The 1970 Kent State Mass Shooting of College Protestors

It happened on May 4, 1970, during a student demonstration against the Vietnam War at Kent State University. Four students were killed and nine injured when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on the protestors. The impact of the shootings triggered a nationwide student strike that forced hundreds of U.S. colleges and universities to close. Continue reading “The 1970 Kent State Mass Shooting of College Protestors”

The Medieval Dancing Plague of St. Vitus Dance

Five hundred years ago, during a hot July summer in the French city of Strasbourg, a strange mania seized its people. Hundreds of citizens became compelled to dance uncontrollably in the streets – for no apparent reason.  This collective “dance fever” lasted for WEEKS.  That is, until they collapsed from exhaustion, unconsciousness or, in someContinue reading “The Medieval Dancing Plague of St. Vitus Dance”

The Forgotten Freedom Riders of 1961

During the spring of 1961, both African American and white student activists launched the Freedom Rides.  Their goal was to challenge U.S. segregation on public transportation in the dangerous Deep South. Traveling on buses from Washington, D.C. to Jackson, MS, the Freedom Riders met VIOLENT racial opposition from white mobs in Alabama and Mississippi.

The 1912 Race to Claim the South Pole

There was a time, over a century ago, when there were still amazing feats yet to be achieved on Earth.  Being first to reach the South Pole in Antarctica was one of those coveted prizes.  Those who were first would claim international fame and have their names etched into history books.  Those who failed, oftenContinue reading “The 1912 Race to Claim the South Pole”

The Tragic Story of the Radium Girls

Radium clocks and watches were all the rave during the Roaring Twenties. The watch faces glowed all the time and didn’t require charging in sunlight, like florescent paint. Everyone who was anyone had to have one. The Radium Girls were not rich debutants who flashed their wristwatches, but rather the simple factory women who hand-paintedContinue reading “The Tragic Story of the Radium Girls”

Before They Were Famous – 6 Inventors, Leaders and Humanitarians

What makes certain people seemingly fated to be famous? Is it their wealth, charisma, stamina … or ruthlessness? Could it perhaps be something in their childhood or up-bringing? It is some Secret Sauce that others can replicate? Below are 6 famous people from recent history, Thomas Edison, Theodore Roosevelt, Golda Mier, Winston Churchill, Mother Teresa and Adolf Hitler.

The 1791 Haitian Revolution by Black Slaves

The Haitian Revolution was the largest, most successful slave rebellion in the Western World. Black slaves initiated a rebellion in 1791 and by 1803, they’d ended not just slavery, but achieved independence over French colonial rule.