ALEXANDER THE GREAT versus DARIUS III Alexander the Great was born at the right time, with the right genes, and the right personality. By the time he died, at age 33, he ruled over 2 million square miles. He never lost a battle (except one against nature). Few men have changed the world as much as he and, in October of 331 B.C.E., he defeated the Persians at the battle of Gaugamela. "Meet" Alexander, his father Philip, his tutor Aristotle and more of his companions. Track his success as he conquered the then-known world and view online movies of elephants - those animals which so surprised Alexander's men when they first saw them in battle.
THE FALL OF JERUSALEM
As the eleventh century neared its end, Jerusalem was a place where people of different faiths had once lived peacefully together. A city holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims, it was under Islamic rule since 638, when Caliph Omar (Muhammad's successor) captured the city. Then Crusaders took over, in 1099, and many people died in fierce fighting.
Control of the city changed hands again, on the 2nd of October, 1187, when Saladin worked a deal to avoid annihilating Jerusalem's defenders. On the Muslim calendar, the date was 27 Rajab 583. The timing was significant, since Saladin's victory occurred on the very day when Muslims commemorate Muhammad's night-time journey to Jerusalem. Take a trip back in time to learn about events which still impact relations in the Middle East.
A T. REX NAMED SUE
On the 4th of October, 1997 - during a New York City auction - representatives from Chicago's Field Museum placed the winning bid ($7.6 million plus commission) for a one-of-a-kind item. The largest, best-preserved and most-intact fossil of a T. rex - named Sue in honor of its finder, Sue Hendrickson - would soon make its way to Chicago. Less than three years later, Sue was unveiled for all the world to see. Take a virtual trip to the Field Museum, meet Sue, learn about the battle for her remains (after they were discovered near Faith, South Dakota) and examine how the T. rex compares to other dinosaurs.
SPUTNIK and the SPACE RACE
The Soviet Union shocked the world when it launched its first satellite - called Sputnik - on October 4, 1957. People in the United States were especially upset when America lost the "first round" of the space race.
Learn what happened, see a picture of the satellite, hear its transmitted sound (by clicking on "Sputnik" in the first paragraph) and examine the first "spy photo" ever taken by the U.S.
FRANK and JESSE JAMES
On the 5th of October, 1882, the outlaw Frank James surrendered to authorities in his home state of Missouri, relinquishing his gun and turning his back on crime. It was just six months after his famous brother, Jesse James, had been assassinated "by the coward Robert Ford." The James brothers are in the news again, especially because of an award-winning film about them.
Born in pre-Civil War Missouri, the boys lived in a "slave state" which did not leave the Union. Why was that so? What impact did the Missouri Compromise have on young Frank and Jesse? Why was Missouri the scene of more Civil War battles than any other state, save Virginia and Tennessee? What influence did Confederate guerillas have on the James boys? What is the story of Jesse's assassination by one of his own men? What happened to Robert Ford thereafter? With links to numerous primary sources, including the Official Civil War Record and Harper's Weekly illustrations, get the background on one of America's most famous outlaws.
THE GREAT FIRE
From the very beginning, Catherine O'Leary and Daisy, her cow, were blamed for starting Chicago's Great Fire of 1871. Did they really do it? If so, how do we explain America's deadliest fire which started in Peshtigo, Wisconsin at the same time? If Daisy kicked over the lantern in the O'Leary barn, producing enormous losses in Chicago, what caused the raging fire which devastated Holland, Michigan at the same time?
It was dry - very dry - that October 8th evening. Did the Midwest drought have something to do with the fires' intensity? It was windy - cyclonically so - that Sunday night. Did the wind have something to do with the fires' uncontrollable spread? Rain finally came on Tuesday. Did the rain extinguish the flames?
At the time, Chicago was America's "second city," and national publicity about the devastation was intense. Is that why so many people have never heard about the Peshtigo and Holland fires? Insured losses, in Chicago, were staggering. Is that why there were insufficient funds to cover the losses elsewhere? Check out this story. You may learn some important things you never knew before.
CHINA in the KOREAN WAR
During the Korean War, UN troops expanded the conflict - which had been confined inside South Korea - into North Korean territory. Crossing the 38th parallel, on 9 October 1950, UN forces began their attacks as they moved toward the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. In response, China joined the fray as thousands of Chinese soldiers - unseen by UN forces - slipped into North Korea.
What caused this war? Why did it result in a stalemate, still unresolved today? And what caused the Koreans, who had been politically unified for two millennia, to split their peninsula and then fight each other?
BATTLE OF HASTINGS and the NORMAN CONQUEST
It is said that the 14th of October, 1066, changed the course of British history. On that day, exhausted British troops under the command of their king, Harold II, tried to rebuff an invasion by William, Duke of Normandy. The battle of Senlac Hill, near the town of Hastings, was ferocious. It resulted in Harold's death (by an arrow) and a new king (the Norman, William the Conqueror).
The Bayeux Tapestry, perhaps commissioned by William's half-brother in the 1070s, artistically tells the story of the Norman victory. Included in its panels is a mysterious star (later determined to be Halley's Comet) which many people, at the time, believed to be a bad omen. In this story, you will see the Bayeux Tapestry, in animation, together with links which explain both the comet and the famous battle.
THE DEATH of MARIE ANTOINETTE
A marriage intended to form more healthy relations between France and its former enemies resulted in disaster for a princess named Marie Antoinette. Bad publicity contributed to her ultimate demise. She was guillotined, in Paris, on the 16th of October, 1793.
