Noel C. Cilker

On a cold, wind-chilled morning in January of 1961, John F. Kennedy was standing at the podium of the U.S Capitol in Washington D.C. It was his inauguration. As thousands shivered and breath steamed from their noses while they watched, Kennedy uttered his famous lines : "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." President John F. Kennedy speaking at his inauguration in 1961.   AP The lines received applause and cheers, and became one of the most famous presidential quotes in American History. If only Kennedy had written them. Instead, that distinction belongs to Kennedy's aide, Ted Sorensen. According to Robert Schlesinger's book White House Ghosts , Kennedy told Sorensen to solicit suggestions, keep it short and make it forward-looking. It seems strange that ...

As a historian, it gives me a jolt of joy when a president has a firm grasp of history. We saw that earlier this week when President Trump met with the president of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela. The American president quipped: "The Panama Canal is doing quite well. I think we did a good job building it, right — a very good job." It was the Panamanian president's response that made me smile: "Yeah, about 100 years ago." It's nice when a president has a firm grasp of history. President Varela of Panama and President Trump.   Prensa Latina Some on the Internet are having fun and saying President Trump gaffed by taking credit for building the canal, but they could be making something out of nothing. He never actually stated that he's responsible for it. Regardless, it doesn't hurt to review how the canal came to be . . . yes, about a hundred years ago. The idea for a canal across Panama came long before the United States was involve...

Just in time for World Environment Day , President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement on Thursday, joining Syria and Nicaragua and flustering many state and local governments, businesses and citizens. Many of those organizations vowed to uphold the agreement  in defiance of Trump's decision. San Francisco lights its city hall in green - joining New York, Boston, Atlanta, Paris, Montreal, Mexico City and others - in protest of President Trump withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement.   Twitter There has been some support of the withdrawal. The Washington Examiner  called it a "terrible deal for the U.S." : "Exiting the agreement means the U.S. can lead with strength in promoting energy and environmental policies, protecting U.S. jobs and easing the costly regulatory burden across the country. Now the Trump administration can push ahead with a plan that conserves the environment while protecting ...