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WHAT'S NEW / IN THE NEWS
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Based on the #1 best-selling book, The Help takes us back to a time when discrimination was rampant in America. A leading contender for the film-awards season, The Help has an interesting back story. Did you know the novel was inspired by a non-fiction book in which actual domestic workers tell their stories? Learn that ... and much more ... in our story behind the movie.
The beloved book (by Michael Morpurgo) and stage play (seen by millions of people) is now a major motion picture. Brought to the screen by Steven Spielberg, the story of a boy and his horse is resonating with audiences worldwide. In our story, learn about the real horses of World War I - and what happened to them during, and after, the war.
The film version of Kaui Hart Hemmings’s novel, The Descendants, has also been nominated for numerous awards. George Clooney, who plays the lead character, has already won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Matt King. Do you know what is fact and what is fiction in the movie? Learn all you need to know in our story behind the film.
The year Margaret Thatcher became Britain’s Prime Minister, dead bodies weren’t buried (due to a grave diggers’ strike) and garbage wasn’t collected (due to a refuse-collectors’ strike). Britain had been through a series of national crises which sometimes seemed to paralyze the country. Against that background, Margaret Thatcher came to power as the United Kingdom’s first female Prime Minister. She was - and remains - a highly controversial person. Why?
THE GIRL with the DRAGON TATTOO
Although Stieg Larsson died before his “Millenium Trilogy” became a publishing phenomenon, Lisbeth Salander (“the girl with the dragon tattoo”) and Mikael Blomkvist (the journalist who works with her) are now part of popular culture. A new film - starring Rooney Mara (as Lisbeth) and Daniel Craig (as Blomkvist) - was released at the end of December and has been nominated for numerous awards.
EXTREMELY LOUD and INCREDIBLY CLOSE
A key part of this story relates to the February 13, 1945 bombing of Dresden, Germany. What happened, on that day, forever scarred Oskar’s grandparents. This historical footage helps us to understand the source of their angst.
For twenty years, George Lucas tried to make a movie honoring the Tuskegee Airmen but was told that not enough people would pay to see a film about African-American pilots. To make the film, Lucas had to use his own financial resources. In our story behind the new movie, meet the real Tuskegee pilots via pictures, videos and their own narratives.
Explore a new feature at Awesome Stories - our Visual Vocabulary Builders. Currently, they support fourteen stories (with 140 words and pictures). RADIO BROADCASTS at AWESOME STORIES
The editor of Awesome Stories frequently talks about our new stories on the radio. You can listen to some of those broadcasts - and - you can also hear some of the best radio plays from "yesteryear," such as Les Miserables, A Tale of Two Cities, Dracula, The Count of Monte Cristo, Treasure Island, Mutiny on the Bounty and more!
Because it's much easier to share our newsletters with a stand-alone URL (rather than as an email), we have created a separate URL for this month's edition. You can access it at any time.
AWESOME STORIES ... IN THE NEWS
We are using Twitter, between monthly newsletters, to profile current and historical events. To stay on top of things, click the link above, sign up and off you go!
