Remembering James Armistead Lafayette
James Armistead Lafayette was a Continental Army double agent tasked with spying on the British during the Revolutionary War. He was born into slavery and enslaved by William Armistead, a Virginia...
Remembering William Berkeley
Long forgotten today, one of the most important political figures in 17th century colonial America was William Berkeley, who died this day on July 9, 1677. Berkeley was the Governor of the Virginia...
Remembering Nathaniel Bacon
Americans sometimes forget—or never were taught—that the first permanent English settlement in North America was not in New England—it was Jamestown Colony in Virginia. During the 17th Century,...
Remembering Philip Sheridan
Unless you’re a serious student of the American Civil War, you may not know much about one of the most important generals to lead Union Army troops during the war: General Philip Sheridan, who died...
Remembering General John Burgoyne
On this day in 1792, British General John Burgoyne died in London at the age of 70. Along with General Charles Cornwallis, he is one of the most famous generals to lead British troops against...
Remembering Wild Bill
Yesterday we commemorated the death of Calamity Jane, the colorful “partner” of Wild Bill Hickok, who died on August 1, 1903. Today, we commemorate the death of Wild Bill himself, who died...
Remembering Calamity Jane
On this day in 1903, one of the most famous female characters in the history of the American West died in South Dakota at the young age of 51. “Calamity Jane” was born Martha Jane Canary in 1852....
Remembering William Penn
He is the namesake of one of America’s original thirteen colonies. A university is named after him, as are numerous high schools, streets, parks and monuments. One of New York City’s major train...
Remembering Ulysses S. Grant
One of the greatest figures in American history is Ulysses S. Grant, the general who led the Union Army to victory in the Civil War, and who later served as a two-term president of the United States....
The Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas)
Background and Prelude to Battle The Battle of Bull Run, the first major land battle of the American Civil War, was fought in Prince William County, Virginia, near the small stream known as Bull Run,...
