Did you know that:

* The official name of Rhode Island is “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” — ironically, the longest official name for the smallest of the fifty US states. (Being a native of “Little Rhody,” I already knew this one!)

* Benjamin Franklin had an illegitimate son, William, who split with his father during the Revolution by remaining loyal to the British Crown.

* John Adams asked Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence because, he said, “I am obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular. You are very much otherwise.”

* For a a time, Harriet Beecher Stow lived next door to Mark Twain.

These are just a few tidbits from The Intellectual Devotional - American History. The 365 readings are divided into seven fields of knowledge: Politics & Leadership, War & Peace, Fights & Reform, Business, Building America, Literature, and Arts.

The idea is to read one page per day to “revive your mind and converse confidently about our nation’s past.” I found this book so enthralling that I read the first 182 pages in one sitting!

I haven’t been reading much lately, but this book reminded me what I’m missing. If you’ve got time for one page per day, this book will be time well spent.

The Intellectual Devotional
American History
by David S. Kidder & Noah D. Oppenheim