Danor Gerald decided to become an actor after being hit with a tennis ball.

Military records kept by the United States government about soldiers and sailors who served their country can be a major source of information about individuals. The four major wars of interest to genealogists are the following:

No sooner had Mitt Romney lost the presidential election than various pundits and journalists began to declare that the "Mormon moment" was over. Certainly, Romney's candidacies in 2008 and 2012 brought about increased visibility and often scrutiny for Mormonism. Since its founding less than two hundred years ago, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been often ridiculed, attacked and misunderstood by a skeptical and American public. But as Americans learned more about Romney through the campaigns, many wanted to better understand his faith and what impact it might have on his presidency. Owing to that interest, the American media landscape cultivated a robust and largely informative conversation about all things Mormon, including its baptismal practices, the church's missionary efforts, the status of Mormon women and African-Americans, and the faith's history regarding polygamy. "What Do Mormons Believe?" has read the headline of numerous articles of late.

African Americans have been members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints almost since its founding in 1830. Their numbers were initially small, but their role was significant. Green Flake, for example, Brigham Young’s driver and scout, was one of the first Mormon pioneers to reach the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.

Before my mission, I never watched soccer—let alone the World Cup. I knew that the world at large loved it, but I just didn’t see the appeal. I never grew up watching it, and so I didn’t bother learning about the sport. I was happy with my basketball and my American football, thank you very much.

"It's really important to know not just who you are, but from which you come," said U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge. "I think it's really, really important. I'm really ecstatic about the fact that I have some more information about my family."

How exciting for the Saints in Brazil and Peru! This will be the seventh temple in Brazil and third in Peru.

Nothing beats a good pair of shoes when you’re serving a mission. But the number of steps missionaries put in now can’t even be compared to the thousands of miles the Apostle Paul walked in his day. In Acts 16–21, we’ll take a look at the Apostle’s many journeys across the ancient world as he followed the creed to spread the gospel. During his service, Paul was jailed, beaten, and persecuted. But in the end, he leaves us with a humble message that he gave everything he could, and that it's always better to give than to receive.

Ed Willis’s life began in a place literally called “The Lower Bottom.” Drugs, Alcohol, Prostitution—you name it, and it could be found in the lower bottom. Ed was always searching for something. It was this searching that led him to become a Black Panther. Ultimately, Ed can now see that the dignity he was seeking all along could be found in understanding that he is a child of God. On this week’s episode, Ed and his wife, Wanda, share how their membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints changed their lives.

As Americans cast their ballots and the clock ticks toward midnight in Mitt Romney’s presidential quest, this much is clear: Americans didn’t know much about the candidate’s LDS faith when this "Mormon moment" began. Now, thousands of headlines, dozens of TV newscasts and one Tony-winning Broadway musical later, Americans still don’t know much about Latter-day Saints and their beliefs.