Facts About the Dust Bowl

Dust storm approaching during the Dust Bowl

The Dust Bowl of the 1930s was not only a weather disaster, but also an economical disaster. The terrible drought that caused the Dust Bowl coincided with the worse depression in U.S. history, the Great Depression. Dust so thick would completely block the sun and cause streetlights to come in the middle of the day. 

The Sad Facts About the Great Depression of the 1930s

The Great Depression was the worst economic depression in United States history. It started on a day known as Black Tuesday, when the stock market crashed. In three years, the stock market had dropped 89% and millions of Americans were out of work.

The Last American Battle of the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War officially ended for the United States in 1975. This last official battle of the Vietnam War for America happened after the official end of the war and ironically this last battle wasn’t even against their old enemy, the North Vietnamese.

The Important Facts of World War II in Europe

General Patton, General Eisenhower, and General Bradley

World War II in the European Theater started when Hitler invaded Poland in 1939. After this, Hitler’s Germany had no trouble taking over most of Western Europe. The United States didn’t get directly involved in World War II until the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Some of the well known heroes of World War in Europe were General Patton, General Eisenhower, and General Bradley.

The Important Facts of World War II in The Pacific

Flag raised at Iwo Jima February 23, 1945

World War II consisted of many theaters of operation. There was the European, Burma, India, China, North Africa and the Pacific Theaters of War. This article details the Pacific theater, which includes some of the worst battles of World War II. These battles were on tiny islands in the Pacific Ocean like Guam, Midway, Okinawa and Iwo Jima. The Pacific Theater stretched from Hawaii to Australia to Japan and even Alaska. Americans went from island to island to win the war. American battleships, aircraft carriers and aircraft were all part of these battles.

Life in The United States During World War II

WWII Rosie the Riveter poster / Wikipedia

World War II created many sacrifices and worries at home in the United States. Americans came together for the war effort, grew much of their own food and everything was rationed. We supported our soldiers in every way possible. Americans also had to be alert since we never knew if the enemy would invade our country or not. There were many posters that taught us what to do and rally us during the war. World War II posters will show what life was like during World War II in the U.S.

The History of the Turbulent 1970s

President Nixon / Photo by manhhai Flickr CCBY 2.0

The 1970s started out with continuing demonstrations as people became fed up with the prolonged Vietnam War. The war finally ended as did the presidency of Richard M. Nixon, with his resignation. By the middle of the decade, the economy had dropped to its worst levels since the Great Depression with high inflation and an oil embargo. 

By the end of the decade, the U.S. had seen three different presidents and four different vice presidents.

Medieval Castles of France

The Medieval castles of France go back to the Ninth Century or about 800 AD. The histories of these castles are a fascinating look through the history of the kings, wars, religion and the people who lived during these times. Some of these castles look like huge fortresses and other castles are still beautiful today. You can visit these castles and take guided tours; a couple of them are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

This article has great pictures of the Medieval castles.

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The Fascinating History of the U.S. Space Shuttle Program

President Nixon announced the Space Shuttle Program in 1972 as the Apollo Program was coming to an end. The first Space Shuttle was launched on April 12, 1981 and included many firsts in space flight history. Now that the Space Shuttle program has come to an end, the United States will move in a different direction of space travel. The Space Shuttle has seen the building of the International Space Station, the Hubble telescope and hundreds of projects in space. During these past 30 years, there have been great achievements along with tragic accidents. 

The Fascinating History of the Apollo Space Program

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy told congress he would put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. Unfortunately President Kennedy didn’t live to see it happen, but by 1969, the United States landed the first man on the moon. Some have called the Apollo Space Program,  the greatest scientific achievement ever accomplished. Between July 1969 and December 1972, the US landed twelve Americans on the moon with six different moon landings.

Book Review: The Big Burn by Timothy Egan

Teddy Roosevelt

The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America by Timothy Egan is a wonderful book about the history of the US Forest Service and how it came to be. The book not only details how the US Forest Service became so important but also how conservation and our national parks  came to be. President Theodore Roosevelt loved the outdoors and championed the idea that our national parks should be preserved for future generations. It took a huge forest fire for the Forest Service to be recognized as necessary.

The History of the Chelsea Clock Company

The history of clock and watch making in the United States goes back to the late 1790s when two brothers, Simon and Aaron Willard began making clocks. The Chelsea clock company went through several different names until 1897 when Charles Person bought the company and called it the Chelsea Clock Company. Chelsea Clock has a reputation throughout the years of making beautiful and very accurate timepieces.  You can buy a new Chelsea clock today or a beautiful antique.

