Tag Archives: #History

History Lesson Tuesday: The First Atomic Bomb Test is Successfully Exploded – 1945

On July 16, 1945, at 5:29:45 a.m., the Manhattan Project yields explosive results as the first atom bomb is successfully tested in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Plans for the creation of a uranium bomb by the Allies were established as early as 1939, when Italian emigre physicist Enrico Fermi met with U.S. Navy department officials at Columbia University to discuss the useContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesday: The First Atomic Bomb Test is Successfully Exploded – 1945”

History Lesson Tuesdays: Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence in 1776

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence, which proclaims the independence of the United States of America from Great Britain and its king. The declaration came 442 days after the first volleys of the American Revolution were fired at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts and marked an ideological expansion of the conflict that would eventually encourage France’s interventionContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesdays: Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence in 1776”

History Lesson Tuesdays: 1944 FDR Signs G.I. Bill

On June 22, 1944, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the G.I. Bill, an unprecedented act of legislation designed to compensate returning members of the armed services—known as G.I.s—for their efforts in World War II. As the last of its sweeping New Deal reforms, Roosevelt’s administration created the G.I. Bill (officially the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944) hoping to avoid a relapseContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesdays: 1944 FDR Signs G.I. Bill”

History Lesson Tuesday: 1968-Robert F. Kennedy is Fatally Shot

Shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968, Senator Robert Kennedy is shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California presidential primary. Immediately after he announced to his cheering supporters that the country was ready to end its fractious divisions, Kennedy was shot several times by 24-year-old Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan. He was pronounced deadContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesday: 1968-Robert F. Kennedy is Fatally Shot”

History Lesson Tuesdays: 1942- The Battle of Midway Begins

On June 4, 1942, the Battle of Midway—one of the most decisive U.S. victories against Japan during World War II—begins. During the four-day sea-and-air battle, the outnumbered U.S. Pacific Fleet succeeded in destroying four Japanese aircraft carriers while losing only one of its own, the Yorktown, to the previously invincible Japanese navy. In six months of offensives prior toContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesdays: 1942- The Battle of Midway Begins”

True Crime Sundays: Ohio Kidnap Victims Rescued After Years in Captivity

On May 6, 2013, three women are rescued from a Cleveland, Ohio, house where they had been imprisoned for many years by their abductor, 52-year-old Ariel Castro, an unemployed bus driver. The women—Michelle Knight, Amada Berry and Gina DeJesus—went missing separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 21, 16 and 14 years old, respectively. AlsoContinue reading “True Crime Sundays: Ohio Kidnap Victims Rescued After Years in Captivity”

History Lesson Tuesdays: 1945-Adolf Hitler commits suicide in his underground bunker

On April 30, 1945, holed up in a bunker under his headquarters in Berlin, Adolf Hitler commits suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule and shooting himself in the head. Soon after, Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allied forces, ending Hitler’s dreams of a “1,000-year” Reich. Since at least 1943, it was becoming increasingly clear that Germany wouldContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesdays: 1945-Adolf Hitler commits suicide in his underground bunker”

History Lesson Tuesdays: 1975- President Ford says that war is finished for America

At a speech at Tulane University, President Gerald Ford says the Vietnam War is finished as far as America is concerned. “Today, Americans can regain the sense of pride that existed before Vietnam. But it cannot be achieved by re-fighting a war.” This was devastating news to the South Vietnamese, who were desperately pleading for U.S. support as theContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesdays: 1975- President Ford says that war is finished for America”

History Lesson Tuesdays: 1995- Pop Star Selena murdered by fan club president

March 31, 1995 Pop star Selena is murdered in Corpus Christi, Texas, shot dead by the president of her fan club. The tragic death prompts an immediate outpouring of grief from fans. Selena Quintanilla Perez rose to fame as the lead singer of her family band, Selena y los Dinos. The band toured extensively, playing in danceContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesdays: 1995- Pop Star Selena murdered by fan club president”