"I do not think there was ever a more wicked war than that waged by the United States on Mexico," wrote Ulysses S. Grant in 1879. Grant knew something about war, having served as a lieutenant in the conflict with Mexico and as the North's most victorious general in the Civil War. Although he is not a key figure in Amy Greenberg's new book, "A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico," (Alfred A. Knopf) his view aptly illustrates her main point: the U.S.-Mexican War was opposed by a large segment of the American people, including many of those who actually fought in it.

Warren W. Hassler, Jr., Penn State professor emeritus of American history, died on July 12 in La Jolla, Calif., after a brief illness. Hassler was born and raised in Baltimore, Md. He served in the 7th Army Air Corps at the end of World War II.

When, exactly, did the development-challenged male become a cultural archetype? You know the guy. Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, and Seth Rogen, to name a few, have made careers out of playing him. Directors like the Farrelly brothers have turned him into box-office gold. We laugh at his antics and shake our heads at the same time. On the screen it's de rigueur for men to be boys--but what about in real life?

Robert Szymczak, associate professor of history at Penn State Beaver, was a featured speaker this month in the lecture series presented by the S. A. Blejwas Endowed Chair in Polish Studies at Central Connecticut State University. His topic was "Katyn and the Politics of Massacre." He is the author of numerous publications, including "Cold War Crusader: Arthur Bliss Lane and the Private Committee to Investigate the Katyn Massacre, 1949-1952," which appeared in Polish American Studies: A Journal of Polish American History and Culture and "The Vindication of Memory: The Katyn Case in the West, Poland, and Russia, 1952-2008" which was published in The Polish Review by The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America. Szymczak is the recipient of Penn State's prestigious George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Penn State Beaver Advisory Board Excellence in Research Award, and a three-time recipient of the Penn State Beaver Advisory Board Excellence in Teaching Award. He can be contacted at rxs16@psu.edu or 724-773-3895.

Baseball was created as a direct rejection of British cultural influence, specifically the game of cricket, says Mark Dyreson, Penn State professor of kinesiology and history.

Mark Dyreson discusses the past and present role of baseball in American culture.

Thousands stroll the long, tree-covered sidewalks of University Park every day. Campus walking maps developed by the Office of Physical Plant showcase some of the buildings, gardens and trees that make campus one of the nation's most beautiful.