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QUICK CLIPS from the VIDEO ARCHIVES |
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GREENSBORO FOUR - SIT-IN at the LUNCH COUNTER
On the 1st of February, 1960, four African Americans tried to order food (including a piece of cherry pie) at the Greensboro F.W. Woolworth store. Go back in time to watch what happened when four young men decided to challenge the lunch counter's "whites only" policy. COLUMBIA - THE LOST ASTRONAUTS
On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia exploded. Seven astronauts were onboard. This video clip features the astronauts during their last minutes of life. Of all the many videos made during Columbia's last mission, only this one was found in the debris field. COLUMBIA - DISINTEGRATING DESCENT
On the 1st of February, 2003, two Royal Dutch Air Force pilots were training on a Longbow Apache Helicopter (AH-64) out of Fort Hood, Texas. Practicing maneuvers, the pilots were about 100 feet above ground when they saw a most unusual sight. They recorded a video, with their gun camera, which shows Columbia disintegrating. Released by the Department of Defense, the video was a key piece of evidence as investigators tried to determine what happened to the crew and their orbiter. COLUMBIA - THE "BLACK BOX" FALLS TO EARTH
Sixty kilometers above the states of Louisiana and Texas, the space shuttle Columbia began to disintegrate on the morning of February 1, 2003. People driving their cars - or fishing in their boats - avoided fatal injuries as more than 80,000 pieces of debris - some of it huge - fell to Earth. Six weeks after the disaster, a searcher found the shuttle's "black box." Although it did not have a protective casing, the data recorder had survived a 37-mile fall before it landed in a swampy area near the town of Hemphill, Texas. COLUMBIA - CAUSE OF THE EXPLOSION
As investigators continued their study of the shuttle's explosion, they directed a piece of foam insulation - traveling at a high rate of speed - toward an orbiter wing panel. The shocking results of that experiment - which punched a ten-inch hole into the panel - revealed what had caused Columbia to disintegrate. JAMES JOYCE - AUTHOR OF ULYSSES
James Joyce - an Irishman, born on February 2, 1882 - wrote one of the most famous English-language novels of all times. Who was Joyce? What was he up to in Ulysses?
Queen Victoria was laid to rest on the 2nd of February, 1901. She gave her name to an age, but what do we really know about her? This video clip gives us some background of the Queen at the time of her death.
The most ferocious and deadly battle of World War II was finally over by the 2nd of February, 1943. Considered the turning point of the war in Europe, the battle for Stalingrad caused unimaginable human suffering as Hitler ordered his generals to defeat the city named after Joseph Stalin, the Soviet leader. This clip of historical footage, recorded mostly by Soviet cameramen and entitled "The Great Battle on the Volga," is dubbed in English.
YALTA - A CONFERENCE which CHANGED the WORLD
During the closing months of World War II, three leaders - Churchill, FDR (looking extremely worn and frail) and Stalin - met in the Crimean town of Yalta. The decisions made by the Allies, at that meeting, changed the political make-up of Europe for decades to come.
George VI - Britain's monarch (featured in The King’s Speech) who had struggled so hard to overcome his stammering - became a much-loved leader during World War II. When he died, very unexpectedly - on February 6, 1952 - his loss stunned the whole country. This historical footage provides a glimpse into the reaction of the British people. The King's daughter, Elizabeth - then 25 years old - had just left on a lengthy trip. She returned, days later, as the country's new queen. GUADALCANAL - A TURNING EVENT IN WWII
February 8, 1942 marked a turning point in WWII’s "Pacific Theater." For the first time, Allied forces defeated the Japanese by securing the strategically located island of Guadalcanal. The victory came none-too-soon as Japanese warplanes attacked the city of Darwin, Australia eleven days later. (That February 19th attack was the first of nearly 100 air raids which Japan launched against Australia during 1942-43.) As Japan lost control of islands in the Pacific, its leaders also lost control of air strips vital to their conquest plans.
In 1981, Shergar - the "European Horse of the Year" - won the Epsom Derby by 10 lengths (which is still a record). Two years later, he was kidnapped, never to be seen again. For 25 years, his disappearance was an unsolved mystery. Then ... an investigative reporter learned the truth about what had happened to the magnificent champion.
EXECUTION of MARY, QUEEN of SCOTS
It was said, after Mary Queen of Scots was executed at the Castle of Fotheringhay on 8 February 1587, that her lips continued to move for fifteen minutes after her death. That claim is repeated in this recreation of events, from Elizabeth R, featuring Glenda Jackson in the title role and Vivian Pickles as the doomed queen.
Speaking of Scottish royalty, Macbeth comes to mind. Shakespeare’s play - about this King of the Scots - was based on an actual ruler from the 11th century. How did Shakespeare hear the original story? How did he use it as background for his famous tragedy?
NELSON MANDELA - PRE-CONFINEMENT INTERVIEW
On the 11th of February, 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from 27 years in prison for his opposition to South Africa's apartheid. In this clip - from Mandela's only known video interview, before his decades of confinement - we hear him explain why he rejected non-violence as the best form of resistance to the apartheid regime.
