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

On
This
Day
On October 19, 1985, the first Blockbuster video-rental store opened in Dallas, Texas. Most video stores were small local businesses with a very limited selection of titles. Blockbuster opened with some 8,000 tapes on display and a computerized check-out process. The first store was a success and Blockbuster expanded rapidly, eventually becoming one of the world’s largest providers of in-home movies and game entertainment. By the mid-1990s, many of the stores were closing because of digital video and streaming services.
Heroes & Trailblazers
Song Pluggers in the American Music Industry
The Invention of the Jukebox
Cher Ami and Other Heroic Birds
Winged Warriors of World Wars I and II
The U.S. Constitution: Explained in Less Than an Hour
Elizabeth Keckly, Slave Turned Entrepreneur, Confidante to Mary Lincoln
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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
Who Thought of That?
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First Elephants Brought to the United States
James A. Bailey, Circus Impresario
P.T. Barnum, Extraordinary Showman
Alice S. Wells: Among First Policewomen
What the Montgomery Boycott Showed Us
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)