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July 2019

Excerpted from the George Washington Book Prize finalist The Tragedy of Benedict Arnold: An American Life, by Janet Lee Malcolm (Pegasus Books).

Thomas Hart published an engraving of  heroic Benedict Arnold in 1776 after he led troops through the wilderness to Quebec and stormed the city, which appears in the background. Library of Congress.
Thomas Hart published an engraving of  Benedict Arnold in 1776 after he led American troops through the wilderness to Canada and heroically stormed Quebec, which appears in the background. Library of Congress.

Excerpted from the George Washington Book Prize finalist Jefferson's Daughters: Three Sisters, White and Black (Ballantine Books), by Catherine Kerrison.

Artist James A. West's sculpture "Point of View," which stands in a park overlooking Pittsburgh, depicts George Washington and the Seneca leader Guyasuta meeting in October 1770, when Washington was in the area looking for land for future settlement along the Ohio River.
George Washington's 1770 meeting with the Seneca chief Guyasuta is commemorated in James A. West's sculpture "Point of View," which stands in a park overlooking Pittsburgh. Washington was in the area at the time looking for settlement land along the Ohio River. Photo by Lee Paxton, Wikipedia.

Ohio River Near Maysville, Ky is a painting by William Louis Sonntag Sr
William Louis Sonntag captured the primeval beauty of “La Belle Rivière” in his 1850 oil painting, “Ohio River Near Maysville, Kentucky.” Cincinnati Museum Center.

There was still not a single legal permanent settlement in the Northwest Territory when the U.S. Constitution was signed in 1787.

The Seneca Indians called it the Ohi:yo’ (pronounced oh-hee-yoh), literally the “Good River.”

When French explorer La Salle first saw the Ohio in 1669, he described it as La Belle Rivière, the Beautiful River. 

The Saturn rocket at Cape Kennedy with Apollo 11 capsule on top.
The Saturn rocket at Cape Kennedy with Apollo 11 capsule on top.

 

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Liftoff
Liftoff

 

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Moonbound Apollo 11 clears the launch tower
Moonbound Apollo 11 clears the launch tower

 

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Crater
Image of one of the Moon's many craters taken from the command module of Apollo 11.

 

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A sidelong view of the Moon during the landing.
A sidelong view of the Moon during the landing.

 

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Landing Module
The Apollo 11 landing module prepares for touchdown on the Moon.

 

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Earthrise
Earthrise over the lunar horizon.

 

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Armstrong photographed Buzz Aldrin descending the ladder to the Moon's surface. NASA.
Armstrong photographed Buzz Aldrin descending the ladder to the Moon's surface. NASA.

 

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Flag Salute
One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

 

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Aldrin Unpacking
Buzz Aldrin removes scientific equipment from the capsule.

 

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Neil Armstrong by one of the lander legs.
Neil Armstrong by one of the lander legs.

 

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Experiment
Buzz Aldrin performs an experiment

 

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Commemorative Plaque
A plaque commemorating the landing was left on the Moon's surface.

 

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Module Approach
The landing module returns to the main flight capsule.

 

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Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong grins after the historic moon walk.

 

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Buzz Aldrin, as photographed by Neil Armstrong on the lunar surface.
Buzz Aldrin, as photographed by Neil Armstrong on the lunar surface.

 

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Columbia Splashdown
The flight capsule after splashdown. Divers help to retrieve the astronauts at right. 

 

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Apollo 11 Celebration
Rejoicing in the NASA control room after successful re-entry on Earth.

 

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Nixon Greets Crew Aboard the Hornet
The quarantined Apollo 11 crew members are greeted by President Nixon after their return to Earth.

 

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The famous ticker tape parade held in New York City for the Apollo 11 crew.
The famous ticker tape parade held in New York City for the Apollo 11 crew.

 

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