An interesting historical story.
The island of Sumatra had some of the best pepper in the world. In 1832, an American merchant ship named Friendship arrived to trade for it. When the crew were ashore, they were attacked by a rival chieftain. Three Americans were murdered and the ship was ransacked. The crew Read more
As every American knows, the 13 Colonies could not have gotten their independence without aid from France. That aid came with a price as the newly created United States owed a substantial debt to the French king. One reason Louis XVI was overthrown was because of the damage his Read more
Today is the anniversary of the day William Clark acquired a slave named York. York went on to become one of the most famous slaves in American History. The most popular member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was Clark’s black slave York. York was inherited by Clark when Read more
After the Battle of Cannae, Hannibal dominated Italy, but he was unable to capture the city of Rome. His government was reluctant to send him reinforcements. However, his brother Hasdrubal took it upon himself to help his brother out. He marched his army from Spain, crossed the Alps like Read more
Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Falkirk in 1298. Don’t recognize the name? If you have seen “Braveheart”, you have seen Hollywood’s version of the battle. Don’t use the movie as a history lesson! As teachers, we can use films as a supplementary resource to give a Read more
Happy Birthday, Frances Cleveland! Born on this day in 1864, she went on to become the youngest First Lady. The future First Lady was born Frank Clara Folsom on July 21, 1864. (No she did not have a sex change operation, she was named in honor of an uncle.) “Uncle Read more
Hitler had the luckiest day of his life on July 20, 1944. Yesterday, we learned about a world leader who had a very unlucky day which led to a world war. Today, we will learn about a world leader who had a very lucky day which meant a world Read more
Today is the 2nd anniversary of the creation of this web site, so I am going to share my favorite anecdote of all time. It is a story that changed my life. I first heard it in 6th grade at St. Rose Elementary School in Syracuse, New York. It was Read more
Today is the anniversary of one of the most famous political scandals of the 1960’s. If not for it, we might have had a second Kennedy brother become President. On July 18, 1969, Sen. Edward Kennedy attended a cookout at a cottage on Chappaquiddick Island. He was one of Read more
Today is the anniversary of the flight that created one of the most famous nicknames in American History. Douglas Corrigan became enamored with flying when he took a ride in a plane for $2.50. He was 18 years old. He became an airplane mechanic Read more