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WHAT'S NEW / IN THE NEWS
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With the guidance of Professor Sandie Linn, from San Diego, we are creating a new feature at Awesome Stories. This month, we’re launching our Visual Vocabulary Builder. Here are a few examples (in PDF format):
At the request of countless educators, our team continues to upload new video clips every day. Some of those newly added clips are November features, described below.
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. We will activate the link, reflected above, soon after the email version is sent.
The new season of HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” takes us back to the days of Prohibition. Atlantic City was a booming town then, and people regularly disregarded the law (including a ban on alcoholic beverages). Based on historical (and fictional) characters, the series attempts to dramatize what life was like at the time. We provide background on the time and the people, including:
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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SITE SIGNUP and LOGIN |
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QUICK CLIPS from the VIDEO ARCHIVES |
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MICHELANGELO’S SISTINE PAINTINGS
After the Pope first viewed Michelangelo's frescoes, on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the paintings were revealed to others on the 1st of November, 1512. They remain some of the world's most magnificent works of art. JOHN ADAMS MOVES into the WHITE HOUSE
John Adams - America's second president - and his wife, Abigail, were the first people to move into the U.S. White House (in November of 1800). Known then as "the President's House," the executive mansion was built with the help of slave labor. That fact was particularly upsetting to both the President and the First Lady.
After the death of his father, Alexander III, Nicholas Romanov became Tsar of all the Russians on November 1, 1894. In this rare historical clip, we view scenes of his formal coronation (which took place in May of 1896).
In a horse race called "the match of the century," Seabiscuit defeated War Admiral in an upset victory at Pimlico on the 1st of November 1938. At first the horses remained fairly close - then, Seabiscuit raced to the finish line. KAROL WOJTYLA - BEFORE HE BECAME JOHN PAUL II
As a young man, Pope John Paul II was known as Karol Wojtyla. Overcoming hardship in his life - including the death of all his immediate family members and Nazi occupation of his native Poland - Wojtyla became a priest on the 1st of November, 1946. Learn about the man who, in later life, was beloved by so many people around the world. BUSTER-JANGLE and its IMPACT on AMERICAN SOLDIERS
Thousands of American soldiers were required to take part in a nuclear-testing event called "Buster Jangle." In this clip, we see soldiers watching "Dog Shot" at the Nevada Proving Ground on November 1, 1951. HOWARD HIGHES FLIES THE "SPRUCE GOOSE"
On the 2nd of November, 1947, Howard Hughes flew his gigantic wooden airplane dubbed "The Spruce Goose." This historical footage provides background on the "flying boat" and features the only time it flew.
Thomas Wolsey did his best to serve Henry VIII, but he failed the King on an important matter. He was unable to convince the Pope to dissolve Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Wolsey was thereafter arrested - on November 4, 1529 - and died before the end of the month.
Although death robbed him of Anne Rutledge (“the love of his life”), Abe Lincoln married another woman - Mary Todd - on November 4, 1842. Mary sometimes had a “sharp tongue,” as depicted in this recreated scene.
GUNPOWDER PLOT - GUY FAWKES at the HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT
On the 5th of November, 1605, London's Houses of Parliament were set to open. The event was delayed, due to an outbreak of plague in the city, which provided extra time for a group of conspirators to further develop their plan - to blow-up Parliament. Their actions, they believed, would also kill the king and the Prince of Wales. These video clips recreate, and explain, the story of the Gunpowder Plot.
LEWIS and CLARK REACH the PACIFIC OCEAN
After a long and arduous journey, Lewis and Clark - and their Corps of Discovery - reached the Pacific Ocean on the 7th of November, 1805. They could not believe what they saw. KRISTALLNACHT - THE NIGHT OF BROKEN GLASS
A German diplomat in Paris was shot by a Jewish teenager on the 7th of November, 1938. After the man died, Hitler's troops began a virulent rampage - on the evening of November 9, 1938 - smashing windows and destroying buildings. In these video clips, survivors of Kristallnacht relate what happened to them and their families. There was so much broken glass in Germany, at the time, that it "amounted to half-a-year's production of the Belgian glass industry."
VLADIMIR I. LENIN - RECORDING of HIS VOICE
In a clip depicting historic footage of the Bolshevik leader, Vladimir Ilych Lenin, we hear a rare recording of his voice. Listen to the sounds of a man who changed the history of his country when he led the Bolshevik Revolution (beginning on the 7th of November, 1917).
