Joseph McGowan
My great-great grandfather Patrick McGowan stepped off the boat in New York in 1848, a year after the height of the Great Famine in Ireland. My mother’s family is descended from hardscrabble Appalachian settlers who migrated from the Carolinas into the hills of Tennessee soon after the American Revolution. The struggles of these common people to survive and prosper and the succeeding generations afterwards make up who I am today. Telling their stories and examining the lives of thousands of others like them is the historian’s way of acknowledging their existence and honoring their contributions to our society, culture and nation.
I’ve been a lifelong reader and teacher of history and this serves as my first sortie into writing and publishing. My family has long advised me that since I seem to know so much about history, I might as well get some recognition for it. I especially enjoy reading and researching history in order to dispel myths and to create a more in depth understanding of what really occurred during various periods. I strongly believe that it is important for every nation to remember their history because it serves as a stern master when forgotten.
I’m a 26-year veteran of the US Army where I was involved in the teaching and writing of various aspects of US military history for the professional education of officers. I also teach problem solving and decision making methodologies. I graduated from the University of South Florida in 1982 with a BA in international studies and earned a master’s in history from the American Public University System-American Military University. I live in Central Pennsylvania with my wife of 26 years. Together we raised three home-schooled children.
I have traveled extensively throughout the US, Middle East and Europe. Besides American and military history, I am also fascinated with Roman history and all things Celtic. In recognition of that heritage, I’ve been known to pick up the uilleann (Irish) pipes now and again and play an air, waltz or jig.
Latest Articles
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Spending Money To Make Money
The concept of "kick starting" a faltering economy with large infusions of cash was conceived by John Maynard Keynes and introduced into US policy by Alvin Hansen.
Jan 6, 2009
- Joseph McGowan
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Six-Step Problem Solving Methodology
Many people are faced with problems to solve repeatedly in their workaday world. This six-step method provides a consistent approach to solving problems.
Dec 26, 2008
- Joseph McGowan
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Origin of the Medieval Knight
The Western image of armored knights on horse in the Age of Chivalry evolved from two primary Eastern influences, the Byzantines and the Persians.
Dec 21, 2008
- Joseph McGowan
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Mongol Warriors and the Composite Bow
Genghis Khan began the Mongol invasions but it was the powerful composite bow which carried their civilization out of the steppe.
Dec 15, 2008
- Joseph McGowan
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Zhang Qian, the Chinese Marco Polo
Over one thousand years before Marco Polo the Han emissary Zhang Qian traveled west to present day Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, opening routes later called the Silk Road.
Dec 6, 2008
- Joseph McGowan
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Loyalist Militias in the American Revolution
Fighting during the American Revolution included not only separatists, or Patriot, militias, but also armed groups of loyalists who sided with the English Crown.
Nov 27, 2008
- Joseph McGowan
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