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
The Harvey Girls
The Harvey Girls were an important part of opening the American West in the late nineteenth century. Fred Harvey, a British entrepreneur, started a chain of restaurants along the railroad, and he hired educated young women to serve the restaurant patrons, thereby establishing the Harvey Girls. The young women were vital to the Harvey House Company, and the benefits were mutual. At a time when women had few opportunities to work or to leave the…
Tombs Angel: A One-Woman Social Service Agency
Rebecca Foster Salome was a middle-class woman who earned the apt name the “Tombs Angel” for her daily visits to the Manhattan courts and detention center in the 1880s-1890s. Known as the Tombs, The New York City Halls of Justice and House of Detention, was a surprising place for an upper middle-class wife to find herself. But there were no social service agencies to help the poor and newly incarcerated, and Rebecca Foster learned how…
Bid Whist and Sleeping Car Porters
Sleeping car porters are a well-known part of history. The card game of Bid Whist is not. Yet the story of the men and the story of the card game are very much intertwined. As the Pullman porters traveled the country, they spread information, music and card games like Bid Whist. (Bid Whist is a trick-taking strategic card game compared to spades and bridge.) Why haven’t more people heard of it? Here’s the story: How…
Dr. Charles Drew, Medical Pioneer in Blood Work
Dr. Charles Drew was a pioneer in medicine who achieved recognition in a racially divided America for his work with blood collection and storage during World War II. But those who knew him said that his greatest pride was in having mentored many Black surgeons who might never have moved forward in the field of medicine if it hadn’t been for Dr. Drew. Dr. Drew was one of several scientists working on ways to get…
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On April 28, 1967, boxing champion Muhammad Ali refused to respond to the military draft. For Ali, the decision not to fight was a religious one. He had converted to Islam in 1964, and he said, “I ain’t got no quarrel with those Vietcong.” On June 20, 1967, Ali was convicted of draft evasion, sentenced to five years in prison (did not serve), fined $10,000, and banned from boxing for three years. He returned to boxing in 1970.
Women Leaders
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 Fairfax, Oklahoma in 1925. Her […]
Kitty O’Neil (1947-2018), Stuntwoman
Athlete, Record-Setter, and First Woman in Stunts Unlimited Kitty O’Neil was a champion swimmer, an award-winning diver, and a racer in motorcycle and car competitions. She thrived on speed.
Woman-Owned, Minority-Owned Construction Company Marks 108 Years and Counting
“The road to success is always under construction,” aptly quotes Cheryl McKissack Daniel, President and CEO of McKissack & McKissack, a New York construction company involved in many major infrastructure […]
Myra Bradwell (1831-1894): Rejected by Bar Assoc. but Builds Legal Publishing Empire
• Refused admission to the bar and the practice of law by the Illinois Supreme Court because of her gender;
• Established the Chicago Legal News, which became a vital information service for attorneys;
• Helped Mary Lincoln fight an unjust commitment to an insane asylum;
• Assisted in securing the passage of a bill that gave women the right to retain their own wages and protected the rights of widows;
• Often cited as the first woman attorney in the United States; this is untrue. Arabella Mansfield in Iowa was the first woman in the country admitted to practice law (1869).
Myra Colby Bradwell was born in Manchester, Vermont in 1831. Her family left Vermont when Myra was quite young and they lived in western New York state for a time, eventually pushing on to Cook County, Illinois. When a sister married and moved to Kenosha, Wisconsin where there was a school Myra could attend, Myra moved to Wisconsin until moving back to Elgin, Illinois after a female seminary opened.
• Established the Chicago Legal News, which became a vital information service for attorneys;
• Helped Mary Lincoln fight an unjust commitment to an insane asylum;
• Assisted in securing the passage of a bill that gave women the right to retain their own wages and protected the rights of widows;
• Often cited as the first woman attorney in the United States; this is untrue. Arabella Mansfield in Iowa was the first woman in the country admitted to practice law (1869).
Myra Colby Bradwell was born in Manchester, Vermont in 1831. Her family left Vermont when Myra was quite young and they lived in western New York state for a time, eventually pushing on to Cook County, Illinois. When a sister married and moved to Kenosha, Wisconsin where there was a school Myra could attend, Myra moved to Wisconsin until moving back to Elgin, Illinois after a female seminary opened.Love what you’re reading?
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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
Recent Stories
Harvey House Company
The Harvey House business, founded by Fred Harvey in the late 19th century, played a significant role in shaping the dining and hospitality experience for those traveling west along the […]
The Harvey Girls
The Harvey Girls were an important part of opening the American West in the late nineteenth century. Fred Harvey, a British entrepreneur, started a chain of restaurants along the railroad, […]
Tombs Angel: A One-Woman Social Service Agency
Rebecca Foster Salome was a middle-class woman who earned the apt name the “Tombs Angel” for her daily visits to the Manhattan courts and detention center in the 1880s-1890s. Known […]
Bid Whist and Sleeping Car Porters
Sleeping car porters are a well-known part of history. The card game of Bid Whist is not. Yet the story of the men and the story of the card game […]
Dr. Charles Drew, Medical Pioneer in Blood Work
Dr. Charles Drew was a pioneer in medicine who achieved recognition in a racially divided America for his work with blood collection and storage during World War II. But those […]
Red Ball Express: Transport System Helped Win WWII
The Red Ball Express was a desperately needed World War II truck transport system that came about six weeks after D-Day. By late July of 1944, the Allies were progressing […]
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)