Jack the Ripper, who terrorized the Whitechapel section of London in 1888, claimed his last victim - Mary Jane Kelly - on November 9th of that year. To this day, his actual identity remains a mystery.
BERLIN - OPENING the CHECKPOINTS
On the 9th of November, 1989, East-German officials opened the previously closed checkpoints along the Berlin Wall. For the first time in decades, people could freely travel to both parts of Berlin - provided they had the proper paperwork. News clips broadcast the historic events.
ANDERSONVILLE PRISON - HENRY WIRZ
Major Henry Wirz - a Confederate soldier involved in the running of the Andersonville prisoner-of-war camp in Georgia - was executed on November 10, 1865 for war-crime offenses. He was the only American Civil War soldier to be treated in this manner. Who was Wirz? What were the allegations against him?
DR. DAVID LIVINGSTONE - AFRICAN SLAVERY
A Scottish explorer, who was also a medical doctor, David Livingstone did what he could to help end slavery in Africa itself. “Missing” for a long time, he was “found” near Lake Tanganyika, reportedly on the 10th of November, 1871 (although the exact date is unconfirmed). Who was he? SUFFRAGETTES ARRESTED for PICKETING the WHITE HOUSE
On the 10th of November, 1917, about 41 suffragettes were arrested for picketing in front of the White House. Woodrow Wilson was president at the time. The women held signs supporting a constitutional amendment granting American women the right to vote. Refusing to individually pay a $10 fine, the women were sentenced to sixty days in a Virginia workhouse. Their lives quickly became unbearable.
LAST DAY OF WORLD WAR ONE - THE ARMISTICE
Although a cease fire had been agreed upon before dawn, to take effect about six hours later (at 11:00 a.m., Paris time, on the 11th of November 1918), at least ten thousand soldiers were killed from fighting on the last day of World War I. About three thousand of them were Americans. What happened that day?
The 11th of November is "Veteran's Day." It occurs, annually, on the day World War I ended. This year, reflecting how the concept of honoring Veterans began, we provide a clip of WWI's most-famous poem.
ELLIS ISLAND - “PLACE of HOPE and TEARS”
Ellis Island closed on November 12, 1954. Over the decades, about 20 million immigrants had passed through its portals. Why is it known as both a “Place of Hope and Tears?”
Just before he died, fifteen-year-old King Edward VI changed Britain’s law of succession. Instead of his half-sister - Mary Tudor - ascending the throne after his death, Edward appointed Henry VIII’s great-niece, Lady Jane Grey, to become Queen of Britain. On November 13, 1553, Jane Grey was found guilty of committing high treason. What was the process the young King used to circumvent the Act of Succession? Who was Lady Jane Grey?
As Union General William T. Sherman, and his troops, undertook their "March to the Sea," parts of the American South went up in flames. By the 14th of November, 1864, Sherman's men were burning Atlanta. Who was Sherman? Why did he undertake his “March to the Sea?” COVENTRY - DECIMATED BY GERMAN BOMBS
During the evening/early morning of November 14-15, 1940, Hitler sent his bombers to Coventry. After a dreadful night, beginning with incendiaries (which also dispersed hot metal shards), people surveyed their devastated city at first light. Survivors describe what it was like to live through the catastrophe and how they found the will to move/fight on. VIETNAM WAR - THE FIRST GROUND BATTLE
On Sunday, the 14th of November 1965, American combat troops had been in Vietnam for eight months. On that day, Lt Col Hal Moore and his troops were transported into the Ia Drang valley by helicopter. They did not know they were about to be ambushed in the first ground battle of the Vietnam War. This clip features historical footage and an interview with retired Lt. General Hal Moore. TRIAL of CHARLES GUITEAU - PRESIDENTIAL ASSASSIN
Charles Guiteau assassinated President James Garfield. Two months after the President's death, Guiteau's trial began (on November 14, 1881). Was he insane? Was his trial fair? DOSTOEVSKY - PERSONALLY FACES A FIRING SQUAD
On the 16th of November, 1849, Fyodor Dostoevsky was sentenced to death for being part of an allegedly subversive group. Not yet a famous writer, he was minutes away from death - by firing squad - when the Tsar changed his sentence from death to a prison term in Siberia.
