He was a member of the Sauk and Fox tribe. His Native American name was “Bright Path.” He learned to break horses from his father. He used to spend hours observing horses and patterned his running after them. At age 6, he and his twin brother Charlie were sent to Read more…
It was written by a five man committee: Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman. John Adams was supposed to write the draft, but he deferred to the more talented writer, Jefferson. The committee made 86 edits, but left the Preamble the way Jefferson wrote it. The Declaration was Read more…
It would have been more accurately called “Longstreet’s Charge” as it involved three of his divisions – Pickett, Pettigrew, and Trimble. That was a total of 12,500-15,000 men. It was Lee’s desperate attempt to end the Civil War in one day. In the first two days of the battle, he Read more…
On this day in 1937, Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan disappeared during her attempted flight around the world. Her Lockheed Electra took off from New Guinea destined for tiny Howland Island over 2,500 miles away. They never arrived. Since the tragedy, many theories have been advanced to explain Read more…
The Rough Riders were officially the First Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. It consisted of a mix of cowboys, ranchers, Native Americans, Eastern aristocrats, and college boys. Originally, Teddy Roosevelt was second in command to Medal of Honor awardee Leonard Wood. When Wood was promoted in Cuba, Roosevelt was moved up to Read more…
One of the greatest upsets in sports history occurred on June 29, 1950. In 1950, the World Cup was hosted by Brazil. The squad from England was the favorite. Oddly, it was their World Cup debut, having sat out the first three tournaments in a pay dispute with FIFA. Read more…
Harold Hardrada was the King of Norway who was killed at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066. Before attempting to lay his claim to the throne of England, he and his Viking army had found employment with the Byzantine Empire. They were tasked with conquering Sicily. One city Read more…
Sophocles was one of the greatest playwrights in history. He wrote “Oedipus Rex”, for one. When Sophocles got old, his kids sued him because they felt he was incapable of taking care of his own finances. In the trial, Sophocles read from his latest play, “Oedipus at Colunnus”, and he Read more…
Darwin was visiting a family when the children decided to play a prank on him. They glued together parts of a butterfly, a beetle, a centipede, and a grasshopper. They eagerly brought the specimen to him for him to identify it. Darwin: “Did you hear it humming?” Grinning, the Read more…
Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Here are some interesting facts about this crucial moment in American History. The battle was actually fought on Breed’s Hill. Col. William Prescott had been ordered to fortify the higher Bunker Hill, but for some reason he proceeded to a Read more…