Leaving decades of confinement behind him, Nelson Mandela is a free man on February 11, 1990. This clip contains the future President's first remarks after leaving prison. ABRAHAM LINCOLN - AMERICA'S 16TH PRESIDENT
Many Americans consider Abraham Lincoln as their country's "greatest president." Presiding as chief executive during the U.S. Civil War, Lincoln did his best to reunite the warring States. Born on the 12th of February, 1809, Lincoln was the first in his family to read. Who was he, as a man and as a leader?
Germany launched its much-feared battleship - the Bismarck - on the 15th of February, 1939. Two years and three months later, after the Bismarck sank the Hood - pride of the British fleet - the Bismarck also went to the bottom of the sea. Learn more about the famous vessel in this clip.
ROBERT OPPENHEIMER - MANHATTAN PROJECT
On the 18th of February, 1967, Dr. Robert Oppenheimer died. Leader of the Manhattan Project - which developed the world's first nuclear bomb - Oppenheimer lived to regret his role. In this clip, he makes his famous statement: "Now I am become death, destroyer of worlds."
IWO JIMA - FAMOUS BATTLE BEGINS
Iwo Jima - a place the Allies needed to capture so they had an air base closer to the Japanese home islands - was the scene of a massive landing (by 30,000 Marines) on the 19th of February, 1945. Learn how the island itself - including inside Mt. Surabachi - became a heavily fortified Japanese stronghold.
GEORGE WASHINGTON - "FATHER OF HIS COUNTRY"
George Washington is often known as "The Father" of his country. Born on the 22nd of February, 1732, he served as the commanding general during the American Revolutionary war. Resigning his commission after the war was won, Washington retired to his Mount Vernon farm never expecting to be in the public eye again. He changed his mind, however, after he was asked to serve as the country's President. IWO JIMA - CAPTURING MOUNT SURIBACHI
On the 23rd of February, 1945, fierce fighting continued on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. Although U.S. Marines captured Mount Suribachi on that day - thereafter raising the flag made famous in an iconic war photo - the battle for the island would continue for several weeks. This historical clip, depicting the fight for Suribachi and one of two flag-raising ceremonies, is from a Universal newsreel.
Following his disastrous campaign into Russia, Napoleon was forced to abdicate. Sent to the island of Elba, he grew restless after ten months. On the 26th of February, 1815, Napoleon concocted a plan which returned him to power. How did he do it?
One of America's most inhumane prisons opened its gates on the 27th of February, 1864. From that point, until the war between the states was over, Union prisoners lived and died at Andersonville. Take a tour of the place with a National Park Service guide.
On the 28th of February, 1692, the village of Salem began an infamous chapter in its history. Children asserted that some of the residents were "witches." What caused this situation - and - was it the first time it had happened in the colonies? PRESIDENTS' DAY - AN AMERICAN COMMEMORATION
Americans honor their top leaders on Presidents' Day. This year, that event falls on February 20th.
FDR - VIEWING FILM FOOTAGE in the DAYS before TELEVISION
HARRY TRUMAN INAUGURAL - January 20, 1949
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER INAUGURAL - January 20, 1953
JOHN F. KENNEDY INAUGURAL - January 20, 1961
LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON INAUGURAL - January 20, 1965
RICHARD M. NIXON INAUGURAL - January 20, 1969
GERALD R. FORD INAUGURAL - August 9, 1974
JIMMY CARTER INAUGURAL - January 20, 1977
RONALD REAGAN INAUGURAL- January 20, 1981
GEORGE H.W. BUSH INAUGURAL - January 20, 1989
WILLIAM J. CLINTON INAUGURAL - January 20, 1993
GEORGE W. BUSH INAUGURAL - January 20, 2001
BARACK OBAMA INAUGURAL - January 20, 2009
SKEWERING AMERICAN PRESIDENTS - POLITICAL CARTOONS
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FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTS |
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AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH
In the United States, the month of February is African-American History Month. We provide a list of topics, featuring stories and assets on the site, which focus on those issues.
