Bill Petro: historian, technologist, writer, podcaster
Writes about History, Popular Culture, Tech Trends, and Travel.

Contributing writer to the books Invitation to Church History, Vol 1 & 2 and
Product Management to Product Leadership: The Advanced Use Cases

History of D-Day: 82 Years Ago

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

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

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 June

June 1, 2026

Reading Time: 3 minutesHISTORY OF JUNE June marks the year’s halfway point, the sixth of the twelve months in the Gregorian calendar we currently use in the West and the earlier Julian calendar, named for Julius Caesar, the namesake of July. Where do we get the name for June?   What’s In A Name? Ovid, author of the…

History of the Golden Gate Bridge: 89 Years Old

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…

History of Towel Day: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

May 25, 2026

Reading Time: 2 minutesHISTORY OF TOWEL DAY May 25 celebrates Towel Day to honor Douglas Adams, the author of the five (or six) book “trilogy” Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Created in May 2001 to mark the passing of English science fiction humor author Douglas Adams, the day is set aside for fans of his writings to carry a…

History of the Holidays

What is the history behind the holidays we celebrate, both sacred and secular? Many of the sacred holidays in our American “Judeo-Christian” heritage have secular associations, while many of the seemingly secular holidays actually have religious roots. This is the back story behind our popular holidays.

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Popular Culture

Featuring reviews of movies, concerts, and theatre. I write movie reviews as soon as I see them, which is usually the day they come out (or before). Reviews of Star Wars and Star Trek movies, Lord of the Rings, James Bond, and Harry Potter films, rock and jazz concerts, and theatre reviews.

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Tech Trends

Articles about current and future technologies and their possible implications. Discussions about Apple iPhone and Apple Watch and innovative technologies from other companies: social media, payment systems, personal data backup, etc.

 

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