Bill Petro: historian, technologist, writer, podcaster
Writes about History, Popular Culture, Tech Trends, and Travel.

Contributing writer to the books Invitation to Church History, Vol 1 & 2 and
Product Management to Product Leadership: The Advanced Use Cases

History of Veterans Day: Lest We Forget

November 10, 2026

Reading Time: 3 minutesVeterans Day used to be called Armistice Day, commemorating the ending of hostilities on the western front of World War I on November 11, 1918, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. At 5:45 am on that day, Germany signed the Armistice (truce) in the Forest of Compiegne, and the order was given for a cease-fire later that morning, after four years of war.

History of Hedy Lamarr: Movie Star and Technology Inventor

November 9, 2026

Reading Time: 4 minutesHedy Lamarr, the Austrian-American actress and Hollywood legend known as “the most beautiful woman in the world,” is remembered today, November 9, on the anniversary of her birthday for her pioneering work on the technology that would become the basis for today’s WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth communications systems.

History of Guy Fawkes Night: How Gunpowder Mixed with Parliament

November 4, 2026

Reading Time: 3 minutesHISTORY OF GUY FAWKES NIGHT For our friends across the Pond November 5th is known as “Bonfire Night” or “Guy Fawkes Night,” and across Britain, people set off fireworks, light bonfires, and burn effigies of Guy Fawkes. Historically, Guido Fawkes was an Englishman who, in popular legend, tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament…

History of Election Day: Why does the US vote on a Tuesday in November?

November 3, 2026

Reading Time: 4 minutesHISTORY OF ELECTION DAY hy does the U.S. vote on a Tuesday in November? Historically, the United States was an agrarian society, where much of the calendar revolved around farming. In 1840, Congress set voting day on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November. This time provided a convenient month for farmers, who…

History of All Souls’ Day: and Day of the Dead

November 2, 2026

Reading Time: 2 minutesHISTORY OF ALL SOULS’ DAY: AND DAY OF THE DEAD November 2 is All Souls’ Day or Day of the Dead. As I mentioned previously in my article on the History of Halloween, Allhallowstide includes these three holidays: October 31: All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween) November 1: All Hallows’ Day (All Saints’ Day, Feast of All Hallows, Hallowmas)…

History of November: That In-between Month

November 1, 2026

Reading Time: 3 minutesHISTORY OF NOVEMBER ovember is the penultimate month of the year, meaning “next to the last.” It used to be the ninth month (Latin: novem) until the ancient Romans shoehorned in January and February at the beginning of the year. November enjoys the distinction of being situated between the two biggest holidays in the American calendar……

History of the Holidays

What is the history behind the holidays we celebrate, both sacred and secular? Many of the sacred holidays in our American “Judeo-Christian” heritage have secular associations, while many of the seemingly secular holidays actually have religious roots. This is the back story behind our popular holidays.

Read Articles

Popular Culture

Featuring reviews of movies, concerts, and theatre. I write movie reviews as soon as I see them, which is usually the day they come out (or before). Reviews of Star Wars and Star Trek movies, Lord of the Rings, James Bond, and Harry Potter films, rock and jazz concerts, and theatre reviews.

Read Articles

Tech Trends

Articles about current and future technologies and their possible implications. Discussions about Apple iPhone and Apple Watch and innovative technologies from other companies: social media, payment systems, personal data backup, etc.

 

Read Articles
If you'd like to get these articles when they're published on each holiday:
Subscribe to receive future articles by email.