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“Kilroy Was Here”-A Story from World War II-
Phineas Banning, Father of the L.A. Harbor
Phineas Banning is known as the “Father of the Los Angeles Harbor.” He deserves that title and more. He arrived in the San Pedro/Los Angeles area with nothing in 1851. He found that his calling in addressing the transportation... -
Helen Keller’s Dogs
Helen Keller’s life was filled with dogs. Though she was born before dogs were being trained as guide dogs for the blind, Keller knew what dog lovers around the world know—dogs are great companions. “A dog never let me... -
Miniature Golf: Its Beginning
Miniature golf was first patented by Garnet Carter (1883-1954) in 1931. Carter owned a hotel called the Fairyland Inn on Lookout Mountain (Georgia) near Chattanooga, Tennessee. -
Collie Travels 2500 Miles to Return to Oregon Home
In the 1920s, a collie mix was separated from his family in Wolcott, Indiana, where the family vacationed the summer of 1923. Frank and Elizabeth Brazier and their two daughters, Nova and Leona, lived in Silverton, Oregon, along the... -
Sled Dog Team Travels from Nome to D.C., 1907
A sled dog team making its way from Nome, Alaska, to Washington, D.C. in 1907 grabbed headlines across the nation. The trip was 8000 miles through snow drifts and grasslands and was a wager undertaken by Eli Smith, musher... -
A Dalmatian in the Civil War
A handsome dalmatian followed Quartermaster General Rufus Ingalls wherever he went at Army headquarters at City Point, Virginia. General Ingalls (1818-1893) returned from a short trip to Washington, D.C. accompanied by what was referred to at the time as... -
Detroit’s History, Told in Vignettes
Detroit’s story is a truly American story, and it’s unique because of its prime location in the Midwest. By understanding what happened in Michigan through the years, we can more fully comprehend the story of our country, from the... -
WWII WASP Mascot Created by Roald Dahl and Disney Studios
Roald Dahl and Walt Disney Studios collaborated to create what became the mascot for the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). She was a fairy-like female gremlin known as Fifinella. -
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Inspiration for a Doghouse
Frank Lloyd Wright is among the best-known architects in the world, but few know that among his commissions was a doghouse. How It Came About After Frank Lloyd Wright designed a home for the Berger family of San Anselmo,... -
Deaf Lifeguard Saved Almost 1000 From Drowning
Leroy Colombo became deaf when he suffered spinal meningitis when he was seven years old (1912). He grew up to be a remarkably good lifeguard. Being deaf might have disqualified him for lifeguarding under certain circumstances, but Leroy’s deafness... -
Cracker Jack: Ever-Popular Baseball Snack
Cracker Jack holds the spot as “most famous of baseball snacks.” Remarkably, it has held that honor for over 100 years. The snack itself began as a simple, inexpensive confection sold by street vendors in Chicago. The story of... -
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...
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Topics At America Comes Alive
American Presidents & Their Families
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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 August 17, 1969, the Woodstock Music Festival ended. Planned as “Three Days of Peace and Music,” The organizers had expected almost 200,000 people. When a half million people arrived, the roads were jammed and the facilities were inadequate; there was very little violence. Later, the term “Woodstock Nation” would be used as a general term to describe the youth counterculture of the 1960s.
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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
Patsy Matsu Takemoto Mink (1927-2002), Pressed for Passage of Title IX
First woman of color in U.S. Congress First Asian-American in Congress First woman to represent Hawaii Patsy Takemoto Mink served two separate stints in the... continue »
James Pierson Beckwourth (1798-1866): Explorer and Frontiersman
Played major role in settling of the American West One of the first African-American frontiersmen Only “mountain man” to document his story in a book... 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
