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NASA Inventions: From Space to You
On this date in 1958, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the National Space and Aeronautics Act, which authorized the formation of NASA. Here are a few technologies that you may not have known were created or developed for the American space program. Grooved pavement was developed to increase runway safety in the rain. The technology has…
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Bonus Army: Protesting for Veterans Benefits
On this date in 1932, U.S. President Herbert Hoover ordered the army to forcibly evict a group of veterans which had gathered in Washington, D.C. Here are some things you may not have known about the Bonus Army. In 1924, The U.S. Congress overrode a veto by President Woodrow Wilson to allow World War I…
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Election Special: Political Conventions
On this week’s election special we look at the history of the Democratic and Republican presidential nominating conventions. The Democrats have convened this week in Philadelphia and picked Hillary Clinton as their nominee for November’s presidential election. The Republican party met last week in Cleveland to nominate Donald Trump as its standard bearer. The first…
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Esperanto: A Language for the World
On this date in 1887, a book called “Dr. Esperanto’s International Language” was published for the first time. Here are some things you may not have known about the language that came to be known as Esperanto. It is known as a contracted international auxiliary language, meaning it was created and didn’t develop naturally. A…
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In Vitro Fertilization: Giving Couples Hope
On this date in 1978, Louise Brown, the first child conceived through in vitro fertilization or IVF, was born. Here are some things you may not have known about what were known as “test-tube babies.” The first thing to know is that most in vitro pregnancies begin not in a test tube, but in a…
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John Dillinger: Public Enemy Number One
On this date in 1934, gangster John Dillinger was killed in a shootout with law enforcement outside a Chicago theater. Here are some things you may not have known about “Public Enemy No. 1.” John Dillinger was born in 1903 in Indianapolis, Indiana. His father was a grocer, who was reportedly quite stern with his…
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Freeways: Life in the Fast Lane
On this date in 1940, California opened its first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway. Here are some things you may not have known about freeways. Around the world, controlled-access highways are known by many names, including freeways, motorways, expressways, autobahn and autostrada. What they have in common is traffic flow unhindered by intersections, traffic signals…
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Jane Grey: The Nine-Day Queen of England
On this date in 1553, the disputed nine-day reign of Lady Jane Grey as Queen of England ended. Here are some things you may not have known about the shortest reign in British history. Jane Grey was born in either 1536 or 1537, possibly in Leicestershire or possibly in London. She and her sisters Catherine…
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The ‘Glory’ Regiment: Leading the Way
On this date in 1863, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry was defeated in the second battle of Fort Wagner, near Charleston, South Carolina. Here’s a few things you may not have known about one of the first African-American units in the American Civil War. The governor of Massachusetts, John A. Andrew, authorized the regiment in March…