On May 10, 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad was completed, connecting the East and the West and making the rapid growth of the country possible. The Last Spike, or the Golden Spike, was driven in Promontory, Utah, where the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads met. It used to take months to get to California from […]
Topics of Interest
Iran Hostage Crisis
This day in history, the Iran Hostage Crisis ended. For 444 days, 52 U.S. captives were held at the U.S. embassy in Teheran, Iran, during the presidency of Jimmy Carter. On the same day as Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as Carter’s successor, the Americans were freed. Click on your choice of subjects related to the […]
Apollo 8
With astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, Jr. and William Anders, Apollo 8 blasted off toward the moon on December 21, 1968. Their mission was the first manned spacecraft to reach the moon, orbit it, and then return home. This endeavor included several historically-significant events, one of which was actually setting eyes on the far side […]
George Washington at Valley Forge
George Washington encamps army at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
Mayflower Docks at Plymouth Colony
On December 18, 1620, the famous Mayflower docks at what would become modern-day Plymouth, Massachusetts. The success in the establishment of Plymouth Colony has been remembered in the United States through the Thanksgiving holiday tradition of feasts of celebration shared with family and friends. The Mayflower‘s crew took the ship back to England on April […]
Today in History: Patrick Henry’s Famous "Liberty or Death" Speech
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! — Patrick Henry, Second Virginia Convention, March 23, 1775 These words were the […]