Horseshoe Curve, Altoona, Pennsylvania

Matt Nowak

About the Author

B.A., John Carroll University

M.A., John Carroll University

Expected Ph.D., University of Akron

My name is Matt Nowak and HistoryEveryDay.org is my creation.

HistoryEveryDay is my attempt at surveying and recording life as it is today for future historians to study and learn from. I have two objectives for this site. First, the things that we encounter every day – the bridges we drive over, buildings we work in, houses we buy and grow up in and the parks and landscapes we enjoy – have a history that needs to be told. If I don’t do it, who will? Secondly, by recording today’s life, through photographs, words, and videos, I hope that I can help give future historians glimpses into how we lived our lives in the early twenty-first century.

I have always been fascinated with history. At an early age, my family took vacations to places like Williamsburg and Plymouth. I had many fantastic teachers both in grade school, at St. Charles, and high school, at St. Ignatius High School, that helped cultivate my love affair with the past. It was during my time as an undergraduate at John Carroll University, under the guidance of the school's excellent professors, that I decided to dedicate my life to history, to help explain the past and preserve it for the future.

HistoryEveryDay would not have happened if it was not for the love and support of my family and friends. They have always been patient with my constant requests for detours and trips to historical places. I want to especially thank my father, Michael Nowak, who has helped discuss, plan, and locate many, if not most, of the places listed on this site.