“OPERATION PAPERCLIP” - FINDING HITLER’S SCIENTISTS
In a mission dubbed “Operation Paperclip,” the Allies searched-for Hitler’s scientists. On the 16th of November, 1945, the U.S. Army secretly admitted a group of Germans into the country so they could help to develop America’s rocket technology. What was this operation? Who was involved? ELIZABETH I - LEARNS SHE IS QUEEN
On the 17th of November, 1558, Princess Elizabeth - daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn - learned that her half-sister had died, thereby elevating Elizabeth to the throne of Britain. In this video clip, Glenda Jackson (in the role of Elizabeth) recreates the moment when the Princess first heard the news. RICHARD NIXON: "I'M NOT A CROOK"
Embattled by the Watergate scandal, President Nixon did his best to assure the American public that he had done nothing wrong. In a famous televised news conference - on November 17, 1973 - the President said that he welcomed intense questioning. Then he declared: "I'm not a crook!" PRESIDENT LINCOLN and the GETTYSBURG ADDRESS
After the devastating Battle of Gettysburg, in which so many Union and Confederate soldiers died, President Lincoln gave a short speech to dedicate the battlefield cemetery. Known as the Gettysburg Address, it is one of the most famous speeches in U.S. history.
TIME MAGAZINE - HIROHITO on the COVER
Hirohito made the cover of TIME Magazine on the 19th of November, 1928. Who was this Japanese emperor? Why did TIME put him on the cover of that edition? WOLFE TONE and THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY
Wolfe Tone, Irish hero, was a leader of Ireland's rebellion against Britain during 1798. He died that year - on November 19th - after he was captured, "tried" and sentenced to death. To commemorate the 1798 uprising, Robert Dwyer Joyce (1836-1883) wrote the lyrics to a haunting ballad - The Wind that Shakes the Barley. It is performed, in this clip, by Lisa Gerrard. INVENTION of the PHONOGRAPH - THOMAS EDISON
Thomas Edison announced his invention of the phonograph on November 21, 1877. The singing part of this clip represents the first-known recording of music - ever made - which is "listenable" on an Edison phonograph.
ALBERT EINSTEIN - TIME is RELATIVE
On the 21st of November, 1905, Albert Einstein’s paper - “Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?” - was published. It followed - almost as an afterthought - his previous paper, published earlier that year, asserting time is relative. What did Einstein mean when he asserted that time is relative?
ASSASSINATION of PRESIDENT KENNEDY - CLINT HILL'S STORY
Clint Hill was the Secret Service agent assigned to Mrs. Kennedy on the day that JFK was shot in Dallas. In this compilation of interviews, coupled with historical footage of the events of 22 November 1963, Hill describes what happened on a day which shook America.
ASSASSINATION OF LEE HARVEY OSWALD
While President John F. Kennedy was visiting Dallas with his wife, Jackie, he was assassinated on the 22nd of November, 1963. The death of the popular President shocked the country. Two days after JFK was shot and killed, his accused assassin was also murdered - on live television - by Jack Ruby. JFK'S FUNERAL - John, Jr. Salutes His Father
One of the most touching events in a week of extraordinary difficulty, following the assassination of President Kennedy, was the moment when three-year-old John F. Kennedy, Jr. saluted his father's coffin. This video clip provides more than the famous photo. CHARLES DARWIN - ON the ORIGIN of SPECIES
After many years of thinking and writing, Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species on the 24th of November, 1859. Who was Darwin? How did he reach his conclusions?
Beginning in November, 1944, American B-29s began their raids over Japan's capital. Then a city of mostly wooden buildings, Tokyo was massively damaged by the fire bombs.
Although he died young, King Tut - an Egyptian Pharaoh - is one of the most famous rulers of ancient times. The reason? His previously undisturbed tomb was discovered by archaeologists - as was the Pharaoh's mummy. On the 26th of November, 1922, archaeologists entered King Tut's tomb. What they found stunned the world. MAGELLAN and HIS VOYAGE of DISCOVERY
On the 28th of November, 1520, Ferdinand Magellan and his expedition sailed to the Pacific Ocean via the Straits of Magellan. It was the first time any European had reached the Pacific via an passageway from the Atlantic.
A tragedy aboard the slave ship Zong - on the 29th of November, 1781 - helped to turn the British public against the slave trade. Zong's sailors sent many captured Africans into the sea so the ship’s owners could collect insurance proceeds. In this clip, historian Simon Schama explains what happened thereafter.
