Project Mercury was launched to put American astronauts in space. But NASA wanted to put a chimpanzee in space first to determine if a human could perform tasks in space. Ham was born in Cameroon, probably in 1957. He was captured by animal trappers and ended up at the Read more…
When the Philippines fell to the Japanese, thousands of American prisoners made the Bataan Death March to prison camps. Many died along the way due to mistreatment. Arrival at the camps did not improve things much. They faced hardships like diseases, malnutrition, and brutal treatment by the guards. Chances Read more…
The Revolutionary War broke out in April, 1775 when colonists opened fire on British redcoats at Concord, Massachusetts. The British soldiers were chased back to Boston. Although the British won the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, Boston remained under siege by colonial forces under Gen. George Washington. Read more…
Audie Murphy had a rough childhood. He was born on June 20, 1925 in rural Texas. He was the 7th of 12 kids. His father was a sharecropper who abandoned his family when Audie was a young boy. He was called “Short Breeches” by other kids because he had Read more…
James Marshall was a skilled carpenter when he went into business with John Sutter. Sutter had a fort that was frequented by settlers coming to California. Sutter dreamed that his land would become a little kingdom, with him as the king. A kingdom needed a sawmill, so Sutter went Read more…
Joe Foss was born in rural South Dakota on April 17, 1915. He grew up in a farmhouse that had no electricity. At age 12, he met Charles Lindbergh on his tour with the Spirit of St. Louis. At age 16, he paid $1.50 for his first plane ride Read more…
On Jan. 11, 1879, the British invaded Zululand after the Zulu king refused an ultimatum used to provoke a war. On Jan. 22, the British suffered a terrible defeat in the Battle of Isandlwana. Over 1,300 Brits were killed. A reserve unit of Zulu warriors that had not taken part Read more…
President Truman’s daughter Margaret wanted to be a professional singer. It turned out that she was not very good at it. On Dec. 6, 1950, she gave a concert at Constitutional Hall. The next day, the Washington Post’s music critic Paul Hume wrote an uncomplimentary review of the concert. Read more…
His mother was an American socialite who was introduced to Lord Randolph Churchill at a regatta by future King Edward VII. His mother had a snake tattoo on her wrist. She remarried twice, both men were twenty years younger. He was a poor student and failed his entrance exam to Read more…
On December 8, 1814, a British fleet reached Ship Island 60 miles east of New Orleans. British rowboats armed with small carronades and carrying British soldiers ran off a motley American flotilla. The British crossed bayous to put an army on the east bank of the Mississippi River, south of Read more…