The phrase “the shot heard ‘round the world” comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem “Concord Hymn” from 1837. “One if by land and two if by sea” comes from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Paul Revere’s Ride” from 1861. The British could Read more
John Reynolds graduated in the middle of his West Point class of 1841. He first achieved recognition serving under Gen. Zachary Taylor in the Mexican War. His artillery battery played a key role in the victory at Buena Vista. He Read more
The delusion that personal gain is made by crushing others. The tendency to worry about things that can’t be changed or corrected. Insisting that a thing is impossible because we can’t accomplish it. Refusing to set aside trivial preferences. Neglecting Read more
It was originally called “Gibbet Island” which was a reference to the gallows used to execute pirates, criminals, and mutinous sailors on it. After the last hanging in 1839, it took the name of its last private owner – Samuel Read more
It was named the Spanish Flu because Spain was neutral in WWI and thus did not have press censorship. Their newspapers reported freely on it, especially after King Alfonso XIII got ill. We still don’t know where it originated. Possibilities Read more
The bride was dressed in her home by relatives. She wore a fire-colored veil and simple white smock. Her hair was separated into six tufts and arranged with a spearhead and held by ribbons. A sacrifice of an animal was Read more
I just got done reading “From Here to Eternity” by James Jones. It is set in 1941 and one of the things that stuck out for me was the incredibly low prices mentioned in the book. No wonder those soldiers Read more
After spending four decades collecting stories to tell in class and the last year researching new stories for this site, it is amazing that there are still more out there. History is so entertaining! This story is one I learned Read more
Here are a few examples of how insane Nero was. He fought in the arena as a gladiator against wild animals, but they were all drugged, so he was not in any danger and could not lose. He hired a Read more
In 1968, King was shifting his movement towards a coalition of poor African-Americans and whites. He was planning another march on Washington to be called the Poor People’s Campaign. He took time off from the planning, against the advice of Read more