The people of Pompeii and Herculaneum did not even know they were living near an active volcano. It had not erupted in 1,800 years. They did not realize the reason why the soil was so fertile was because of previous deposits of volcanic ash. They did not even have the Read more…
He was born a slave to a small, but prosperous plantation owner named Benjamin Turner. He was greatly influenced by his grandmother who had been brought over from Africa. She was very religious and very anti-slavery. He was a special child. As early as age 3, he claimed to know Read more…
On this day in 1863, an infamous massacre occurred in Kansas during the Civil War. Kansas had been known as “Bleeding Kansas” before the war as pro- and anti-slavery forces battled for control of the state. This degenerated into a vicious guerrilla war between the Jayhawkers (antis) and Bushwhackers (pros). Read more…
At age 12, Philo Farnsworth fixed a generator on the family farm. At age 14, he had an electrical lab in the attic. He would wake up at 4 A.M. to read scientific journals before doing his chores. He began dreaming of transmitting moving images through the air. His big Read more…
Today in 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified. In honor of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, I am providing some interesting facts about my favorite suffragist – Alice Paul. I have loved this woman since seeing the movie “Iron Jawed Angels.” I also highly recommend the YouTube video that Read more…
He was born one of nine kids to a poor farmer and Continental Army veteran. His birthplace was in what is today eastern Tennessee, but at the time was officially North Carolina. Actually, his father and others claimed he was born in the independent republic of Franklin, which was the Read more…
He was born in Corsica, not France. He supported Corsican independence and hated France, until he attended the famed Ecole Militaire. Later, when he returned home, he saw that Corsica was backwards. He met Josephine at a party. She was a widow with three kids. Her husband was a nobleman Read more…
Let’s get less serious today. It happens to be the birthday of my favorite cartoonist. I know this information may not be useful in a History class, but I know some of you who read this are fans, too. In 1976, Gary Larson was a struggling jazz guitarist who had Read more…
Governor Diego Velazquez of Cuba gave Cortes approval to explore the coast of Mexico, make contact with the natives, and do a little trading. When he learned that Cortes planned to conquer, he rescinded the approval, but Cortes had hastily sailed to escape the disapproval. He left with 11 ships Read more…
Ford went through Models A through S before arriving at the Model T in 1908. He replaced it in 1927 with the Model A (since it was a totally new car, he decided not to call it the Model U). Ford did not invent the assembly line. Ransom Olds developed Read more…