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

The Automat: Restaurant Built With Nickels
For decades, Horn & Hardart’s Automats served as a singular social crossroads within the urban fabric of New York and Philadelphia. It was a regional restaurant business beloved by the locals who frequented it, yet mythologized by a national media that saw the restaurants as unique and powerful social equalizers. Any customer who had a nickel could come in and enjoy a cup of coffee or a piece of pie. After a humble start with…
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Why is Election Day on Tuesday after the first Monday in November?
Why is Election Day always on a Tuesday? This is a question I am often asked when I address groups about our election day history. In 1845, Congress chose the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November because it was the most convenient day for 19th-century farmers. They traveled on horseback or with wagons, so a Tuesday gave them travel time without interfering with Sunday church services or Wednesday market days. That’s the simple…
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Women in Medicine: Little Known Crusaders
In the early 19th century, the American medical field was almost exclusively a men’s club. However, a few resilient women refused to accept the status quo, stepping forward as pioneers to carve out a new path. Today, that landscape is shifting dramatically. While men currently account for 61% of active physicians in the U.S., women now make up the majority of medical students and residents. We are standing on the brink of a major demographic…
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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 the military. They also overcame military skepticism by proving that African Americans could excel at jobs that required intricate training. How The Triple Nickles Got Started At the beginning of World War II, African Americans were taken into the military at a rapid rate, but they were not…
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On
This
Day

On April 27, 1865, the steamboat Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River, killing 1,700 passengers. During the Civil War, the Sultana carried troops along the lower Mississippi. On this trip, the steamboat left New Orleans, stopping at Vicksburg for repairs. The captain took on many Union soldiers heading north as the government paid well for them. They were soon carrying more than six times capacity. Just above Memphis, the boiler blew, killing hundreds. Only 600 people survived.

Heroes & Trailblazers

Paul Revere Williams, Prominent Black L.A. Architect

Paul Revere Williams (1894-1980) was a talented and dedicated man who overcame obstacles that would have daunted almost anyone else. He dreamed of designing buildings and went on to become […]

Woman-Owned, Minority-Owned Construction Co: McKissack & McKissack

“The road to success is always under construction,” says Cheryl McKissack Daniel, President, CEO and now Chair of the Board of McKissack & McKissack, a New York construction company involved […]

First Woman Tiger Trainer: Mabel Stark (1888-1968)

• Performed with many circuses as a tiger trainer and had the center ring with Ringling Brothers in the early 1920s • Worked with the big cats for 57 years […]

World War I Forgotten Hero: William Shemin

William Shemin’s heroic effort during World War I is a profound testament to valor, resilience, and the enduring American spirit. His heroism was undeniably documented by those who fought alongside […]

Joyce Kilmer, World War I Soldier and Well-Known Poet

Alfred Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918) is remembered as a patriot, a family man, a veteran, and a well-known poet. His poetry was so widely-read that when he was killed in World […]

America 250: Read a Little, Learn a Lot

The 250th anniversary of America’s independence—our Semiquincentennial– is just a few months away. The celebrations are intended to begin on July 4, marking the 250th year since the signing of […]

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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?

Recent Stories

Margaret Knight, Inventor of Flat-Bottom Bag Machine

Margaret Knight is best remembered as the inventor of the machine that makes flat-bottomed paper bags. This was a 19th-century innovation that still influences machinery today. However, that single achievement […]

Matthew Henson, Co-Discoverer of the North Pole

Matthew Henson (1866–1955) was the ultimate American explorer—brave, skilled, and unbreakable. For decades, however, history relegated him to the shadows because he was Black. Hired originally as a personal valet […]

Edmonia Lewis: Sculptor Who Achieved International Fame

Edmonia Lewis was a groundbreaking sculptor who achieved international fame during the 19th century. She was born to a Black Haitian father and a mother of Native American (Ojibwe) and […]

Times Square Ball Drop: The Story of the New Year’s Eve Tradition

Each year on December 31 at one minute before midnight (Eastern Standard Time), people from around the world welcome the new year when the shimmering 12,300-pound crystal Waterford ball drops […]

Jovita Idar: Mexican American Journalist and Activist

Journalist and activist Jovita Idar (1885-1946) lived and worked in Laredo, Texas, along the Mexican border. She is the equal of social activists and reporters like Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochran), […]

Road Maps: Before There Was GPS

Remember foldable paper road maps? For some of us, the thought of foldable highway maps conjures memories of family road trips where the words, “Let’s stop for a map,” were […]

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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