C.S. LEWIS - NOVEMBER BIRTH and DEATH
C.S. (“Jack”) Lewis was born on November 29, 1898 and died on the day that President Kennedy was shot in Dallas. Who was C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia? What was his life like - as a boy, as a young man and as an adult?
C.S. Lewis was an atheist when his friend, J.R.R. Tolkien - author of The Lord of the Rings - challenged him to assess whether myths and lies were one and the same. Later in his life, Lewis described the events recreated in this clip as some of the more important moments of his life.
The Renaissance - a time of remarkable cultural achievement - is known for a flourishing of the arts and learning. Some of its leading figures were Cosimo and Lorenzo de Medici, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Who were these people - and - how did the Renaissance begin? |
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NOVEMBER HIGHLIGHTS |
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NATIVE-AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
November is Native-American Heritage Month in the U.S. This list of topics will help to highlight their history and culture.
SUSAN B. ANTHONY - ARRESTED for VOTING
Susan B. Anthony, the famous advocate for women's rights, supported Thomas Greeley in the 1872 presidential election. Of course, the 19th Amendment - giving American women the right to vote - wouldn't be law for nearly fifty years. So what difference did it make that Susan Anthony supported Greeley? It made a significant difference to Anthony. She voted - and then was arrested.
NEZ PERCE and the CORPS OF DISCOVERY On November 7, 1805, William Clark made an entry in his journal: “Ocian in view! O! The joy.” Actually, it wasn’t the Pacific Ocean after all, since the coast was still twenty miles away. How the Corps of Discovery had come that far at all was, at least in part, due to help they had received from the Nez Perce. Later, the U.S. government thanked those Native Americans with territorial land reductions. While working in his lab, Wilhelm Konrad Roentgen saw something very peculiar on the 8th of November, 1895. He had accidentally discovered "X-rays." One month later, to prove what he had found, he took an X-ray of his wife's hand. Realizing the power of his discovery, Roentgen did not wish to profit from it. He freely shared his information with others.
STIEG LARSSON - UNEXPECTED DEATH
Stieg Larsson was close to the publication of his first book about Lisbeth Salander - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - when he unexpectedly collapsed and died on November 9, 2004. Who was Stieg? Who were the inspirations for his now-famous characters?
Every November 11th, Canadians honor those who have died for their country. The sacrifices of the 1942 landing at Dieppe, and the 1944 assault at Juno Beach, are just two examples. Learn about this special day and why red poppies - see the Veterans Day video above - play such an important role in commemorations.
On the 11th of November, 1989, Berliners tore down the first slab of the “Berlin Wall.” How did that happen? Why was the wall built in the first place?
COLD MOUNTAIN: NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
In November of 1997, Charles Frazier won a National Book Award for his novel Cold Mountain. What is the story behind that successful book and film adaptation? We take you on a trip to the U.S. National Archives, and into the depths of the Official Record of the Civil War, to find out.
PILGRIMS and the “MAYFLOWER COMPACT”
The ship’s log, of a vessel named Mayflower, tells us that a group of travelers we call “The Pilgrims” met aboard ship to decide how they would govern themselves in their new home. They created a document - “The Mayflower Compact” - to “regulate their civil government.” Who were these people? Why had they left their homeland? What did their “compact” provide? And ... whatever happened to the Mayflower?
EDWIN HUBBLE: NAMESAKE of SPACE TELESCOPE
Edwin Hubble, the famous astronomer who declared the universe is expanding, was born on the 20th of November, 1889. His work inspired the Hubble Space Telescope - actually an orbiting observatory - which consistently provides scientists with incredible images of space. Learn about the observatory and the man whose work still influences scientific thinking.
ASSASSINATION of PRESIDENT KENNEDY
On the 22nd of November, 1963, Americans were stunned when their President, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in Dallas. This story tells what happened, with links to primary sources at the National Archives and exhibits from the Warren Commission Report.
C.S. LEWIS and THE CHRONICLES of NARNIA
Nearly at the same moment President Kennedy died in Dallas, the creator of The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis - died in Britain. During World War II, when his voice was the second-most familiar on the BBC (after Churchill's), Lewis and his brother took care of four children who had been evacuated from London during "The Blitz." Those children made an impact on the two brothers, becoming an inspiration for the four children in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
In November of 1940, the “Ghetto” in Warsaw was sealed off from the rest of the city. Why was the ghetto formed in the first place? What happened to cause its end? |
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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 NOVEMBER! |
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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