Pablo Neruda wrote poems about nature, but he his also famous for his poems about love, as well as many other subjects. Read this biography about the renowned poet’s career.
Tag Archives: Historic Figures
Revising Himself: Walt Whitman and Leaves of Grass
This companion website to a 2005 Library of Congress exhibit provides glimpses of the items that were displayed as well as background information on Whitman’s life, career, and legacy. Take a look at the “Leaves of Grass” section to learn more about the history surrounding one of America’s most influential books of poetry.
Shackleton’s Voyage of Endurance
In 1914, Ernest Shackleton led an expedition to cross Antarctica. When his ship became trapped in the ice, a new adventure began. Read the astonishing tale of survival that brought his entire crew home safely two years later.
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass’s contributions to the fight for freedom are beyond measure. This article and video provide a brief overview of some of the ways in which Douglass helped shape the course of our nation’s history.
Maya Angelou’s Great Legacy
After the recent passing of Maya Angelou, the media was flooded with tributes, personal stories, and other works meant to honor her and her legacy. This tribute comes from Clarence G. Newsome, President of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
Explorer says he found Columbus’ ship, the Santa Maria
Underwater archaeologist, Barry Clifford, believes his team has found Christopher Columbus’ long lost ship, the Santa Maria. Read this article to find out why he now thinks the wreck he encountered over 10 years ago is Columbus’ ship.
500-year-old mystery: Wreck off Haiti may be Columbus’ flagship Santa Maria
A shipwreck found off the coast of Haiti may be the Santa Maria, one of the three ships Christopher Columbus used to sail across the Atlantic in 1492. Learn about how the importance of the Santa Maria, and why one explorer thinks the wreck is Columbus’s long-lost ship.
Holocaust Remembrance Day Grows Roots: Anne Frank & the Sapling Project
Anne Frank saw the chestnut tree that stood outside of her window as a symbol of beauty, despite the ugliness that pervaded the world around it. Read about how the Anne Frank Center USA’s Sapling Project is giving new life to this special tree and all it stands for.
150 Years Later, Newspaper Retracts Gettysburg Address Diss
President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is one of the most influential speeches in our nation’s history. It’s hard to believe, but when it was first delivered in 1863, one newspaper wrote that the speech was nothing more than “silly remarks.” Now, more than 150 years later, the paper has apologized for its dismissive words.
In The Adventures of Henry Thoreau, Michael Sims follows along the path of self-discovery that led to Walden Pond
In his new book The Adventures of Henry Thoreau, author Michael Sims enlightens the reader on the man behind the famous work of literature.
Romeo, Romeo, what’s Julian Fellowes done to you?
Julian Fellowes’s film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet has drawn criticism for altering the lines of Shakespeare’s most famous love story. Read the article to find out why critics and scholars feel that Fellowes’s adaptation is misleading.
The Scott Expedition
Explorers Ben Saunders and Tarka L’Herpiniere recently made history when they completed the 1,795 mile journey from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back. With links to their blog, maps, activities, and more, this site provides an in-depth look at one of the most amazing stories of polar exploration in history.
A Jazzed-Up Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes made his voice heard by writing poetry about the African American experience. One of those poems has become the core of a multimedia jazz performance, helping young people hear Hughes’s voice in a new way. Read about the performance, watch a video clip, and see pictures from a rehearsal.
“I Will be Heard!”: Abolitionism in America
Americans known as abolitionists played a crucial part in the fight to end slavery in the United States. This site offers a wealth of information about abolitionists and their cause as well as art and personal narratives from former slaves.
The issues behind Jefferson and Hamilton’s rivalry are still alive two centuries later
In his new book Jefferson and Hamilton: The Rivalry That Forged a Nation, author John Ferling tells about two men who helped build our country. Check out this article that details some of the similarities among Jefferson, Hamilton, and modern-day politicians.
My Stepsister Anne Frank
Eva Schloss, Anne Frank’s stepsister, recounts her time at Auschwitz and the importance of learning from history.
Shakespeare Conspiracy Theory
There are people who believe that Shakespeare didn’t actually write the works attributed to him. They question how a humble man from Stratford could possibly have written about royalty, distant countries, and political intrigues. Read this article to find out more about the Shakespeare conspiracy.
Corrie ten Boom
During World War II, Corrie ten Boom and her family hid hundreds of Jews from the Nazis. After they were betrayed by a fellow Dutch citizen, the entire family was imprisoned. Corrie survived and later told her story in the book The Hiding Place. Read this article to find out more about this courageous woman.
Solomon Northup
Solomon Northup was a free man living in New York. In 1841, he was lured south and kidnapped and spent more than a decade enslaved. He recorded his experiences in the book 12 Years a Slave, which has been made into an Academy-award winning film. Read this article to find out more about Northup’s struggle for freedom.
Archaeological Evidence of Homer’s Trojan War Found
Archaeological evidence now supports the idea that the city of Troy was not only larger and more important than previously realized, but that it also may have been able to withstand a ten year siege, just as Homer reported in the Iliad. Was the war really about the kidnapping of Helen? Or might it have been about the city’s overwhelming power? Read to find out.