Battle of Leyte Gulf

From October 23–26, 1944, the Japanese navy unsuccessfully went up against the U.S. navy off the coast of the Philippines in one of the largest naval battles in history. The Japanese loss at Leyte Gulf would give the Americans unchallenged dominance in the Pacific for the rest of World War II. Background & Objectives The …Read More

Great Chicago Fire

The Great Chicago Fire burned October 8 to 10, 1871, in Chicago, Illinois. Chicago, with its frequent high winds and countless wooden structures, was prone to fires even before the “Great Fire” tore through the city. However, none was so destructive as this one. It ultimately killed 300 people and destroyed more than 17,000 buildings. …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

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday for the purpose of honoring and remembering those who have died while serving in the armed forces. It is celebrated annually on the last Monday in May.  Early Observances The first concept of Memorial Day began in the years following the American Civil War. Where it began …Read More

Dunkirk Evacuation

Code-named Operation Dynamo, the Dunkirk Evacuation took place May 26 to June 4, 1940, during World War II as part of the Battle of France. During the operation, more than 338,000 Allied troops were successfully evacuated from the beach at Dunkirk (Dunkerque) following the German invasion of France.  Background When Germany invaded Belgium and the …Read More

Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day)

Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day, May 8 or May 9, 1945) marked Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender during World War II and the end of the war in Europe.  War in Europe Ends News of the end of the war in Europe had been expected for some time, and after Hitler’s suicide at the end …Read More

Marie Curie

Marie Curie (7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish-born French physicist and chemist who made landmark discoveries about radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win a Nobel Prize twice. Early Life & Education Curie was born Maria Sklodowska in 1867 in Warsaw, …Read More

Anne Frank

Anne Frank was a young Jewish girl whose diary, created over two years in hiding during World War II, has since become one of the most read memoirs of the Holocaust. Early Years Annelies Marie Frank was born on June 12, 1929, in Frankfurt, Germany, the second daughter of Edith and Otto Frank. By 1934, …Read More

Madam C.J. Walker

Madam C.J. Walker (December 23, 1867 – May 25, 1919) was a businesswoman and philanthropist who was also the first Black woman self-made millionaire. Early Life Born Sarah Breedlove in 1867 on a cotton plantation near Delta, Louisiana, Walker was the daughter of formerly enslaved parents. Orphaned at just 7 years old, she married at …Read More