Pop Culture

History of Star Trek: 60 Years Ago, Now, and the Future

By billpetro / September 8, 2026 /

Reading Time: 16 minutesHISTORY OF STAR TREK Podcast   tar Trek premiered on NBC TV on September 8, 1966… 60 years ago. It is my favorite television show; I was glued to the TV for the first episode and every one after that. It had a significant influence on my choice of a career in technology. The show…

History of Woodstock: Almost 60 Years Ago

By billpetro / August 15, 2026 /

Reading Time: 5 minutesHISTORY OF WOODSTOCK August 15 marks the anniversary of the “3 Days of Peace & Music” held in 1969 at Max Yasgur‘s 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the village of Woodstock. This outdoor music event, despite thunderstorms, gave voice to the counterculture youth generation of its time. A documentary film followed…

History of Infinity Day: Why is it on August 8?

By billpetro / August 8, 2026 /

Reading Time: 2 minutesHISTORY OF INFINITY DAY: AUGUST 8 Infinity Day, also known as Universal & International Infinity Day, is a commemoration held on the 8th day of the 8th month of each year to celebrate and promote Philosophy and Philosophizing for the ordinary person.

Movie Review: The Odyssey (no plot spoilers)

By billpetro / July 29, 2026 /

Reading Time: 4 minutesMOVIE REVIEW: THE ODYSSEY (NO PLOT SPOILERS) walked out of the theater after seeing The Odyssey with these thoughts and feelings: “Spectacular, awesome, massive, intense, harrowing, violent, merciful, evocative, fearful, seductive, humbling, restrained, overwhelming, noble, epic… an immersive experience, not just a movie.” I found the film noble, uplifting, and immensely satisfying. For those who…

History of the 1st Moon Landing – Apollo 11: 57 Years Ago

By billpetro / July 20, 2026 /

Reading Time: 5 minutesHISTORY OF THE 1ST MOON LANDING: APOLLO 11 ifty-seven years ago today, at 4:17 Eastern Time, July 20, 1969, the American lunar module touched down on the Moon, and about seven hours later, at 10:56:15 pm EDT, the first human stepped out of the Apollo 11 lunar module onto the Moon. With the immortal words…

History of French Fries: Are They Really French?

By billpetro / July 13, 2026 /

Reading Time: 3 minutesHISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES: NATIONAL FRENCH FRY DAY uly 13th is National French Fry Day. While no one knows who began this celebration, placing it on July 13 is significant in that the important French holiday is the next day, July 14, Bastille Day.   Did they originate in France, why are they called that,…

Interview on – That Shakespeare Life: Midsummer and St. John the Baptist Day

By billpetro / June 24, 2026 /

Reading Time: < 1 minuteINTERVIEW ON THAT SHAKESPEARE LIFE: MIDSUMMER AND ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST DAY Cassidy Cash interviewed me for her popular podcast, That Shakespeare Life, to discuss the history and traditions of Midsummer and St. John the Baptist Day, and what it would have been like to celebrate these two simultaneous holidays in Elizabethan England.   We…

History of the World Cup

By billpetro / June 11, 2026 /

Reading Time: 4 minutesHISTORY OF THE WORLD CUP he World Cup 2026 Tournament takes place across North America, hosted by sixteen cities – eleven in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada. 42 countries, up from the previous 32, will participate in the first games hosted across three countries. The total number of matches played…

History of D-Day: 82 Years Ago

By billpetro / June 5, 2026 /

Reading Time: 6 minutesHISTORY OF D-DAY Podcast version   Why has D-Day captured the imagination of American consciousness for over three-quarters of a century?   Eighty-two years ago, on June 6, 1944, the Allies launched an offensive on the Normandy coast of France to liberate continental Europe from the Nazi German occupation. On Twitter/X, the hashtag is #DDay82…

History of the Summer of Love – 1967: Part 4, Rock & Roll

By billpetro / June 2, 2026 /

Reading Time: 7 minutesHISTORY OF THE SUMMER OF LOVE – 1967: PART 4, ROCK & ROLL   It was twenty years ago today Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play They’ve been going in and out of style But they’re guaranteed to raise a smile   Rock & Roll in the late ’60s was exemplified when The Beatles…

Movie Review: Pressure – the Weather Before D-Day

By billpetro / June 1, 2026 /

Reading Time: 4 minutesMovie Review: Pressure – the Weather Before D-Day “The eyes of the world are upon you.” – General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “Order of the Day” to the Allied Expeditionary Force on D-Day It was the largest seaborne invasion in history. The Allied Expeditionary Forces, commanded by General Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower, had assembled an armada to…

History of the Golden Gate Bridge: 89 Years Old

By billpetro / May 27, 2026 /

Reading Time: 4 minutesHISTORY OF THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE his week, we celebrate the 89th anniversary of the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge. On May 27, 1937, the bridge opened to traffic after more than five years of construction. I remember asking my father when I was young: “Why isn’t the Golden Gate Bridge golden?” He didn’t…