An interesting historical story.
At 11:30 A.M. on May 29, 1953 the tallest spot on Earth was conquered by a New Zealander and his Tibetan guide. Mount Everest had been the goal of mountain climbers for many years. The Tibetans called it Chomo-Lungma (“Mother Goddess of the Land”). The rest of the world Read more…
Today is the 76th birthday of John Fogerty. Here is the history of his most famous hit. One day, John Fogerty was sitting in his bedroom and he was angry about the unfairness of the draft. He was specifically thinking of David Eisenhower (grandson of Pres. Eisenhower and Read more…
On May 27, 1942, Dorie Miller became the first African-American to earn the Navy Cross (it should have been the Medal of Honor, but the Navy was racist) for his bravery during the Pearl Harbor attack. Dorie (born Doris) Miller was an African-American who enlisted in the Navy in September, Read more…
In Vietnam, it took a while for Americans to figure out how the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese avoided contact so well. Part of it was their ability to hide in the jungle, but they also had an intricate tunnel system. The most famous were the tunnels of Cu-Chi. Read more…
Probably the most famous segregated Army unit in WWII was the 761st Tank Battalion. The unit was nicknamed the “Black Panthers” and its motto was “Come Out Fighting”. It was created in March, 1942 and trained in the south where it encountered the racism common in that area. Its Read more…
Today is the birthday of Emanuel Leutze. Born on May 24, 1816, he painted “Washington Crossing the Delaware” in 1850-51. Leutze grew up in America and then returned to his homeland. He had learned to draw while sitting at the bedside of this dying father. He set up a studio Read more…
On this day in 1900, William Carney received his Medal of Honor. William Carney was born a slave in Virginia. He used the Underground Railroad to reach relatives in Massachusetts. In 1863, he enlisted in the famous 54th Massachusetts Regiment. (The unit depicted in the movie “Glory”.) The 54th Read more…
One “Crime of the Century” occurred on this day in 1924. Nathan Leopold (18-years old) and Richard Loeb (19) thought they had committed the perfect crime when they kidnapped and killed 14- year old Bobby Franks. They hadn’t, but they became the poster boys for the botched perfect crime. Read more…
If I might get personal, today my grandson Rhys graduates from kindergarten. His mother got him a teddy bear as a graduation present. This reminded me of one of my favorite stories about my favorite President. One of the most famous toys in history was named after an American Read more…
I hesitated to research this event and then I pondered whether to post it. But American History teachers can not ignore the bad moments in our history. Not that I would pass this one on to your students. It is important that it is not forgotten, which it was even Read more…