If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; or the old laws be expanded, and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings. In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness.

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.

– Henry David Thoreau

45 Patriotic Quotes from Presidents of the United States

Series of 45 patriotic quotes, one from each U.S. President.

Killenworth Mansion, Russia’s Hidden Long Island Paradise

On the crest of a hill in Glen Cove, New York sits Killenworth, one of the country’s finest mansions

Top WWI fighter pilot explains why you should not fear death

“No one should fear death. I know, because I have come face to face with death several times”

Bird’s eye view of Wilson and Mendelssohn, PA in 1902

Click here to see Wilson and Mendelsson, Pennsylvania in the early 20th century.

Beautifully detailed map of Mexico City, Mexico from 1890

Historic bird’s eye view of Mexico City, Mexico in 1890

Beautifully restored map of Plainville, Connecticut in 1878

Historic bird’s eye view of Plainville, Connecticut in 1878

Beautifully restored map of Lowell, Massachusetts from 1876

Detailed bird’s eye view of Lowell, Massachusetts from 1876

Beautifully detailed map of Medway, Massachusetts from 1887

Bird’s eye view of Medway, Massachusetts from 1887

Vintage Map of Bethel, Connecticut from 1879 | Restored & Colorized

This vintage map of Bethel, Connecticut was created in 1879 by O.H. Bailey, a prominent 19th century map maker. The map shows a bird’s eye view of Bethel as it once was, including street names, railroads, factories, churches, homes, and old landmarks. The map captures Bethel during the height of its 19th century growth, when the town was closely tied to the hat-making industry and the Danbury & Norwalk Railroad.

Beautifully detailed map of Dallas, Texas from 1872

Historic bird’s eye view of Dallas, Texas as it used to be