The Closing of an Icon After two decades of intense scrutiny relating to operating costs and confinement practices, on Thursday, March 21, 1963, the end of an era arrived with the official closure of Alcatraz. The physical structures on Alcatraz were indicating wear and tear that would cost the government millions of dollars to keepContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesdays: Alcatraz Closes it Doors for Good. March 21, 1963”
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History Lesson Tuesday: Malcolm X assassinated.
February 21, 1965: In New York City, Malcolm X, an African American nationalist and religious leader, is assassinated while addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights. He was 39. Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1925, Malcolm was the son of James Earl Little, a Baptist preacher who advocated the Black nationalistContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesday: Malcolm X assassinated.”
History Tuesdays: St. Valentine beheaded in 270 A.D.
On February 14, around the year 270 A.D., Valentine, a holy priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, is said to have been executed. Under the rule of Claudius the Cruel, Rome was involved in many unpopular and bloody campaigns. The emperor had to maintain a strong army, but was having aContinue reading “History Tuesdays: St. Valentine beheaded in 270 A.D.”
History Lesson Tuesdays: 1.27.2023 Auschwitz is Liberated
On January 27, 1945, Soviet troops enter Auschwitz, Poland, freeing the survivors of the network of concentration camps—and finally revealing to the world the depth of the horrors perpetrated there. Auschwitz was really a group of camps, designated I, II, and III. There were also 40 smaller “satellite” camps. It was at Auschwitz II, at Birkenau, established inContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesdays: 1.27.2023 Auschwitz is Liberated”
How FDR Became the First -and Only- President to Serve Four Terms
by Lesley Kennedy On November 5, 1940 Franklin D. Roosevelt broke a long-held precedent—one that started with George Washington—when he became the first president elected to a third term. Roosevelt would go on to vie for, and win, yet a fourth term, taking office again on January 20, 1945. FDR was the first, and last, president to winContinue reading “How FDR Became the First -and Only- President to Serve Four Terms”
This Day In History 1775 U.S. Postal System Established
On July 26, 1775, the U.S. postal system is established by the Second Continental Congress, with Benjamin Franklin as its first postmaster general. Franklin (1706-1790) put in place the foundation for many aspects of today’s mail system. During early colonial times in the 1600s, few American colonists needed to send mail to each other; it was moreContinue reading “This Day In History 1775 U.S. Postal System Established”
FDR Nominated for Unprecedented Third Term!
On July 18, 1940, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who first took office in 1933 as America’s 32nd president, is nominated for an unprecedented third term. Roosevelt, a Democrat, would eventually be elected to a record four terms in office, the only U.S. president to serve more than two terms. Roosevelt was born January 30, 1882, in HydeContinue reading “FDR Nominated for Unprecedented Third Term!”
July 11, 1960 “To Kill A Mockingbird Published”
On July 11, 1960, the 34-year-old novelist Nelle Harper Lee publishes her first novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. By the mid-1950s, Lee had followed her dreams of a writing career to New York City, where her childhood friend Truman Capote had already won fame in literary circles. For Christmas in 1956, her good friends Michael and Joy BrownContinue reading “July 11, 1960 “To Kill A Mockingbird Published””
Aaron Burr slays Alexander Hamilton in Duel
On July 11, 1804, in one of the most famous duels in American history, Vice President Aaron Burr fatally shoots his long-time political antagonist Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, a leading Federalist and the chief architect of America’s political economy, died the following day. Alexander Hamilton, born on the Caribbean island of Nevis, came to the American colonies in 1773 asContinue reading “Aaron Burr slays Alexander Hamilton in Duel”
7 Things You Might Not Know About the Hoover Dam
Get the facts on this engineering marvel, which was dedicated in September 1930. ELIZABETH NIX UPDATED:SEP 1, 2018ORIGINAL:SEP 14, 2015 1. The dam’s name was a source of controversy.Surveyors originally recommended the dam be constructed at Boulder Canyon, leading the initiative to be called the Boulder Canyon Dam Project. Even when Black Canyon later wasContinue reading “7 Things You Might Not Know About the Hoover Dam”
Vintage Dava 