On September 10, 1991, Seattle rock band Nirvana releases its breakout single, “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” In just a few short months, a group that was a complete nonentity to the mainstream music-buying public would become one of the most important rock bands on earth. You either had to be part of a fairly small subculture ofContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesdays: 1991- Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is released as a single.”
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History Lesson Tuesdays: Sam Houston Elected as President of Texas in 1836
On September 5, 1836, Sam Houston is elected as president of the Republic of Texas, which earned its independence from Mexico in a successful military rebellion. Born in Virginia in 1793, Houston moved with his family to rural Tennessee after his father’s death; as a teenager, he ran away and lived for several years with the Cherokee tribe. Houston servedContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesdays: Sam Houston Elected as President of Texas in 1836”
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 Tuesday: 1937: The Hindenburg Disaster
The airship Hindenburg, the largest dirigible ever built and the pride of Nazi Germany, bursts into flames upon touching its mooring mast in Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 36 passengers and crew-members, on May 6, 1937. Frenchman Henri Giffard constructed the first successful airship in 1852. His hydrogen-filled blimp carried a three-horsepower steam engine that turned a large propeller andContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesday: 1937: The Hindenburg Disaster”
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: 1972- Apollo 16 departs for the Moon
April 20, 1972- From Cape Canaveral, Florida, Apollo 16, the fifth of six U.S. lunar landing missions, is successfully launched on its 238,000-mile journey to the moon. On April 20, astronauts John W. Young and Charles M. Duke descended to the lunar surface from the Command Module, which remained in orbit around the moon with a third astronaut,Continue reading “History Lesson Tuesdays: 1972- Apollo 16 departs for the Moon”
History Lesson Tuesday: December 5, 1933. The End of Prohibition in America.
The 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, repealing the 18th Amendment and bringing an end to the era of national prohibition of alcohol in America. At 5:32 p.m. EST, Utah became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, achieving the requisite three-fourths majority of states’ approval. Pennsylvania and Ohio had ratified it earlier in the day. The movement for the prohibition of alcohol began inContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesday: December 5, 1933. The End of Prohibition in America.”
History Lesson Tuesdays: 1994 Jeffrey Dahmer Murdered in Prison
Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, serving 15 consecutive life sentences for the brutal murders of 15 men, is beaten to death by a fellow inmate while performing cleaning duty in a bathroom at the Columbia Correctional Institute gymnasium in Portage, Wisconsin. During a 13-year period, Dahmer, who lived primarily in the Midwest, murdered at least 17 men. Most of these men wereContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesdays: 1994 Jeffrey Dahmer Murdered in Prison”
History Lesson Tuesdays: Herman Melville Publishes “Moby Dick” in 1851.
Moby-Dick is now considered a great classic of American literature and contains one of the most famous opening lines in fiction: “Call me Ishmael.” Initially, though, the book about Captain Ahab and his quest to catch a giant white whale was a flop. Its author, Herman Melville was born in New York City in 1819. As a young man, heContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesdays: Herman Melville Publishes “Moby Dick” in 1851.”
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