San Francisco doesn't have a public school named after John C. Fremont, who was court-martialed for mutiny on January 31, 1849. But if it did, it probably would have been on the list of more than 40 schools that the city's board of education wants to rename. However, San Francisco - and many other places—have other …
Topic: Historical Figures & Events
Delving into the people and events that shaped history
"We bring you 'Voices from America,'" said announcer William Harlan Hale at the start of a 15-minute shortwave radio broadcast that was transmitted into Germany on February 1, 1942. "Today, and daily from now on, we shall speak to you about America and the war," he continued. "The news may be good for us. The news …
"Valor is a gift," Carl Sandburg once said. "Those having it never know for sure whether they have it until the test comes." The four chaplains on the SS Dorchester displayed extraordinary valor on February 3, 1943 when a German submarine sank the converted luxury coastal liner, which was carrying about 900 servicemen, merchant seamen and …
"Two centuries after his death, Chief Justice John Marshall still presides over the Supreme Court," Josh Blackman wrote on the SCOTUSblog last summer. "His larger-than-life statue greets visitors. During investiture ceremonies, new members sit in his chair. And the justices cite him whenever possible." His presence has been especially large for the13 men who have been …
I live close to Concord, Massachusetts which means that whenever I'm feeling too adequate, I can recalibrate by taking a modest bike ride past the homes of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. And if I'm still feeling too good about myself, I can go a bit father to a pond where …
"Don't blame me I'm from Massachusetts," read bumper stickers on Volkswagen Beetles and Buses and other "sensible" cars after the 1972 election in which Massachusetts was the only state to vote for Senator George McGovern, a thoroughly decent man who was too liberal for a country that preferred President Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon, an unscrupulous …
We never spoke about it, but I suspect that my father had a particular soft spot for Joseph Priestly. As someone trained as a chemist, my father would have known of and respected Priestly who died on February 6, 1804. He's pictured on today's #stampoftheday, a 20-cent stamp issued in 1983 and shown here on a …
Although I know it's not true, I believe the word "hassle" comes from the man who founded what became the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which has often been "hassled" (and worse) for its work on climate change. Here's why I want this all to be true. NOAA traces its history back to multiple agencies, …
Like many people interested in urban and environmental issues, I have long been interested been interested in Oregon's long history of progressive populism. And like many people who have looked up to Oregon's lead in those areas, I've been puzzled and concerned by the fact that the state also has been - and continues to …