JULIA WARD HOWE and the WRITING of "BATTLE HYMN"
Julia Ward Howe was a mother, wishing to do something for the Union side, during the American Civil War. At the time, however, women had a different role in society. What could Julia do to help? Then ... someone suggested that she write different words to a popular tune. An idea came to her - during the middle of the night. Getting up, so as not to forget the words in the morning, Julia wrote "Battle Hymn of the Republic." She published her poem - on the 1st of February, 1862 - in the "Atlantic Monthly." Learn the background of a popular American political song.
DEATH WARRANT - MARY, QUEEN of SCOTS Anguishing over the right thing to do - should she, or should she not signed a death warrant for her cousin - Queen Elizabeth I finally put her name to a document which condemned Mary, Queen of Scots. In the furor following Mary's beheading, the original document was lost. One copy remains. JESSE JAMES and the BUSHWACKER CONNECTION On the 2nd of February, 1865, the son of an Ohio teacher burned a railroad depot, stole horses and robbed individuals in the Kentucky town of Midway. His name was William Quantrill, and he would soon have a profound impact on a young teen called Jesse James.
America and Mexico fought a war in the mid-nineteenth century. It ended - on the 2nd of February, 1848 - when the countries signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. For a payment of $15 million - roughly equivalent to $300 million in today's currency - the United States acquired parts, or all, of present-day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Texas.
War and human misery are always soul-mates. But rarely do people bear the kind of suffering residents of Stalingrad endured when the German 6th Army became their Enemy at the Gates.
ERIN BROCKOVICH and the PG&E CASES To avoid another courtroom battle over contaminated groundwater, Pacific Gas & Electric agreed to resolve a series of cases on February 3, 2006. They paid $295 million to settle. It wasn't the first time the company faced significant litigation for alleged chrome-6 issues, however. Their legal problems began when Erin Brockovich - a formerly unemployed single mother of three - questioned why medical records were in a real-estate file.
UNANIMOUS ELECTION of a PRESIDENT
On the 4th of February, 1789, an unusual event happened. George Washington was unanimously elected as America's president. No U.S. president since has ever had such an honor.
FREDERICK DOUGLASS - “THE GREAT EMANCIPATOR”
Known as "The Great Emancipator," Frederick Douglass (born a slave on the 14th of February, 1817) died a free man and a leader (on the 20th of February, 1895). His story is one of remarkable courage and determination.
JOHN MARSHALL and JUDICIAL REVIEW
America's Supreme Court routinely considers whether U.S. laws conflict with the country's constitution. How did that process come about? On the 14th of February, 1803, John Marshall - then America's Chief Justice - wrote these words: "an act of the legislature, repugnant to the constitution, is void." The case was Marbury v Madison, and it has profoundly impacted American history.
FDR ISSUES an ORDER AGAINST JAPANESE-AMERICANS
After considering advice that America should take action against its citizens and residents of Japanese ancestry, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. His words that day - the 19th of February, 1942 - caused untold anguish for hundreds of thousands of people. Apologizing to Japanese-Americans, for the war-time actions, President Ford officially rescinded FDR's order on February 19, 1976.
PARLIAMENT ABOLISHES SLAVE-TRADING
Eighteen years after he'd first raised the issue to abolish slave trading, William Wilberforce - Member of Parliament - put another bill before his colleagues. It was the 23rd of February, 1807. |
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SEARCHING AwesomeStories
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The site has a blazing-fast search for each database. Choose the one you need (images, videos, audio, etc.), and you will immediately get the "search" feature for that database. "Search," at the top right of the site, is for story text.
If it's on the site, you'll find it.
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HAVE A GREAT FEBRUARY! |
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AwesomeStories
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Biographies
History
- American Colonies
- American Revolution - Highlights
- Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
- Assassination of John F. Kennedy
- Auschwitz: Place of Horrors
- Book Burning and Censorship
Disasters
- America Attacked: 9/11
- Black Death
- Challenger Disaster
- Columbia Space Shuttle Explosion
- Deepwater Horizon: Disaster in the Gulf
- Fatal Voyage: The Titanic
Philosophy
- Bagger Vance and and the Bhagavad Gita
- Bonhoeffer: Martyr of Faith
- C.S. Lewis
- Dead Sea Scrolls
- Easter Story
- Freedom of Religion