Nineteenth Century Life Story Briefs

What made the 19th century an interesting but tumultuous time? What technological, cultural and social changes influenced life then? Explore those issues in this story collection.

Known as Dostoevsky's most-violent novel, "Demons" is based on a real-life murder which took place in 1869.

Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, knows a Russian aristocrat who fled Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution. What's the history behind...

Traveling with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Scrooge hears about a man who has died. No one seems to have any respect for this person whose name...

As the Spirit of Christmas Present guides Scrooge to various places, on Christmas Eve, he ends at a place where Ebenezer comes face-to-face with the e...

Because of his difficult childhood circumstances, Edgar Allan Poe was often alone during his youth. He wrote a poem, called "Alone," where he reflects...

Richmond, Virginia was an important town for Edgar Allan Poe.

Known for the musical word rhythms which he created, Poe is often-called one of America's greatest poets.

After South Carolina rejoined the Union, African-American males could vote. More blacks were involved in government in South Carolina than in any othe...

After she read the 1842 "Report of the Children’s Employment Commission," an appalled Elizabeth Barrett Browning published her poem, "The Cry of the...

Ellis Island, located in New York Harbor, served as a port of entry - between 1892-1954 - for millions of European immigrants hoping for a new life in...

Emile Roux, famous in his own right for helping children overcome diphtheria, was Louis Pasteur's chief assistant.

Emperor Meiji (1852 - 1912) was also known as Meiji the Great. He ruled Japan from February 3, 1867 to the day he died on July 30, 1912.

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