Phaedra Trethan
@byphaedra.bsky.social
I read, I write, I live and let live. You can usually find me in Jersey or Philadelphia, near the ocean, at the ballpark or in the woods. Reporter for @usatoday.com
July may be over, but I'm still on @usatoday.com 's #America250 beat. Here's my latest story. www.usatoday.com/story/news/u...
Trump's face is on what? 6 controversial decisions
As America celebrates its 250th birthday, Trump's likeness and name keep appearing on all sorts of unusual government materials. Here's a list.
usatoday.com
America's 250th birthday brings up complicated feelings for a lot of people who know, whether themselves or through their elders and ancestors, the many ways this country has failed to live up to its promises of freedom, opportunity and equality for all. #america250 www.usatoday.com/story/news/u...
A growing movement aims to fix America's big birthday celebration
Organizers across the country say their 250th anniversary events celebrate parts of American history that are missing from the national conversation.
usatoday.com
Such a wonderful read!
Phaedra Trethan@byphaedra.bsky.social · 2mo agoJennifer McMullen had two brothers fighting in World War II, so she was happy when she landed a job at a California Lockheed factory. Now 101, she looked back on her time as a real-life Rosie the Riveter. My latest for @usatoday.com www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Jennifer McMullen had two brothers fighting in World War II, so she was happy when she landed a job at a California Lockheed factory. Now 101, she looked back on her time as a real-life Rosie the Riveter. My latest for @usatoday.com www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
She helped America win WWII. Meet a real-life 'Rosie the Riveter'
The "Rosie the Riveter" campaign recruited women to work jobs supporting US troops during WWII. Jennifer McMullen, now 101 years old, was one of them.
usatoday.com
The US Postal Service is older than the nation itself. But its problems go far beyond rain, sleet and snow. My latest for @usatoday.com #America250 www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
'Neither snow nor rain' stops the mail. But USPS has a bigger problem
The U.S. Postal Service has weathered many changes since America's founding, and became a lifeline for rural Americans. Now it faces a major crisis.
usatoday.com
Rededicate 250 brings (mostly Christian) faithful to the National Mall for prayer, politics, scripture and song. Team coverage by @usatoday.com www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
Rededicate 250 brings faithful to National Mall as Trump, Rubio to speak
The event, critics say, favored Christianity. For the faithful, though, it was an acknowledgement of God's blessings upon the United States.
usatoday.com
Archaeology is "the study of trash." Gary said. "Everyone's trash gets mingled together. It's the things everyone was throwing away, as opposed to documents where you can easily leave people or stories out." Dig into this trashy story I wrote for @usatoday.com . www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Williamsburg's new center lets visitors see archaeology up close
The center opened to the public in April. Archaeologists at the living history village had to move millions of delicate, priceless artifacts.
usatoday.com
Historic reenactors and interpreters have to be more than actors and people who dress in period costumes. They have to know the history and inhabit the persona of real figures in history. My latest for @usatoday.com www.usatoday.com/story/news/n... #America250 @historicphilly.bsky.social
More than 'funny clothes.' Why these people love role-playing history
Inhabiting the persona of real historic figures requires more than a costume and a script. These interpreters bring history to life.
usatoday.com
Restoration or revision? The latest on what's happening at the President's House in Philadelphia. Reporting for @usatoday.com #america250 #usa250 www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
National Park Service unveils updated exhibit plans amid legal battle
The National Park Service has quietly posted mockups of new signage for the President's House, amid an ongoing legal battle.
usatoday.com
Jewish people were a small minority in Colonial America, said Josh Perelman of Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, but they played an outsized role in the fight for freedom. My latest for @usatoday.com on a pivotal part in the American Revolution www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
How a tiny island and a small minority helped America win its freedom
There weren't many Jewish people in Colonial America. But when it was time to choose sides, they helped a new nation fight for its freedom.
usatoday.com
Art has been used for protest in American history--the U.S. is different because our right to express ourselves freely, whether through art, speech or writing, is enshrined as a fundamental right. My latest for @usatoday.com www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
These iconic American images aim to protest and persuade
From Franklin's "Join or Die" woodcuts to editorial cartoons, the AIDS crisis to Black Lives Matter and #MeToo, art has captured America's struggles.
usatoday.com
A flight attendant survived being ejected from the plane that collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport. Why one expert called that "a miracle." My latest story for @usatoday.com www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Flight attendant's survival after being ejected from plane 'a miracle'
Solange Tremblay was still strapped into her seat when she was thrown from the plane that collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport.
usatoday.com
"I taught women’s history for many years before working in museums and I understand how young women often have no idea of what had to happen for them to have the kind of lives they now take for granted." My latest for @usatoday.com #womenshistorymonth www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
How museums nationwide are elevating women’s stories in US history
Women's History Month events are online and in person, and they explore contributions from the start of our nation through space exploration.
usatoday.com
Papers signed by famous figures can fetch thousands and even millions of dollars. But who decides where they belong and what they're worth? This USA TODAY story started with my own curiosity, so I asked some questions. What I learned. #america250 www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Papers passed down in history may have value. But who determines it?
