On this day in 1913, Rosa Parks is born. She is best known for getting arrested when she refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama.   Fortunately, the unjust segregation laws that she was protesting would soon come to an end through peaceful acts of civil disobedience such as her own, combined with non-violent protests led by men such as Martin Luther King, Jr.   As you know, at that point in history, passengers were segregated aboard buses in places such as

On this day in 1959, musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson (“the Big Bopper”) are killed in a plane crash. The terrible tragedy has come to be known as “the Day the Music Died.”   None of it would have occurred but for the “Tour from Hell.”   Holly, Valens, and Richardson were then on that 24-day concert tour, officially known as the Winter Dance Party Tour. Along with Dion and the Belmonts and Frankie Sardo, they would travel across Wisconsin, Minnesota,

On this day in 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first sustained, powered flight of a heavier-than-air machine under the complete control of the pilot. You might know the headline about their history-making flight at Kitty Hawk, but do you know the rest of their story? The Wright brothers’ story is a wonderful example of the entrepreneurial spirit that has made America great! The brothers’ interest in aviation started early. Their father once gave them a rubber-band po

On this day in 1938, the “race of the century” is held at Pimlico Race Course. The contest between two thoroughbred racing horses—Seabiscuit and War Admiral—gripped the nation in a way that might surprise modern Americans. The country was then in the midst of the Great Depression, and horse racing was a welcome distraction. Moreover, this particular race featured a faceoff between the old, Eastern establishment and the newer thoroughbred community in the West. Would the esta

On this day in 1912, Arthur Rose Eldred is notified that he will be the Boy Scouts of America’s first Eagle Scout. Did you know that the...

On this day in 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy is shot by an assassin. His death would strike the nation hard: Bobby’s older brother,...

On this day in 1937, the Hindenburg catches fire and crashes in New Jersey. Somewhat ironically, the airship was then celebrating the one...

On this day in 1974, the United States experiments with permanent Daylight Saving Time. An energy crisis had prompted Congress to “spring...

On this day in 1977, Delta flight 1080 nearly ends in tragedy. Fortunately, former Marine Captain Jack McMahan was at the controls: His...

On this day in 1912, RMS Titanic departs on its maiden voyage from Southhampton to New York. That trip famously ended when the ship hit...

On this day in 1960, a plane carrying the Cal Poly football team crashes in Ohio. The tragedy was the first airline crash involving a...

On this day in 1905, Wilbur Wright makes a record-setting airplane flight. His Flyer III would stay in the air for more than 38 minutes....

On this day in 1924, Calvin Coolidge gives a speech. He discusses the mindset of our ancestors as they began their conflict with Great...

On this day in 1975, Gerald Ford survives an assassination attempt. A second failed attempt would be made just 17 days later.   Oddly,...

On this day in 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. famously delivers his “I have a dream” speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and...

On this day in 1938, Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a law setting a federal minimum wage. The bill was the culmination of months of work:...

On this day in 1980, a special operations team attempts to rescue 53 American hostages in Iran. That mission would unfortunately end in...

On this day in 1928, Colonel Charles Lindbergh is awarded the Medal of Honor. In an odd twist, he’d already received a Distinguished...

On this day in 1909, sixteen American battleships arrive at Hampton Roads, Virginia. This “Great White Fleet” of U.S. Navy vessels had...

On this day in 1904, the Great Baltimore Fire breaks out. The conflagration would decimate more than 1,500 buildings across at least 70...