It's very rare that we can say a nation was fundamentally different the day after a major construction project was completed from what it was the day before. But that's exactly what happened to the United States of America on May 10, 1869, as the First Transcontinental Railroad was declared ...

MARQUETTE — When the Wright brothers made their momentous first flight in December 1903, little did anyone suspect the role their invention would play in World War I just over a decade later. Those early airplanes were extremely basic, made of canvas and wood with open cockpits and only ...

DEAR DR ROACH: I decided to practice using an inhalation spirometer, partly because I have a daily productive cough (small amounts three to four times a day). I smoked a pack of filtered cigarettes a day from ages 17-29. I smoke marijuana now. My scoliosis is quite complex and has taken over 4 ...

Dear Annie: I recently cleaned out my mother's house after she moved into assisted living, and I thought the hardest part would be the boxes. I was wrong. The hardest part was realizing that every drawer held a memory, and every memory came with a decision. There were birthday cards she ...

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for over 20 years. When we met, we had both already lost our parents. During all our time together, my husband's younger brother has spent Christmas at our home — even after we got married and he got married, after we moved out of state and had ...

DEAR DR. ROACH: I recently had a CT scan of my chest and abdomen for pain, and they made a note that I also had coronary atherosclerosis. What is this condition? Can medications help? Can it be treated without surgery? — P.D. ANSWER: A computed tomography (CT) scan gives multiple ...