Author Archives: The50 Store

The Secret Ink of the Culper Spy Ring: Espionage in the Revolution

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The Hidden Truth of Washington’s Invisible Army Hello there, friend. Pull up a comfortable chair and pour yourself a warm cup of coffee. Today, I want to share a story with you about the very soul of our great nation. When we sit back and think about the American Revolution, our minds naturally picture the […]

Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir: The Historic Yosemite Campfire That Saved Public Lands

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The Campfire That Saved the American Wilderness Hello there, friend. Pull up a chair and settle in. If you have lived in this great country of ours for any length of time, you know that America is a place of breathtaking contrasts. We have bustling cities that scrape the sky and quiet country roads that […]

The Orphan Trains: The Generous Hearts That Built Families in Rural America

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The Hook: The Train That Carried New Families Between 1854 and 1929, over 200,000 homeless and abandoned children roamed the crowded, dangerous streets of New York City. A radical, heart-melting plan was launched to put them on trains bound for the American West to find loving farming families. If you trace your family roots back […]

Washington and Emily Roebling: How a Devoted Wife Finished the Brooklyn Bridge

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Welcome back, my friends. Let us sit a spell on the porch and talk about a real, enduring American story. One that shows exactly what we are made of when the chips are down. You look at the skyline of New York today, and there it stands, proud and unmoving. The bridge. It is a […]

The Great Serum Run of 1925: Overcoming the Frozen Wilds to Save Nome

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The Arctic Race of Mercy Pull up a chair, friend, and pour yourself a hot cup of coffee. When the winter wind rattles your windows and the cold settles deep into the bones of the countryside, it is easy to feel small against the power of nature. But today, I want to tell you a […]

Rick Rescorla: The Voice of God Bless America in the South Tower

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The Man Who Sang in the South Tower Hello there, friend. Pull up a chair and let me share a story with you. It is a story about the kind of quiet, steady courage that built this great country of ours. We Americans share a collective memory of a Tuesday morning in September. On the […]

The North Platte Canteen: A Small Town’s Six Million WWII Acts of Kindness

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Pull up a chair, pour yourself a hot cup of coffee, and let me tell you a story. It is a story about the America I have known and loved my entire life. It is not a tale about famous generals or slick politicians in Washington. It is about everyday, hardworking people doing absolutely extraordinary […]

Cher Ami: The Pigeon Who Saved the Lost Battalion of WWI

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A Feathered Soldier’s Unlikely Journey Hello there, friend. Pull up a comfortable chair, pour yourself a hot cup of coffee, and sit a spell with me. I have lived in this beautiful country for a lot of years. I have seen times of great prosperity and times of deep struggle. Throughout all those changing seasons, […]

Sybil Ludington: The 16-Year-Old Patriot of the American Revolution

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The Girl Who Rode Double Paul Revere’s Distance Hello there, friend. Pull up a comfortable chair and pour yourself a warm cup of coffee. I want to spend a little time sharing a story about the unbreakable spirit of this great nation. We Americans truly love our history. We cherish the campfire tales of courage […]