In 2020, the United States marked the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave all U.S. women the right to vote. When the amendment was first introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1918, a dozen states had already legalized suffrage for women, but the piecemeal state-by-state battle was anathema to many suffragists, who wanted to see women voting across the country...
Though educated in electrical and mechanical engineering, Charles Kettering saw himself as a tinkerer. “I’m a pliers and screwdriver man,” he said, “not a theory man.” Combining a faith in practical technology with a can-do spirit, Kettering held 140 patents and revolutionized the auto industry by inventing the electric starter...
Admiral William Halsey earned his nickname “Bull” with a colorful personality and aggressive attitude. His favorite slogan summed up his approach to waging war: “Hit hard, hit fast, hit often.” During World War II, Halsey was one of America’s top admirals. His tactics helped stopped the advance of Japanese forces in the Pacific...
October 1, 1946, was the last day of the first major Nuremburg trial. In the courtroom, the accused Nazis waited to hear the verdict. The judges came from the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and France. Sir Geoffrey Lawrence of Great Britain was the president of the tribunal, and he began reading the verdict...
In 1894, while serving on the Civil Service Commission, Theodore Roosevelt had fought to protect Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Even though it was already a national park, laws allowed for partial destruction of the Yellowstone land by railroads and mining...
At the Edison Illuminating Company, Henry Ford had flexible hours. He had time to visit local machine shops and learn more about making metal parts. And he had time to develop his new engine in a small workshop he built outside the Edison Company...
During the last few years of the 1890s, H. J. Heinz repeatedly showed his genius for promoting his company. While visiting New York City in 1896, he saw a sign advertising “21 styles of shoes.” He thought of the many different foods he sold. He knew there were more than sixty. But for some reason, he thought the number fifty-seven sounded right...
The 1914 Boston Red Sox featured three future members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Centerfielder Tris Speaker is considered one of best ever at his defensive position, and he led the Sox that year with a .338 batting average.
In the years after the Civil War, the legend of Jesse James and his outlaw gang filled newspapers and served as the inspiration for poems and songs. James helped create the legend himself, writing letters to newspapers in between his crimes, sometimes denying them, other times painting himself as a Robin Hood...
