Stories of America’s Past

Welcome to America Comes Alive!, a site I created to share little-known stories of regular people who made a difference and changed the course of history. Look around and see what inspires you! — Kate Kelly

Kate Kelly

  • Legendary Showman Ed Sullivan: Mr. Sunday Night

    Ed Sullivan was a legendary showman who grew up in Port Chester, New York. His career as a long-time television host came about from hard work and good luck. His background taught him to open doors to those—particularly African Americans—who lacked access. In the process, he changed American entertainment. When The Ed Sullivan Show was at its height, between 45 and 50 million people tuned in weekly. They saw live performances of the biggest musical…
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  • When Gasoline-Powered Cars Were First Used, Where Did They Get Gasoline?

    How did early drivers get gasoline before there were gas stations? Until “horseless carriages” began traveling along American roads, there hadn’t been much need for gasoline.  Gasoline was identified during the mid-19th century, when companies began refining crude oil to extract kerosene. Gasoline was a byproduct of this process, but because it was highly flammable, it was generally discarded. But with the development of gas-powered automobiles, Americans needed places to buy gasoline. Early Retail Sources…
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  • The Invention of the Jukebox

    A jukebox!  If you walk into a themed restaurant where they have jukeboxes, it’s still a thrill. The thought of choosing some tunes that remind us of our teen years can’t help but bring back fun memories.  But times have changed. We all have phones that carry a multitude of our favorite songs, and personal earbuds let us listen anytime and anywhere to what we want.  Opportunities for communal listening are rare.  When the first…
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  • The Enduring Role of Animals in World War I

    World War I marked a turning point in warfare, ushering in an era of large-scale mechanization. Trains, trucks, tanks, cars, and motorcycles were deployed for the war, yet animals remained indispensable. Before the United States entered the war, France and Britain were importing horses, mules, and donkeys from the U.S. But buying and importing animals was both difficult and expensive. Many of the animals became ill during transatlantic transit. When the United States entered the…
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On
This
Day

On October 2, 1967, Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. He was the first African American to be so appointed. During the 1940s and 50s, Marshall planned and executed the legal strategy that ended the era of official racial segregation. Among the winning cases he argued was Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954. This eventually led to the abolishment of segregation in all public facilities and accommodations.

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Welcome to America Comes Alive!, a site I created to share little-known stories of regular people who made a difference and changed the course of history. Look around and see what inspires you! — Kate Kelly

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Part of the inspiration for this site comes from this remark: “People do not want to hear about simple things. They want to hear about great things – simply told.”

Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams (1860-1935)

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