Empowered: How Pennsylvania Transformed America, Vol. 1

by Roger D. Kelley

This book is a collection of backstories about the famous and the obscure who did something extraordinary. The setting is Pennsylvania, but the stories run from the 17th century all the way to the present. Here are some of the stories: George Washington starts the real First World War in western Pennsylvania; Abraham Lincoln participates in a Mission-Impossible type ruse to avoid assassination on his way to take the oath of office; within days of taking charge of the federal army, General George Meade has to go up against the toughest of all opponents, Robert E. Lee, in a small Pennsylvania town called Gettysburg; what is the backstory behind Benjamin Franklin and his experiments in electricity and why didn’t he get killed; during World War II, a Pennsylvanian had an idea for winning the war against Japan—using kamikaze bats and the first operational computer in history was ENIAC—it was enormous in size, overheated frequently, but it worked and set the standard for future computers. These are just some of the stories about the state that was the driving force behind the United States of America.

522 pages, Paperback

First published March 18, 2016

About the author

After graduating from college with a journalism degree, I spent two years as a Navy journalist in the South Pacific. I was a radio d.j. And TV director with the AFRTS. I then worked as a writer for the Pa. House of Representatives and then as a lobbyist for a trade association. I then spent about 15 years as a communications prof.
I have a Master's in Communications and a doctorate in Education. I studied political science at a Maryland University, communications at a Defense Department school and got a teacher's certification from yet another college.
College has given me the chance to explore and to learn, to probe the outer limits of human knowledge and to make connections between the past and the present.

Reviews

[M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Nicely organized and a good read. Interesting from start to finish. I won it in a contest and I am glad that I did. I have a connection to Pennsylvania - but even if you don't, you will soon discover that you do once you learn about all the history from here and how it shaped our lives.