In December 1941, President Roosevelt, praising "the great American charter of personal liberty and human dignity," designated the first 'Bill of Rights' day by declaring: “Now, Therefore, I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate December 15, 1941, as Bill of Rights Day. And I call upon the officials … Continue reading “I’m an American; I have RIGHTS!”
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From the Back of the Bus to the U.S. Capitol
On Thursday, December 1, 1955, a 42-year-old woman named Rosa Parks boarded a bus to commute home from a long day of work at the Montgomery Fair department store. Per Alabama law, the front of a Montgomery bus was reserved for white citizens, and the seats behind them for black citizens. At some point during … Continue reading From the Back of the Bus to the U.S. Capitol
No Room At the Inn…Again
In the autumn of 1898, two traveling salesmen, John H. Nicholson of Janesville, Wisconsin, and Samuel E. Hill of Beloit, Wisconsin, both arrived at the Central House Hotel at Boscobel, Wisconsin, for the night. The hotel was crowded, harkening back to a story with which the two Christian men were well-aware: "there was no room … Continue reading No Room At the Inn…Again
Constantine and the Cross
By the third century, the Roman Empire--the most powerful and wealthy empire the world had ever seen--was in a state of chaos. Civil wars, invasions, and disease were rampant. Things were so bad, in fact, that historians would later refer to this period as "the Crisis of the Third Century." Emperor Diocletian tried to bring … Continue reading Constantine and the Cross
My Cursed Birthday
It's my birthday! That's right--I'm an October 13th baby and, naturally, I think it's the perfect date: the colorful leaves, the subtle crispness to the air, the scent of all things pumpkin. I consider myself pretty doggone lucky to have been born at such a perfect time of year. Except, of course, for those few … Continue reading My Cursed Birthday
The Tylenol Scare of 1982
On September 29, 1982, a twelve year-old girl by the name of Mary Kellerman of Elk Grove, Illinois woke up with a sore throat and runny nose. By 7 a.m., she was dead. Later that day, a twenty-seven year-old postal worker named Adam Janus from Arlington Heights, Illinois also died. His brother Stanley, 25, and … Continue reading The Tylenol Scare of 1982
The Mystery of Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie, the best-selling novelist of all time, is known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, as well as the world’s longest-running play – The Mousetrap. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation, second only to the Bible in terms of … Continue reading The Mystery of Agatha Christie
The Mystery of Kaspar Hauser
On May 26, 1828, a young man appeared on the streets of Nuremberg, Germany. He was a stranger and, though the boy appeared to be around sixteen years and in good physical health, he was seemingly intellectually impaired. He was babbling, incoherent, and confused. Concerned citizens took him to local authorities who discovered a note … Continue reading The Mystery of Kaspar Hauser
The Original, Horrific, True Crime Documentary
We Americans love our true crime stories. There's something fascinating about the macabre, and the media has taken notice, supplying a steady diet of books, podcasts, Netflix documentaries, and Dateline episodes. And, while the phenomenon may have exploded in recent years, it's highly a "new" form of entertainment. All the way back in the 1930's, … Continue reading The Original, Horrific, True Crime Documentary
The Hero’s–or Villain’s–Escape
In late April 1881, Sheriff Pat Garrett was called away from Lincoln to collect taxes in the nearby settlement of White Oaks. He didn't want the assignment. Didn't trust it. He had a notorious outlaw in his jail at the moment, and it wouldn't do to be out-of-town even for a minute, given this particular … Continue reading The Hero’s–or Villain’s–Escape
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