Gallipoli Campaign

The Gallipoli Campaign (also called the Dardanelles Campaign) was a World War I Allied offensive on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. It lasted February 17, 1915, through January 9, 1916, and was ultimately unsuccessful, ending in high casualties and evacuation. Background With trench warfare causing stagnation on the Western Front, the British and French decided …Read More

Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton (born January 11, 1755/57; died July 12, 1804) was one of America’s Founding Fathers. A proponent of a strong central government, Hamilton shaped the early economic infrastructure and policies of the United States. Revolutionary War Born in the British West Indies, Alexander Hamilton moved to the United States in 1772. During the American …Read More

Jackie Robinson

Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was born in Cairo, Georgia, but grew up in southern California. He attended UCLA, where he participated in football, basketball, track, and baseball. From 1942 to 1944, during World War II, Robinson served with the U.S. Army. Afterward, he briefly played baseball for the Negro …Read More

442nd Regimental Combat Team

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was a World War II U.S. Army regiment composed almost entirely of second-generation Japanese Americans, known as Nisei. It was the most decorated unit relative to size and service length in U.S. military history. Formation The predecessor of the 442nd was the 100th Infantry Battalion, formed in June 1942 predominantly …Read More

Beatrix Potter

Helen Beatrix Potter (July 28, 1866 – December 22, 1943) was a naturalist, conservationist, illustrator, and author known primarily for her children’s books such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Early Life Beatrix Potter was the only daughter of Rupert Potter and Helen Leech. She and her brother, Walter Bertram, were taught by governesses at …Read More

Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass (c. 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American activist, speaker, and author who advocated for the abolition of slavery, for women’s rights, and for other causes. Early Life, Enslavement & Escape Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born into slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore around 1818 and was raised primarily by his maternal …Read More

Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth (c. 1797 – November 26, 1883) was an American activist for abolitionism, women’s rights, universal suffrage, and other causes.  Early Life Sojourner Truth was born Isabella Baumfree (or Bomefree) around 1797 in Dutch-speaking New York to enslaved parents. Sold away from her family in childhood, Isabella was owned by several abusive enslavers. In …Read More

Lake Nyos Disaster

On August 21, 1986, a rare natural disaster occurred in the West African country of Cameroon when a large cloud of carbon dioxide gas erupted from Lake Nyos (Nios), a deep volcanic crater lake.  Background The event, known as a limnic eruption, occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2) builds in colder, deep lake water, creating a …Read More

Halifax Explosion

On the morning of December 6, 1917, two ships collided in Halifax Harbor, Nova Scotia, resulting in a massive blast that ultimately killed 2,000 people in the largest man-made explosion prior to the atomic age. Background Halifax was a wartime boomtown during World War I, and ships loaded with troops, munitions, and supplies sailed in …Read More