Papers signed by famous figures can fetch thousands and even millions of dollars. But who decides where they belong and what they're worth?
usatoday.com
Aside from the flashbacks of practicing loops & waves on lined paper, this story made me smile when an educator I interviewed talked about the joy students get from mastering a "big kid skill." I remember feeling exactly the same way. My latest @usatoday.com story. www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Cursive handwriting is making a big comeback. Here's why.
New Jersey and Pennsylvania are among the most recent states to require schools to teach kids old fashioned handwriting skills.
usatoday.com
This was a lot of fun to report--and I don't even drink. During Colonial times, taverns "were the centers of town for almost everything," said Malcolm Purinton. "They were where you got your news." My latest for @usatoday.com www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Paul Revere on a pub crawl? Founders made history in these taverns.
Taverns and inns were more than a place to tip a pint: In Revolutionary America, they were a center of civic life.
usatoday.com
A federal judge ruled that displays about enslaved people kept by George Washington in Philadelphia must be restored. My latest for @usatoday.com #americanhistory #blackhistory www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Who controls history? Judge hits Trump decision to pull slavery display
George Washington kept nine enslaved people at President's House in Philadelphia. The Trump administration removed a display honoring them.
usatoday.com
Fact No. 1: George Washington kept human beings as property, profiting & living off their unpaid labor, while he was President & living in Philadelphia. Fact No. 2: Removing information about those enslaved people won’t change Fact. No. 1. Story for @usatoday.com www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Feds dismantle marker honoring people enslaved by George Washington
George Washington kept slaves as president, but a federal display commemorating them has now been dismantled.
usatoday.com
Love this story about this historic alley in Philly via @byphaedra.bsky.social
Phaedra Trethan@byphaedra.bsky.social · 7mo agoI've wandered along Elfreth's Alley countless times & wondered what it was like to live in one of its tiny historic houses. So for this story, part of @usatoday.com 's series looking at @america250.bsky.social I asked a resident. Here's what I learned. #america250 www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
I've wandered along Elfreth's Alley countless times & wondered what it was like to live in one of its tiny historic houses. So for this story, part of @usatoday.com 's series looking at @america250.bsky.social I asked a resident. Here's what I learned. #america250 www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
A Philadelphia street dates to 1703. People still live in its houses.
"Yes! People really do live here and have since 1713," says a sign at Elfreth's Alley. A new park will honor a woman who worked to preserve it.
usatoday.com
Interested in history? Interested in Americana? Interested in @america250.bsky.social ? Our newest @usatoday.com newsletter starts Monday w/ stories, videos, photos etc from us & our Network across the U.S. for America's 250th bday. #America250 Subscribe here: profile.usatoday.com/newsletters/...
USA 250
Explore, celebrate and remember who we are as a nation after 250 years
profile.usatoday.com
a woman wearing a gold top and earrings is sitting in front of a blue background .
ALT: a woman wearing a gold top and earrings is sitting in front of a blue background .
media.tenor.com
Merriam-Webster@merriam-webster.com · 8mo agoMerriam-Webster’s human editors have chosen ‘slop’ as the 2025 Word of the Year.
Humbly offering a little break from all the darkness in the world right now: Puppies. My story @usatoday.com www.usatoday.com/story/pets-a...
Researchers find dogs are somehow getting even better
A Duke University study found dogs exhibit different kinds of intelligence, even as puppies.
usatoday.com
I may not be the first person to make this observation but @wxpnfm.bsky.social could do an #greatestcoversongs countdown consisting entirely of white guys covering the blues.
Michael Cifone is interested in what he calls "the empirical weird," phenomena that defy easy explanation. He leads a group of researchers who say it's time for academia to get serious about studying UFOs. My latest @usatoday.com story. www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
These researchers say they have serious questions about UFOs, aliens
A group of researchers wants to make the study of UFOs an academic discipline. Experts call them unidentified anomalous phenomena (or UAPs).
usatoday.com
Hitting the road today? Keep an eye on your speedometer, because in a lot of places, cameras are keeping an eye on you. My story @usatoday.com www.usatoday.com/story/cars/n...
Speeders beware of big fines. Cameras are watching in these states.
More than 300 communities in the U.S. have speed cameras keeping an eye on motorists. In some states, costly fines can be levied for violations.
usatoday.com
As I stood beside Benjamin Franklin's grave yesterday, all I could hear in my mind was Louis Prima singing "Pennies from Heaven." Visitors might have to start leaving nickels on the Founding Father's final resting place. www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
US Mint says it has stamped its last penny, a historic end for a humble coin
The Treasury Department said the last pennies were stamped with a special omega mark and will not go into circulation.
usatoday.com
