The Summer Olympics are officially in full swing and excitement doesn’t seem to be in short supply. The United States is off to a great start; only China has won more gold medals at this point, but the U.S. isn’t behind by much. Another competition that is heating up is the presidential election. The race seems to be getting more and more media coverage everyday; it has become such a media frenzy that even Paris Hilton is using the election as a way to get publicity! The race to the White House couldn’t be between more different people; it will be interesting to see who will emerge victorious. Well, enough about politics and the Olympics, let’s look back and see what was happening this week in history.

August 11, 1900: Harper’s Weekly featured a cartoon about the presidential nomination of William Jennings Bryan.
William Jennings Bryan is one of the most famous men to have come from Nebraska; he was a very successful man who accomplished a lot throughout his life, although he never did make it to the White House despite running for the office three different times. For those of you interested in Nebraska and its people, The Plain Sense of Things by Pamela Carter Joern would be a great book for you. Although the book is fiction, it is very representative of how real life was for families that lived in Nebraska when the state was still a wild frontier. 

August 12, 30 BC: Cleopatra commits suicide after her lover Mark Antony’s defeat at the battle of Actium.
The story of Cleopatra and Mark Antony is one of the most famous love stories of all time. For all you romantics out there, Valentines, by former poet laureate Ted Kooser, should be able to help feed your need for love. Kooser started writing poems to the women in his life back in 1986, and his Valentine’s Day tradition persisted for over twenty-one years! Valentines is the collection of the valentines/poems he sent, and the collection is sure to put butterflies in your stomach.

August 13, 1918: Women enlist in the United States Marine Corps for the first time. Opha Mae Johnson is the first woman to enlist.
Women have come a long way since 1918.  If you think about it, women weren’t even allowed to vote in 1918! Well, women have made a lot of progress; nevertheless, women are still doing a lot of firsts, even today. In Pacific Lady, Sharon Sites Adams with the help of Karen J. Coates shares her experience of being the first woman to sail solo from mainland United States to Hawaii in 1965. This is a great book for anyone who loves reading about adventure!

August 14, 1901: The first claimed powered flight, by Gustave Whitehead in his Number 21.
This supposed flight by Gustave Whitehead happened two years before the Wright brothers made their place in history by flying. Many people, however, doubt Whitehead’s reliability and contest if the flight actually even happened. Regardless, Whitehead and several witnesses claimed his plane, Number 21, flew off the ground for 200 feet or so on this day. Today aviation is a part of our everyday lives, but flying can still be dangerous business. In his book, Hard Air, W. Scott Olsen explores extraordinary flying, and gives readers an inside look into extreme flying situations such as flying into a hurricane. Check this book out if you want to see into a world that usually only a few will ever know.

August 15, 1769: Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the France is born.
Napoleon Bonaparte is probably one of the most famous military leaders of all time. Many people don’t realize that Native Americans had many great military leaders too that were just as brilliant and brave as some of the European leaders. One of the most famous Native American leaders was Crazy Horse of the Oglala Sioux. Author Mari Sandoz explores the life and legacy of this great leader in her book Crazy Horse. It is a must for those interested in Native American studies and military endeavors.