Welcome to America Comes Alive!, a site I created to share little-known stories of America's past. These stories are about Americans - people just like you - who have made a difference and changed the course of history. Look around the site and find what inspires you. Kate Kelly
Harry Whittier Frees (1879-1953) became an animal photographer solely by accident. When Harry was a teen, the Frees family gathered for a birthday celebration. Someone... continue »
Elsie the Cow is one of the most famous marketing mascots ever created. She has been more popular than the Pillsbury Doughboy, better than the... continue »
Several generations of Americans remember Weekly Reader as a source of news in the classroom. The goal of the four- to eight-page weekly paper, which... continue »
The words, “Kilroy was here,” alongside a drawing of a long-nosed, bald fellow peering over a fence still pop up occasionally on walls and buildings... continue »
Had a true photographer’s eye for capturing people doing everyday things; took more than 80,000 images during his career, mostly of daily life in Pittsburgh... continue »
Today our military has access to many ways to observe the enemy. From unmanned drones that fly reconnaissance missions to satellite imagery and infrared sensors... continue »
April showers can bring May flowers but April can also feature snowfall, high winds, heavy rain, and in total contrast--summer-like days. This is a month... continue »
Forty or fifty years ago, parents either tolerated their children reading comic books or outright discouraged it because they "took up time that could be... continue »
Comics used to be for kids, and nobody really approved of them. Whether the comics were about Archie, Richie Rich, or Batman, no one felt... continue »
"Innovation" and the "United States Postal Service" are not words that we would normally find in the same sentence, but next time you go to... continue »
We punch short messages into iPhones and Blackberries and use touch typing methods to write longer missives on computer keyboards. After two to five years,... continue »