Who was this girl-turned-queen? Did she deserve all the negative press? What kind of mother was she? What happened to her husband? Her children? With links to primary sources, including the memoir of her chief assistant, gain a better understanding of Marie Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI.
FRANCE HELPS AMERICA WIN
For six years, revolutionary forces battled the British Army as His Majesty's colonies in America asserted their independence. While progress was made, many historians believe a colonial victory would not have happened without France's help.
In October of 1781, combined French and American forces laid siege to Lord Cornwallis and his troops at Yorktown, Virginia. On the 17th, a British drummer - followed by a white-flag-carrying officer - approached the enemy. Cornwallis wanted to discuss a cease fire. Washington thought surrender terms would be more appropriate.
The next day, four officers - an American, a Frenchman and two Brits - met at the Moore House, a mile outside Yorktown. On the 19th, British soldiers laid down their arms. The war, although not technically over, had come to a surprising and dramatic end.
CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS
For the first time in weeks, the clouds over Cuba gave way to clear skies. It was October 14, 1962. Major Richard Heyser was about to fly his U-2 on a spy mission over the Caribbean island. What he found brought the world as close as it's ever come to the brink of nuclear war.
As the crisis intensified, UN efforts at ameliorating the problem seemed to go nowhere. Letters between the Soviet leader (Nikita Khrushchev) and the American president (John F. Kennedy) seemed to offer little hope of resolution. Then ... at the behest of the president ... Robert Kennedy brokered a deal which was kept secret for decades. With links to numerous pictures, telegrams and documents, learn how the crisis began and ended.
THE "COLOR LINE" and the WORLD SERIES
On the 20th of October, 1924, baseball's first "Colored World Series" was held in Kansas City, Missouri. Why did "the boys of summer" have separate championships?
In 1883, the Toledo Blue Stockings were about to begin a game against the Chicago White Stockings. Then a problem surfaced. One of Toledo's star players was African-American. One of Chicago's players refused to take the field against a man of color.
As more and more people agreed with the Chicago player, baseball's "color line" developed. It wasn't broken until Jackie Robinson stepped onto Ebbets Field - in Brooklyn - on the 15th of April, 1947.
VICTORY at TRAFALGAR
Long before he arrived at Cape Trafalgar, Horatio Nelson had planned his attack on Napoleon's fleet. When the great naval battle began - on the 21st of October, 1805 - Nelson's unconventional tactics led to Britain's victory. At battle's end, Nelson was dying aboard his ship, HMS Victory.
In this story, you can virtually tour a replica of Nelson's flag ship, examine artifacts from the battle and try your own hand at employing the admiral's naval-battle tactics.
SHOOT-OUT at the O.K. CORRAL
No longer Deputy Marshall of Dodge City, Wyatt Earp still recognized a crime-in-the-making. At least...that's what he thought.
In October of 1881, the former lawman reportedly told Ike Clanton, a Tombstone cowboy: "...if you are anxious to make a fight, I will go anywhere on earth to make a fight with you." Later, after thirty shots rang out in thirty seconds, Wyatt found himself on the other side of the law. He didn't have to "go anywhere on earth to make a fight." He just had to go to the O.K. Corral.
WILLIAM PENN and his MODEL LAWS
William Penn - an Englishman who landed on the river bank of what is now Chester, Pennsylvania in late October, 1682 - knew what it was like to be charged with an unfair law. His jurors knew what could happen if their verdict went against the government's wishes.
Wanting to make sure that his colony became a model of religious toleration, and freedom under law, Penn was guided by a London trial which had nearly cost him his life. He kept those events in mind as he drafted laws which were later used by America's founders.
Thomas Jefferson called Penn "the greatest law-giver the world has produced." Find out why in this story about Penn's sedition trial.
THE GREAT MARKET CRASH
It was a time of utter despair, nearly unimaginable today. On the 28th and 29th of October, 1929, the stock market crashed, ushering in "The Great Depression." It wasn't just stock investors who lost fortunes. Bank depositors also lost their savings since so many banks had invested their holdings in stocks. A domino effect caused businesses to close and people to lose their jobs and homes.
To better understand the impact, examine photographs from the national archives. They paint a picture of very harsh times not that long ago.
GALILEO and his TELESCOPE
He was a well-known math professor at the University of Padua when Galileo learned about an interesting discovery. In 1608, someone in the Netherlands had invented "an instrument for looking into the distance." Galileo made his own telescope and, turning it toward the sky, saw things which caused him to question commonly held beliefs about the solar system. What he observed led him to conclude that Copernicus had been right: The earth moves - and - revolves around the sun, not the other way around.
The Catholic Church decided that such ideas were heresy. Undaunted, Galileo continued to make his observations. Ordered to keep silent, and not teach the Copernican theory, Galileo couldn't help himself. When the inquisitors required him to recant his beliefs (about the earth's movement), he did so. Immediately thereafter, it is said he muttered the legendary words: "And yet, it moves."
Galileo, of course, was right. Unafraid to challenge existing beliefs, he paid the price by living the rest of his life under house arrest. On October 31, 1992, Pope John Paul II expressed regret for the way the church had dealt with the famous scientist. In this story, you can see Galileo's telescope, examine how it functioned, take a virtual trip to the History of Science Museum (in Florence, Italy) and watch some of the museum's most interesting Galileo videos.
