History

The Effingham hospital fire on the night of April 4, 1949, was the second largest in United States history, with a total of 77 fatalities. The tragedy resulted in a nationwide overhaul of hospital fire safety regulations thereafter.

The Toledo War comprised a comic series of skirmishes between Ohio and Michigan in April, July, and September of 1835. When it was over, politics won. Ohio retained the disputed territory. Michigan was granted the Upper Peninsula. The active conflict faded, but political controversy continued.

Sweet Fanny Adams is used by the British to describe anything worthless. It is also the name of a pretty young girl murdered in Victorian England. This is how Fanny's name became slang for worthless.

Did Jesse James and his gang bury treasure in Oklahoma? If so, what happened to it? Explore some of the theories as to what happened to their ill-gained loot here.

Mary Elizabeth Bowser operated as a Union spy in the household of Confederate president Jefferson Davis. Never caught, she was one of the most productive Union operatives of the Civil War.

During the Battle of the Bulge, one segregated unit nearly lost all its men and it took years to be recognized. By helping to defend both St. Vith and Bastogne, it deserves its place in history.

First Nations Canadian men signed up for duty in World War I in large numbers. Many served with high distinction but nobody matched the exploits of Francis Pegahmagabow.

Why Abraham Lincoln, as President of the United States, denied any recognition to Jefferson Davis as the Confederate States president.

In the Civil War Robert E. Lee fought fiercely to protect slavery, while Ulysses S. Grant fought just as hard to destroy it. But their personal attitudes toward it were the opposite of what you might expect.

Gutenberg's printing press was a great historical event. Before it, all books had to be laboriously hand copied. His invention sparked a cultural revolution that would change the world forever...

Although forgotten in comparison to Alexander Graham Bell, Antonio Meucci was the true inventor of the telephone. However, his work was stolen and in a way his life was too. This article gives a brief profile of a man who should always be remembered.

St. Philip Neri (1515-1595), was instrumental in Rome’s spiritual rejuvenation during the late Renaissance, earning him the title of “Apostle of Rome.” His most endearing quality however, is his joy and humor; he is the patron saint of mirth.

In 1968 Peanuts, the most popular comic strip in history, was still all white. But a concerned schoolteacher convinced Charles Schulz to bring a black kid into the cast.

A version of English is spoken widely throughout what used to be the British Empire. It’s a mixture of local languages and simplified English grammar used by people who don’t share a common tongue.

Imprisoned for helping the Jews and aiding the resistance in Nazi-occupied Holland, Cornelia "Corrie" ten Boom survived the Holocaust to found a worldwide ministry based on love and forgiveness.

Overcoming fierce racial discrimination, Hugh Mulzac became the first African American to command a Liberty Ship in World War II.