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The History of the Super Bowl

Lombardi Trophy from Super Bowl 50 / Mobilus In Mobili Wikipedia CC BY 2.0

Before 1967, there wasn’t a Super Bowl, there was just the NFL Championship. A rival league to the NFL started in 1960 and was called the American Football League (AFL). The AFL became a major rival to the NFL with many fans across the country. It was decided that the two leagues should play in a championship game. The first Super Bowl was played in January 1967 and it wasn’t even a sellout. The two leagues merged and today the Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event in America.

The Interesting History of Basketball and the NBA

Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics / ReneS Wikipedia CC BY 2.0

Basketball was invented by Dr. James Naismith in 1891. As a coach, he devised the thirteen rules of basketball. By 1914, more than 300 colleges were playing the game. There have been many different professional leagues before the NBA became as popular as it is today. And in March, nothing is more popular than the NCAA and March Madness.

The Odd History of Time in the United States

I-90 in South Dakota / Daveynin Flickr CC BY 2.0

There was a time in the United States that it was hard to know what time it was. Every town and city had their own time and it could be a completely different time just 5 miles away. This made it hard to make deliveries and railroad schedules, so finally the government decided it was time to do something. The first organized time zones in the United States were called railroad time, but this was still very confusing. Even as late as the 1970s, you could drive 100 miles and have to change your watch numerous times in parts of the country.

The History of Stock Market Panics

Stock market panics are nothing new and there are lessons to be learned. Words like stock market panic, bank runs, bailouts, greedy bankers, financial contagion, short selling, illiquidity and credit crises are nothing new to the stock market. Looking back over past stock market panics, we can see many similarities to recent stock market panics. 

To learn more about stock market crashes you can read The History of Stock Market Panics. 

What Caused The Great Recession of 2008?

Brendel Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0

Officially the Great Recession started in December 2007, long before most Americans on Main Street realized what was about to happen. According to the NBER, the Great Recession ended in July 2009, which most Americans on Main Street cynically laughed at, knowing full well their recession was not over at that time. What caused the Great Recession, and who to blame, there is plenty of blame to go around… 

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The Dismal Decade: 2000-2009

World Trade Center on 9/11

It seems like it was a long time ago we were partying like it was 1999 and celebrating the new century. A lot has happened in this first decade of the 21st century.  Historically, this past decade caused many of us a great deal of sorrow and stress.

The Most Intense Hurricanes in US History

There are several ways to categorize a hurricane as being the worst in history. Hurricanes can be categorized as worst in terms of deaths, highest wind speed, costliest and lowest barometric reading. The lowest barometric readings usually indicate the most intense hurricanes. These are the most intense hurricanes in U.S. history which include Hurricane Andrew of 1993 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

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The Worst Flash Floods in US History

Here are the stories of some of the worst flash floods in United States history. There have been many devastating flash floods in U.S. history. Not all floods are flash floods, there is a difference. A flash flood can occur when a sudden storm hits or when a dam breaks. Here is a list of the worst flash floods in our country's history. 

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When Will the Next Ice Age Occur?

No one knows exactly when the next ice age will occur, but scientists believe we are past due. Has global warming delayed the next ice age or will it happen anyway. Scientists are not even sure what caused past ice ages. Ice ages have occurred about every 10,000 years with minor ice ages in between.Some scientists believe we are overdue for an ice age while others say we are still coming out of the last ice age. 

Learn about past ice ages and what might have caused them and if we could have another one.

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The Disturbing Facts About Past Flu Pandemics

Seattle police wearing masks during flu pandemic

There were several serious flu epidemics of the 20^th century. The worst flu epidemic was the Spanish flu which occurred during World War I in 1918. This flu outbreak killed 500,000 people in the United States and many millions around the world. Other flu epidemics occurred in 1957, 1968 and 1977.

Could Another Carrington Event Destroy Our Economy?

In 1859, a series of solar flares hit the Earth during an event called the Carrington Event. These were the most intense solar flares to hit Earth in recorded history. In 1859 we didn’t have the immense power grid system, computers, the integrated chip or the internet. We did have telegraph lines and these intense solar flares not only blacked out the telegraph systems it caused them to catch on fire and shock the operators. What would happen today to our electronics, power, communications, satellites and economy if we had another Carrington Event? Is another Carrington Even possible today?

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Farewell to Paul Harvey (1918 - 2009)

On February 28, 2009, one of the best radio personalities we will ever know passed away. I have listened to Paul Harvey on and off for most of my life and the news of his passing made me realize how talk radio has changed. Today, talk radio is filled with hate for one side or the other and it is loud and obnoxious. Most of today’s radio talk shows are nothing but opinion masquerading as real news or facts. But with Paul Harvey, people would stop what they were doing and actually lean towards the radio to listen to, the rest of the story. 

Somaliland: The Country No One Will Recognize

Somaliland is a region of the Horn of Africa but not its own country. It is a part of Somalia but it is different from Somalia in many ways. The people of Somaliland wish that the rest of the planet would recognize them as a separate country since they are different than their neighboring Somalia.