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“Kilroy Was Here”-A Story from World War II-
School Safety Patrols
The school safety patrol system using older elementary school children to help younger children navigate the streets was created much earlier than one would expect. The program dates to 1920, a time when there were relatively few cars on... -
Hazel Ying Lee: First Female Chinese American Military Pilot
Hazel Ying Lee broke barriers by becoming the first female Chinese-American pilot to fly for the military during World War II. Women were not permitted by the U.S. military to fly overseas missions, but they assumed responsibility for the... -
Sybil Ludington, 16, Helped Patriots in Revolutionary War
Sybil Ludington is known for her 40-mile night ride through parts of New York and Connecticut to alert American Patriots that the British military had come ashore in Connecticut and were marching inland. The date was April 26, 1777,... -
Mary Ellen Pleasant, Entrepreneur and Abolitionist
Abolitionist and successful Gold Rush entrepreneur Mary Ellen Pleasant was a free woman of mixed-race who dedicated her life to equality for African Americans. From helping with the Underground Railroad to suing for the right to ride on segregated... -
Horace Pippin: Gifted Painter and Harlem Hellfighter
When it became clear that the U.S. would enter World War I, Horace Pippin left his job with a moving company in Paterson, New Jersey and enlisted. He was 29 and was placed in the 369th Colored Infantry Regiment... -
Martin Luther King Jr. and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Martin Luther King, Jr. was 25 years old when he and his new wife, Coretta, moved to Montgomery, Alabama in 1954. He was to be pastor of Montgomery’s Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Less than one year later, Rosa Parks... -
Jack Abernathy: Catching Live Wolves Bare-Handed
Jack Abernathy was a rough-and-tumble Texas cowboy who feared nothing. He achieved fame for devising a method to capture live wolves bare-handed. He then sold them to zoos and entertainment companies around the country. -
Children Teddy Roosevelt Admired
Teddy Roosevelt had his own sons and daughters whom he loved deeply, but two children, Louis (called Bud) and Temple Abernathy, became his friends while he was in the White House. Roosevelt admired Bud and Temple for living the... -
Bugle Calls and the Origin of TAPS
Communication on a military battlefield or in camp is vital, but before technological advances, spreading information and commands was challenging. Messengers were used to communicate among commanders, but the difficulty was great when informing large groups of men. -
Asian Indians Fight for U.S. in World War I
Nearly a quarter of the men who fought for America in World War I were foreign born, including many Asian Indians who arrived in the U.S. seeking education, a better life, and freedom from British domination of India. It... -
Latino Family Opened Door to School Integration in 1940s
The school desegregation case of Mendez v. Westminster (1947) prepared the way for the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision, yet few people have heard of it. The case concerned an incident in 1943 when a woman took... -
President H.W. Bush’s Service Dog
The Bush family has always had dogs and loved them with great devotion. Dogs have always seen them through challenging times. President George H.W. Bush experienced the loss of a lifetime when his wife Barbara died in April 2018.... -
How Jumbo Joined the Circus
Jumbo the elephant was identified as a possible “get” for the Barnum & Bailey circus in 1882 by a circus scout who found the elephant at the London Zoo. After learning of the elephant, James Bailey sent the man... -
Sculptor of Rushmore Gutzon Borglum
Mount Rushmore towers commandingly over the Black Hills of South Dakota, beckoning visitors to come closer to see in detail the four faces of the U.S. presidents carved into the mountainside. The carvings themselves are so much a part... -
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...
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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 20, 1841, Edgar Allen Poe’s story, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, first appeared in Graham’s Lady’s and Gentleman’s Magazine. This is generally considered to be the first detective story. After Poe’s story was published, detective stories began to grow in popularity. Wilkie Collins’ Moonstone was published in 1868, and about ten years later, the first Sherlock Holmes story came out.
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Who Thought of That?
George Renninger is thought to be the first candymaker to make candy corn. The Goelitz Candy Company popularized it.
Heroes & Trailblazers
Roy Campanella (1921-1993), Negro League Superstar Chosen to Move to Major Leagues
Top National League catcher of his day Second African-American player selected to play in the Major Leagues Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame 1969... continue »
Weegee and Early Crime Photography
Today our society has cameras everywhere, and we have become accustomed to being able to watch tragedy unfold. From the day in 1994 when twenty... 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
