History Knowledge

How did a high-ranking Indian who ceded his ancestral lands in the Deep South become a Confederation General during the Civil War? And why did he fight so fiercely against other Indigenous people during the conflict? Stand Watie went through a period of convulsions for his people and the young …

The haunting lyrics of “Strange Fruit” paint a picture of a rural American South where political and psychological terror reigns over African American communities. “Black bodies swaying in the southern breeze,” sang blues legend Billie Holiday in her powerful 1939 recording of the song, “Strange Fruit Hanging from the Poplars.” …

With the certification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on August 26, 1920, women gained the right to vote after a decades-long struggle. “The right to vote of citizens of the United States will not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state for reasons …

Women served on both sides of World War II, in official military roles more akin to combat than ever. The Soviet Union, in particular, mobilized its women: more than 800,000 of them would enlist in the Red Army during the war, more than half of whom would serve in front-line …

Women inventors have played an important role in American history, but have not always been recognized for their work. Besides the fact that their contributions have at times been understated and overlooked, women – especially women of color – have historically had fewer resources to apply for US patents and …

Televised dinners – those frozen, pre-cooked, pre-portioned meals that can be reheated and ready to eat in minutes – became an American culinary staple in the mid-20th century. But the true origin of this quarter-trillion-dollar industry may never be fully disclosed. Television dinners may not have emerged from factory ovens …

The Aztec Empire was a moving and fragile alliance of three main city-states. The largest and most powerful of the three was Tenochtitlán, the island city built by the Mexican people, also known as the Aztecs. The Aztec Triple Alliance wielded tremendous power over a wide swath of central Mexico …

In a perfect storm of unlikely circumstances, Barbara Jordan, a young congresswoman from Houston, Texas who grew up in isolation, landed a prime-time spot to make an opening statement on July 25, 1974, at the hearings. impeachment of President Richard Nixon. Jordan’s speech catapulted her onto the national platform, but …

On February 22, 1732, George Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, the first of six children to Augustine and Mary Ball Washington. (Augustine had three more children from his first marriage.) An initially loyal British subject, Washington eventually led the Continental Army during the American Revolution and became the …