- 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.
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