One of the greatest writers in American history was born this day on November 30, 1835. Samuel Langhorne Clemens, whose “pen name” was Mark Twain, was the son of John and Jane Clemens. Growing up in Hannibal, Missouri, Twain developed wanderlust early on, never going past fifth grade in his
In 1905, one of the most important books about the Civil War was published. Entitled “A Diary From Dixie,” the book was actually the diary of Mary Boykin Chesnut, a Southerner whose first-person account of life in South Carolina during the Civil War is considered by many historians as one
On this day in 1752, George Rogers Clark was born in Albermarle County, Virginia. Sometimes called the “Conqueror of the Old Northwest,” Clark was a brigadier general in the Revolutionary War, and engaged in a number of battles in the Northwest Territory, most notably the Siege of Ft. Sackville. After
One of the most famous trailblazers in American history was Daniel Boone, born this day 290 years ago on November 2, 1734. He was born into a family of Quakers, and was raised initially in Pennsylvania. His family moved to North Carolina in 1750 when Daniel was 16 years old.
On October 31, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln officially announced the admission of Nevada to statehood. On that day, Nevada became the 36th state in the Union, as the country was still in the midst of the Civil War, and Lincoln was seeking re-election to a second term as President. The
One of the most important political leaders of the early 19th century, and one of America’s greatest orators, Daniel Webster died this day on October 24, 1852. He played a prominent role in the federal government’s decades-long battles over settlement of the Western Territories, and most famously as Secretary of
1825: A Commemoration of The Final Months of the Marquis de Lafayette’s “Tour of America” Marquis de Lafayette’s General Washington Last August we posted a story about the Marquis de Lafayette’s famous Tour of America in 1824-25. Lafayette was a Frenchman who joined America’s Continental Army as a teenager and
Jamestowne Colony, founded in 1607, was the very first permanent English colony in North America. Over the last 400+ years, its importance in American history has come to be overshadowed by the Pilgrim story in New England, and the somewhat mythical “First Thanksgiving” (it wasn’t the first). When the Pilgrims
On May 10, 1869, America was transformed. On this day, the “Golden Spike” was driven into a special railroad tie, joining tracks laid by two railroad companies coming from different directions from the Midwest to the West Coast. On May 10, 1869, America was transformed. On this day, the “Golden Spike”
350 Years Ago: Happy Birthday to “New York New York” This year we celebrate the 350th anniversary of the founding of New Netherland, the original Dutch colony that stretched north along the Hudson River to today’s Albany, south to today’s Delaware River, and east to Long Island and the banks
Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, died this day on January 6, 1919 at the age of 60. Besides his many political accomplishments, Roosevelt is remembered as a colorful character who lived life to the fullest: a cattle rancher, a war hero, a naturalist, an explorer, and