Tag: American history

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Americans Accidentally Broke Plymouth Rock In Two – More Than Once

The story of the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth rock came much later than the Pilgrims did. After that, people had a hard time keeping the rock in one piece.

The Society For The Prevention Of Useless Giving Tried To Get Americans Out Of All That Holiday Shopping

A little over a century ago, a group of women, plus one former US president, declared they were through with the overly commercial side of Christmas.

How An Amendment James Madison Wrote In The 1790s Got Added To The US Constitution In The 1990s

Everybody knows the government can move slowly, but not usually THIS slowly.

How The Juneteenth Holiday Spread From Galveston, To Texas, To The Whole United States

Holidays don't just show up; people make them happen. Here's the story of how a commemoration of a key moment in ending the institution of slavery eventually became a national holiday across the United States.

Ohio Was The 17th State, And Also Kind Of The 48th

Today in 1953, Ohio became a state... which was weird because Ohio had already been a state for a century and a half. Technicalities can be that way.

Mitchelville Was The First US Town Led By Formerly Enslaved People

This month in 1863, the founding of a town that made history: Mitchelville was the first town in the United States to be governed by formerly enslaved people.

There’s An Official Spanish-Language Version Of “The Star-Spangled Banner”

“The Star-Spangled Banner” became the national anthem of the United States more than a century after it was written. Another fun fact about the anthem: there's an official Spanish-language version.

Long Before He Was President, Abraham Lincoln Was A Tavern Owner

The 16th President has been called the Great Emancipator, Honest Abe, The Railsplitter… and if you go far enough into his backstory, you can call him "Bartender In Chief."

You Can Only Drive To Michigan’s “Lost Peninsula” Through Ohio

This week in 1837, Michigan became the 26th state in the Union. Michigan is famous for having an upper peninsula and a lower peninsula, but it also has a Lost Peninsula.

John Adams And Ben Franklin Shared A Room Once And Spent The Night Arguing About The Window

Today in 1735, the birthday of John Adams, the only president who ever spent a night bickering in bed with Benjamin Franklin. 

In The Early 20th Century, Some Americans Thought Tipping Was Horrible

When tipping first came to the US, it had lots of opponents, sometimes for opposing reasons.

The Washington Monument That Was Built Before The Washington Monument

Today in 1827, the people of Boonsboro, Maryland marked Independence Day by trying to build a stone monument to George Washington in a single day.