- Alamo: A Massacre Fuels Victory. Remembering the sacrifice of their friends, Texans defeat General Santa Anna and his forces.
- Alaska: Spanish Flu Epidemic. During World War I, the “Spanish Flu” killed more people than the war itself. The permafrost of Alaska may hold the key to finding a cure, should that strain of influenza ever strike again.
- Alexander The Great: Personal Triumph and Tragedy. It is said that one of Alexander’s favorite quotes came from Homer: “Ever to be best and stand far above all others.” As conqueror of the then-known world, Alexander achieved great success. But he died young, and his empire did not last.
- Challenger: From Horror To Learning Centers. Christa McAuliffe was supposed to be the first teacher in space. But when the shuttle Challenger exploded soon after launch, school children - who saw the tragedy unfold on television - were horrified. Since then, improvements have been made to the shuttle, and Challenger Learning Centers have been established. Those centers help hundreds of thousands of students every year as they learn real-life challenges and ponder science careers.
- Frederick Douglass: From Slave to Presidential Advisor. Frederick Bailey was born a slave, in 1818. Frederick Douglass died a free man, in 1895. Both names belong to the same man. How did he throw off the shackles of bondage to become such a distinguished American?
- Galveston Hurricane and Modern Meteorology. As “the Great Storm of 1900" made its way to Galveston, people on the island did not know how to read - or interpret - the signs of impending doom. After the disaster - which remains the worst in U.S. history - Galveston erected a seawall and weather predicting became much more scientific.
- Great Fire of Chicago: Rebuilding from Disaster. Devastated by raging fires which also burned in other Midwest cities on October 8-9, 1871, Chicago rebuilt at amazing speed.
- Hindenburg: Triumph and Tragedy of the Rigid Airship. When Count Zeppelin achieved his dream of creating a new form of transportation - the rigid airship - could he have anticipated that a future model - the Hindenburg - would be completely destroyed in less than a minute? How was it possible that so many passengers survived?
- Irish Potato Famine: From Disaster to New Life in America. After Ireland’s potato crop failed, in 1845, Irish people were starving, dying and leaving their country in a mass exodus. Many came to the U.S., impacting American culture and cities like New York and Boston.
- Kent State: Conflicting First-Amendment Rights. On May 1, 1970, students at Kent State University were upset that America was bombing “Viet Cong strongholds” in Cambodia. When the Ohio National Guard intervened, four unarmed students - some not part of the protest - were killed. Our story links to photographs used as evidence in a subsequent trial.
- Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii: Destruction and Rebirth. During the summer of 79 A.D., Mt. Vesuvius was sending warning signs that it was about to erupt. As Pliny the Younger observed, however, those facts “did not cause fear because it was a commonly observed feature.” Covered with debris for centuries, Pompeii is now a living museum.
- Navajo Code Talkers: Forbidden Skills Used in War. When Navajo children went to school, they were forbidden to use their native language. Yet it was that language - spoken by Navajo Marines - which formed the basis of an unbroken military code, helping the Allies to win the war in the Pacific.
- Normandy Invasion: Occupation and Military Triumph. During World War II, German forces occupied France. Allied forces, planning for months, launched a successful invasion on June 5, 1944.
- Relocation of Japanese- Americans During WWII. Responding to the Empire of Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. As a result, more than 100,000 Japanese-Americans were forced to close their homes, and businesses, before they were sent to various internment camps. The country did not apologize until decades later.
- Robert Oppenheimer: Manhattan Project. In charge of the project to develop an atomic bomb, Robert Oppenheimer and his team triumphed in their endeavors. Yet, when the bomb was successfully detonated, Oppenheimer quoted: “Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” Among many other primary sources, our story links to a video of Oppenheimer expressing that sentiment.
- Rosie The Riveter: Women's Roles in WWII. Although World War II brought extremely hard times to the world, women performed key roles in industry, and elsewhere, during the war years. Had that not occurred, would the “Women’s Movement” have happened when it did? Would it have been as successful?
- San Francisco Earthquake and Fire: Change Born from Tragedy. On April 18, 1906, a rolling motion affected the Streets of San Francisco, causing them to rise and fall, then rise again. It seemed, to one observer, that the earth itself was breathing. As if the earthquake were not bad enough, a raging fire burned out of control for days. Then the people rebuilt their city, much more mindful of the damage an earthquake can cause.
- Titanic: Tragedy Changes The Rules. What actually happened when the Titanic famously sank during her maiden voyage? Were there enough life boats on board, according to existing laws? Were there any heroes during the last hours of the great ship’s life?
- Underground Railroad: From Slavery to Freedom. Called the “Moses” of her people, Harriet Tubman was a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. She once said: “I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person now I was free.” How did the “underground railroad” begin? What were its likely routes of escape? How did Tubman rise above slavery to help so many people gain their freedom?
- Wright Brothers: Failure Gives Way To Triumph. Despite the Wright Brothers' initial failures, “before the Wright Brothers, no one in aviation did anything fundamentally right. Since the Wright Brothers, no one has done anything fundamentally different.” See the first seven chapters of this story to learn about the failures, and triumphs, of the Wright Brothers.