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George Washington (1732-1799): Childhood and Early Years-
Isabella Greenway: Entrepreneur and Congresswoman
Isabella Greenway (1886-1953) was the first woman to represent Arizona in Congress (1933-1936) at a time when Arizona had only a single representative to the House of Representatives. A lifelong association with Teddy Roosevelt brought her into politics. Before... -
Race of Mercy to Nome, Alaska, 1925
The “race of mercy” was a daring and difficult trip to deliver medicine to Nome, Alaska in 1925. High numbers of children in Nome were suffering from diphtheria. Because the town was so remote, there was no good way... -
Barbara Jordan, Congresswoman and Trailblazer
Barbara Jordan (1936-96) was a dynamic and forceful African American from Texas who made great strides for American citizens. She exhibited a positive outlook, great intelligence, a good sense of humor, and had an uncanny ability to fully engage... -
Louis Armstrong’s Childhood
Louis Armstrong was one of the finest jazz musicians in the world. His work broke ground for a new style of popular American music for which he received worldwide acclaim. A virtuoso on trumpet, Louis Armstrong developed a performance... -
P.T. Barnum’s Early Career
P.T. Barnum is remembered as a circus impresario and a huckster. Both those memories do him a disservice. He had a long and varied career prior to entering the circus business at the age of 67. And while he... -
Final Evacuation of Saigon Signaled by Song “White Christmas”
By April 1975—after almost twenty years fighting in Vietnam–the United States began its pull-out. That winter the North Vietnamese pushed the South Vietnamese back forcefully and definitively. The Americans knew that it was over. They needed to pull out... -
Ronald Reagan’s Jelly Beans
Ronald Reagan may have had a sweet tooth, but the true reason he began eating jelly beans was because he quit smoking. Reagan, a former actor, was well-known for Chesterfield cigarette ads from the 1940s and ‘50s, but it... -
Sarah Keys Evans: Taking a Stand for Civil Rights
Sarah Keys Evans did not intend to take a stand for civil rights in 1952 when she boarded an interstate bus in Trenton, New Jersey. She was on leave from Fort Dix where she served in the Women’s Army... -
The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion
The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was an all-female black military unit created in 1944. These women are among the unsung heroes of World War II. The work they accomplished—hand-processing warehouses-full of undelivered mail–brought comfort to countless American soldiers... -
Buster Brown Shoes and Mary Janes
“I’m Buster Brown, and I live in a shoe. That’s my dog, Tige, and he lives there, too,” went the jingle for Buster Brown shoes. The Brown Shoe Company began in 1878 as a partnership among three St. Louis... -
Mar-a-Lago: The Winter White House
Mar-a-Lago, now owned by presidential candidate Donald Trump, was built by Marjorie Merriweather Post (1887-1973) in the 1920s. -
The Triple Nickles: Army’s First Black Paratroopers
The Triple Nickles, as the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion was
known, were a remarkable, highly-disciplined company of African American paratroopers who paved the way for integration in...
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White Castle Hamburgers: The Story
White Castle holds the title of being the first fast-food restaurant inthe world. Their original hamburger eatery opened in Wichita,
BLOOMINGTON, MN
Getty Images -
“Kilroy Was Here”-A Story from World War II
The words, “Kilroy was here,” alongside a drawing of a long-nosed, bald fellow peering over a fence still pop up occasionally on walls and buildings today....
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The Rosenwald Schools: Schools for African-Americans in the Rural South
The Rosenwald Schools were built in the early 20th century as a solution to the scarcity of schools for African-Americans in the rural South at that time. ...
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Topics At America Comes Alive
Inspirational Women
Hispanic Heritage
Only in the USA
Sports, Cars & Other Pastimes
War Stories
Native American HeritagePart of the inspiration for this site comes from a remark made by Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams (1860-1935)
"People do not want to hear about simple things. They want to hear about great things - simply told."
"People do not want to hear about simple things. They want to hear about great things - simply told."
On
This
Day
On April 21, 1895, Woodville Latham and his sons, Otway and Gray, demonstrated the first movie projector developed in the United States, calling it the Panopticon. Up until this time, Edison’s Kinetoscope could only show films viewed through peep-show boxes with viewers seeing it one at a time. Projecting to a large audience was a big advance. Critical to their success was the “Latham Loop” that let the film be projected smoothly.
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Who Thought of That?
The true inventor of the ice cream cone was Italo Marchiony, not Ernest Hamwi at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis in 1904 as is often reported.
Heroes & Trailblazers
Maria Tallchief (1925-2013), Prima Ballerina
Considered America’s first major prima ballerina and first Native American to achieve that distinction Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief was born on an Indian reservation in... continue »
Worcy Crawford (1917-2010), Civil Rights Hero
• Crawford was one of many unsung heroes of the civil rights movement • Crawford Bus Company served the black community at vital times •... continue ».
What can one person do? Read some of the stories on this site; you'll see that they revolve around single individuals who worked toward change.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead
Margaret Mead
