CATEGORY: HISTORY
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The Storming of the Bastille
Ten days after the Fourth of July, France will celebrate its own national holiday, called Bastille Day, or Fête nationale française. Why is the storming of the Bastille celebrated more than 230 years later? Let’s find out!
The History of the Independence Day Holiday
The Fourth of July commemorates colonial America’s declared independence from Great Britain. But, do you know how the Independence Day came to be a national holiday, and why it is held on July 4th?
London’s Great Stink
London, 1858. Citizens suffer through a very disgusting, very smelly summer that, almost 170 years later, is still ominously remembered as the Great Stink.
Buffalo History: The Caroline Affair and International Law
In 1837, a rebellion in Canada and the destruction of an American steamship brought the United States and Great Britain to the brink of war.
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: The History of Queer Representation in the Armed Forces
Today, all eligible members of the LGBTQ+ community are allowed to serve in America’s military. However, it hasn’t always been that way. The treatment of queer people in the armed forces has a fraught history.
Off With Her Head: The Unfortunate Fate of Anne Boleyn
On May 19, 1536, the citizens of London gathered around a scaffold at the Tower of London, where the swift chop of a sword brought an end to the life of Anne Boleyn, the second of King Henry VIII’s six wives. Her crime? Failure to bear a son.
What Happens If There Is a Tie in the Electoral College?
What happens when no presidential candidate wins a majority in the Electoral College? The election goes to the House of Representatives, and things get a little messy.
Frances Perkins’ Life of Service
Frances Perkins was the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet when she became the longest-serving Secretary of Labor in 1933. Her career changed the lives of every working American.
Hawk’s Nest: The Deadliest Industrial Disaster You’ve Never Heard Of
In 1930, near the town of Gauley Bridge, West Virginia, 3,000 men worked in ten-hour shifts drilling through sandstone to construct the Hawk’s Nest Tunnel. Within five years, more than 750 of those men would die of a deadly and preventable disease.
