I did it. I became a writer!

I guess I already was a writer in the sense that I’ve 1,189 posts over the past 11 years to this website, but now it feels more official as I spent the past few years researching American history and pulling together a book for the country’s 250th birthday party.

The idea was inspired by an issue of LIFE magazine that came out in 1976. For the Bicentennial, they did a deep dive into the “100 Moments That Shaped The Nation”. In advance of our 250th Birthday, it seemed like 250 would be a better number.

It took five years – and the help of many friends. Over beers and at ballgames, we came up with a list of about 350 ideas. My Dad contributed a lot as well – as we sat in waiting rooms for doctor’s appointments he had. Since then, I have researched, discussed, debated, and ultimately assembled a list of 250 historical events that I believe have most shaped the American story.

Combined, they are the moments that helped define our national identity, values, culture, character, and aspirations. They include triumphs and tragedies, acts of courage and innovation, and milestones that continue to influence the nation today. For each one, I researched the date & event, wrote a short 3-4 sentence blurb describing what happened, and found a compelling image or picture of an artifact that brings the event to life. It’s as much a picture book as anything.

I’m sure it’s not a perfect list, but enough to get people learning, discussing, and debating. I certainly learned a lot in the course of pulling it together. For each entry, I’m sure one could think of four others – or, four ways to spin the telling of an event. I tried hard to keep the list intellectually & historically honest – but also tried to ensure stories were told with the best of intentions as we all try to “form a more perfect union”.

It’s filed under “Nonfiction-History, United States” on Amazon.com right now (LINK). It’s funny to see my name on the Amazon website. I would be happy to give it away for free, but Amazon requires you to at least charge $2.99 per digital copy. That’s what I did. I’m not sure it looks professional enough for $2.99, so I’ll give it to you for free here.

It’s in a PDF format, which should easily open on your laptop or you can download and “open in …” your iPad / tablet Books app …

Hopefully this download will work for you. It’s a big file at almost 100 megabytes.

Also, let me know what you think! For me, it’s been fun & engaging to remember all of the amazing chapters of our country’s history. What historical moments do YOU think should be on the list of our USA TOP 250? What would you take off to make room?

Images: Pixabay