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
When World War II began, the United States military had no plan for using dogs for defense. This was in spite of the example set by European countries that employed trained military dogs to great effect during World War I. The American wake-up call for better defense measures came on December 7, 1941, with the attack on Pearl Harbor. Both military leadership and an anxious public realized the country was woefully under-prepared. The nation was…
Long before modern celebrity pets, there was Dave the Wonder Dog—the famous English Setter who shared the spotlight with legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley and her husband, Frank Butler. Nearly as famous as his mistress, Dave became a sensation in Annie’s live shooting demonstrations by balancing an apple on his head until Annie shot it off. During World War I, Dave helped Annie raise thousands of dollars for war relief and earning his place in history…
Deborah Sampson (1760-1827) is well-remembered for her actions during the Revolutionary War. She decided it was her calling to serve in the Continental Army, so she disguised herself as a man and enlisted. She served successfully for 17 months in an area near West Point, known as Neutral Ground. The discovery of her gender occurred when she was sent with her regiment to Philadelphia. Many of the soldiers—including Deborah- became seriously ill. Sampson’s fever became…
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…
On August 26, 1939, the first televised Major League baseball game was broadcast in New York. The game was between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers, playing at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. Few people owned televisions at that time, but the industry was showcasing television as a product at the New York World’s Fair of that year. They felt a televised baseball game would promote interest, and it did. Today televised sports is a multi-billion dollar industry.
n 1908, women participated in a political convention for the first time. The convention itself was for the Democratic Party, and it was to be held in Denver, Colorado, in […]
In today’s world, major national political conventions in the United States are subject to the highest levels of security. The federal government oversees everything from the obvious site inspections and […]
Flag Day was proclaimed to be June 14 by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. The date was chosen to commemorate that on June14, 1777, a flag with stars and stripes was selected […]
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 […]
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 […]
How did early drivers get gasoline before there were gas stations? Until “horseless carriages” began traveling along American roads, there hadn’t been much need for gasoline. Gasoline was identified during […]
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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
Before she became a global superstar, Annie Oakley was simply Phoebe Ann Mosey, a young girl relying on her remarkable ability with firearms to support her family by hunting. That […]
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 […]
“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 […]
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 […]
• 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 […]
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 […]
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.”
