Tag: history

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Massachusetts Once Had Like Six John Kennedys On The Same Ballot

Around the same time John Fitzgerald Kennedy was rising through the ranks of the US Congress, a guy called John Francis Kennedy decided to put his name on the ballot to run for Massachusetts state treasurer. In a few years, there would be other John Kennedys trying to win public office in the state.

The Kansas Town Where Even Popeye Got His Spinach

It’s Spinach Festival weekend in Lenexa, Kansas, where Popeye’s popularity helped make the community's spinach famous.

It’s All Pumpkin Spice From Here On Out

Summer is through, which means the start of our annual time to consume and/or complain about products flavored with pumpkin spice. It was in the mid-90s that this blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves started its rise to power, and there's no stopping it now, really.

Elizabeth Freeman Makes Herself A Free Woman

An enslaved woman in 18th century Massachusetts overheard all the talk about freedom and equality and decided it should be put to the test.

The Ups and Downs Of Rollercoaster History

It’s National Rollercoaster Day. The history of the rollercoaster is even longer than the tracks they use to get around.

Neat Freaks, Be Glad You Didn’t Live In A Medieval Castle

If you were a royal several hundred years ago, this might be a time when you’d pack up and leave the castle for one of your other castles, so the staff could clean out all the filth!

Save The Washing Machine Museum!

The Lee Maxwell Washing Machine Museum in Eaton, Colorado, is facing an uncertain future. Its namesake wants to pass on his collection of some 1,600 machines to the next generation.

Where We Got Olympic Medals From Before Recycled Cell Phones

The ancient Olympians got olive branches as prizes. Why is it that we have Olympic medals in the first place?

Rise Of The Tortilla

Taco Bell says it’s been dealing with a tortilla shortage. Those craving inexpensive tacos and burritos at odd hours are bearing the brunt of this crisis, but it’s affecting all of us - after all, tortillas have been a part of our culinary lives for thousands of years.

The Fastest Lawn Mower In The World, And How We Got To It

Earlier this month a prototype mower in Germany set a new world record by going from zero to 100 miles an hour in 6.29 seconds… while still cutting grass! Not bad for an invention that's not even 200 years old.

Riding a Horse Down Fillmore Street For Juneteenth

Juneteenth is the annual celebration of the end of the institution of slavery. Today we give some props to the African-Americans who have built the holiday over the year, including the Texan-turned-San Franciscan who used to don his ten-gallon hat and ride his horse through town as part of the festivities.

The Many One True Birthplaces Of Memorial Day

Officially, the community that started Memorial Day is Waterloo, New York. But Waterloo is definitely not the only place with a Memorial Day origin story.