An interesting historical story.
Malcolm X was assassinated on Feb. 21, 1965 as he prepared to give a speech to his Organization of Afro-American Unity at a ballroom in New York City. His father had been killed when he was six by white supremacists. Malcolm Little grew up to be a petty criminal Read more
One of the most daring exploits in the history of the U.S. Navy occurred on Feb. 16, 1804. In 1801, the U.S. began the First Barbary War against the pirate (called “corsairs”) states of the Barbary coast of the Mediterranean. The new nation had been paying tribute (bribes) to Read more
In the period between his election and his inauguration, there was an attempt on FDR’s life on Feb. 15, 1933. (This was before inauguration day was moved to January.) He had landed in Miami after a cruise of the Bahamas and was at a meeting with the Mayor of Chicago, Read more
Today is the day we acknowledge as the birthday of the greatest African-American of the 19th Century. When the historian Carter Woodson inaugurated Negro History Week in 1926, he had it coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Woodson placed Douglass’ birthday on Feb. 14. He was Read more
On Feb. 13, 1542, the one wife of Henry VIII who was guilty was beheaded. Catherine Howard is forever known as “the wife who cheated on Henry VIII”. Since her death, historians have been torn between depicting her as anything between lusty whore and clueless vixen. Which is the Read more
Mary Ann Bickerdyke was born in Ohio in 1817. She was one of the first women to attend Oberlin College. She became a botanical doctor, using alternative medicines like herbs and plants. After the Civil War broke out, a friend who was a regimental surgeon wrote her a letter Read more
Desmond Doss was born on Feb. 7, 1919 to a middle-class family in Virginia. His family were devout Seventh-day Adventists. Once as a kid, he walked six miles to donate blood for a stranger he heard about on the radio. Later, he did it again. He graduated from 8th Read more
Empedocles (c. 492-432 B.C.) was one of the great intellects of the Ancient World. He was multi-talented and was a philosopher, doctor, and poet. His greatest achievement was development of the “theory of the four elements” – earth, wind, fire, and water. A strong believer in democracy, he helped Read more
Four men met at Chaplain’s School at Harvard University in 1942 and forged a friendship that would last until their deaths the next year. A chaplain is a priest, rabbi, minister, reverend, etc. that serves in the armed forces. They provide spiritual leadership, minister to soldiers and their families, Read more
Alexander Selcraig (he changed his name later) was born in Scotland in 1676. He was an unruly child and once beat up his whole family because of a simple prank. Later, It was jail or the sea, so he signed on as a privateer (a government sponsored pirate). In Read more