. Walter Reed had humble beginnings but his intelligence and perseverance allowed him to excel in life. He received his Doctor of Medicine in 1869...

The history of United States coinage is a story that parallels the rise of America. Starting from a humble beginning in a basement in Philadelphia in the first few years of the country, it grew to a large highly sophisticated system that produces millions of coins per year. Due to a lack of silver, the first silver coins produced by the Mint came from silverware contributed by George and Martha Washington. Coins are something we take for granted today and put in jars and baskets on our night stands to accumulate for a rainy day when we need a few extra dollars. For more than half of the...

John Adams was in some form of service to America for most of his adult life - serving as a representative to the Continental Congress, envoy to European nations, vice president and, finally, ending his political career as the second President of the United States. At only five foot seven, nearly bald, a little overweight, occasionally cranky, and without most of his teeth, John Adams was not an Adonis, but through is intellect, force of will, and dogged determination, he would become one of the founding fathers of America. The years leading to the Revolutionary War and independence from...

Alexander Hamilton, born in the British West Indies, was an outsider from the very beginning. His illegitimate birth drove him to prove his worthiness to others throughout his life. His quest for honor was one of the defining characteristics that colored his decisions. Hamilton was a small man with a large ambition, and this would drive him to greatness and create some powerful enemies in his wake. Alexander Hamilton's life was not without its share of tragedy. Before his fifteenth birthday, his father had abandoned the family and his mother had died of yellow fever. Luckily for young...

There are many theories about what caused the Great Depression, and the truth is that there is no simple answer. Rather, a perfect storm of events came together and changed the lives of millions of people. One of the first signs of this dark period was the stock market crash in October 1929. In the aftermath, the country fell into the Great Depression, the longest and most significant economic depression since the Civil War. Through most of the 1920s, the United States economy was growing, and the stock market had reached new highs. People were making money in the stock market and having a...

Tired of the banks paying low interest rates? Maybe it's time to consider dividend-paying stocks as an alternative. In the book, you will learn to select from thousands of available stocks and find a group of companies that will pay you each quarter with a steady or increasing dividend. Dividend-paying stocks are a conservative way to grow your wealth year after year. Learn about the dividend yield of your stock, the payout ratio, and the price-to-earnings ratio. Over time, the value of your investment will grow due to the effects of compound interest as you reinvest your dividends. The book...

Beginning with a skirmish involving inexperienced British officer George Washington, the Iroquois chief, and the ill-fated French emissary in the backwoods of Pennsylvania, a chain of events culminated in what would effectively become the First World War. The French and Indian War, as it is known in North America, was part of a larger conflict called the "Seven Years' War," which involved nations on three continents. The French and Indian War was fought in the forests, plains, and forts of the North American frontier. Initially, the French army, supported by North American Indian tribes, was...

Mike Pence is an American politician who has been serving as the fiftieth governor of Indiana since January 2013. He is currently the vice president-elect of the United States and will take office in January 2017, entering history as the forty-eighth vice president of the United States. In 2008, Esquire magazine included Pence on its list of the ten best members of the Congress, after Pence had positioned himself among conservatives as an ideologue with strong principles. He was considered a viable Republican candidate for the presidential elections of 2008 and 2012. In September 2010, Pence...