A legendary figure in American history, Harriet Tubman’s story is well-known and widely celebrated. But her struggle, ultimately unsuccessful, to be compensated by the federal government for her service during the Civil War is less well-known. In 1865, after three years of dedicated service to the United States Army as a nurse, spy, and soldier, she started a long quest to secure the compensation she never received from the government.
From Whereas: Stories from the People’s House Blog: Shortly before seven o’clock in the evening, on Saturday, February 2, 1856, Nathaniel P. Banks of Massachusetts, strode to the well of the House, climbed the rostrum’s few steps to the Speaker’s chair, and… Read More ›
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Julius Caesar was one of the best known and prominent figures of the ancient world. He was not only an extraordinary military commander but a cunning political leader. Caesar greatly expanded the Roman Empire, and his conquests changed the future… Read More ›
Today, the term “Philistine” has become synonymous with any person or people deemed uncultured, uncouth, and boorish. The word is repeated with little thought to its origin with few people knowing that it is derived from a maligned and often… Read More ›
From JSTOR Daily by James MacDonald: In 1993, in the four corners region of New Mexico, young healthy people began suffering generic flu-like symptoms. Within an eight-week period, ten people had died, their lungs filled with fluid. Many of the… Read More ›
In 1959 Pope John XXIII called for an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church that would later be known at Vatican II. As a result of this council, the Catholic Church would dramatically change or reconsider its stance towards the… Read More ›
From We’re History by Sarah Katherine Mergel: In April 1971, table tennis teams from around the globe traveled to Nagoya, Japan, for the World Table Tennis Championships. Amid the games and other events, American player Glenn Cowan somehow found himself… Read More ›
From Aeon by Josephine Quinn author of In Search of the Phoenicians: Modern nationalism created history as we know it today: what we learn in school, what we study at university, what we read at home is all shaped… Read More ›
Of all the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, only the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt still remain. War, neglect, and natural disasters have wiped them from the face of the earth with only descriptions left by ancient historians… Read More ›
From the St. Martin’s Press History Reader by Daniel Kalder author of The Infernal Reader: On Dictators, the Books They Wrote, and Other Catastrophes of Literacy: Since the days of the Roman Empire, dictators have written books, but in the twentieth… Read More ›
Spying has existed since early historical societies in the Middle East, China, and southeast Europe. However, spy services are generally a later development, where groups of government individuals and ultimately agencies within government became responsible for external and internal spying…. Read More ›
In the modern world, nation-states, empires, and civilizations are often compared to and judged by the perceived success of Roman culture. There is no doubt that Roman culture was successful and enduring, which has contributed to make Rome the “gold… Read More ›
The Spanish Civil War was one of the bloodiest wars in Twentieth Century in Europe. The war was not simply a Spanish affair, but drew in other several other nations, including Italy, Portugal, Germany and the Soviet Union. The war… Read More ›
From Nursing Clio by Peter Sleeth: While Florence Nightingale is legendary in the history of nursing because of her foundational role in the creation of Western healthcare systems, she was not the only important woman in this history. It is perhaps… Read More ›
Cleopatra is perhaps one of the most recognized names of all ancient personalities. She is known as a clever temptress who helped reignite the Roman Civil Wars and oversaw the collapse of the Ptolemaic-Egyptian kingdom. Her life and death has… Read More ›
From the Guardian by William Dalrymple author of Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, 1839-1842: One of the very first Indian words to enter the English language was the Hindustani slang for plunder: “loot”. According to the… Read More ›
From AHA Today by Dionne Danns: As a child, I always enjoyed watching Eyes on the Prize on PBS during Black History Month. I was fascinated both by the history of discrimination and the courageous efforts of young people to fight back… Read More ›
From Reflections on War & Society by Allison Abra, Ph.D. author of Dancing in the English Style (Manchester, 2017): In the fall of 1939, during the first months of the Second World War, famed American war correspondent Edward R. Murrow undertook what… Read More ›
From Smithsonian.com by Martin Rees: Soon after I enrolled as a graduate student at Cambridge University in 1964, I encountered a fellow student, two years ahead of me in his studies, who was unsteady on his feet and spoke with… Read More ›