America’s Gilded Age led by ‘forgettable presidents’ in post-Civil War era
Source: The Virginia Gazette
While the Gilded Age is remembered by many, the time period’s presidents are often overlooked. Read about them here.
History
What We Learned from 5 Million Books
Source: TED
Face it: we’re so overloaded with information that none of us can digest much of it. However, in this TED talk, Jean-Baptiste Michel and Erez Lieberman Aiden present ideas about what we can do—with the five million books and 500 billion words available online today. What do they reveal about who we were, are, and are becoming? Watch the video; then navigate to the site recommended by the speakers. Discover for yourself what five million books have to say!
Jim Crow Stories: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
Source: PBS
In 1896, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of “separate but equal” laws, which weren’t struck down until almost 60 years later in Brown v. Board of Education.
Fighting…Maybe for Freedom, but probably not
Source: Colonial Williamsburg Journal
During the Revolutionary War, black soldiers fought for both the Continental army and the British army. Those who fought for the British were often promised freedom, but that promise was mostly unfulfilled.
Civil Rights Movement
Source: History
The Emancipation Proclamation did not end racial oppression. Read the Introduction and Background on this web site to learn how African Americans continued to fight for equal rights.
Who Decided to Put 60 Seconds in a Minute?
Source: Smithsonian
Watch this video to learn how an ancient civilization still influences how we view something as fundamental as time.
What turned the Wright brothers into pioneers of flight? Their library.
Source: The Irish Times
Gavin Weightman, author of Eureka: How Invention Happens, explains that like some other notable inventors, the Wright Brothers built a large library and taught themselves much of what they knew.
Anne Frank: Her Life, Her Diary, Her Legacy
Source: Google Cultural Institute
View and read this photo gallery for a timeline of Anne Frank’s life and the historic events that shaped it.
Why did Gandhi march 240 miles for salt?
Source: How Stuff Works
Salt may seem like a small thing to spark a revolution, but it’s crucial to human health. Learn more about why the Indian people rose up against English rule over the regulation of salt.
Greek Myths Have Scary Ideas About Robots and A.I.
Source: Futurity
While robots and artificial intelligence may seem like recent concepts, some argue that those ideas originated in ancient Greece.