Mitchelville Was The First US Town Led By Formerly Enslaved People
This month in 1863, the founding of a town that made history: Mitchelville was the first town in the United States to be governed by formerly enslaved people.
There’s An Official Spanish-Language Version Of “The Star-Spangled Banner”
“The Star-Spangled Banner” became the national anthem of the United States more than a century after it was written. Another fun fact about the anthem: there's an official Spanish-language version.
Long Before He Was President, Abraham Lincoln Was A Tavern Owner
The 16th President has been called the Great Emancipator, Honest Abe, The Railsplitter… and if you go far enough into his backstory, you can call him "Bartender In Chief."
You Can Only Drive To Michigan’s “Lost Peninsula” Through Ohio
This week in 1837, Michigan became the 26th state in the Union. Michigan is famous for having an upper peninsula and a lower peninsula, but it also has a Lost Peninsula.
John Adams And Ben Franklin Shared A Room Once And Spent The Night Arguing About The Window
Today in 1735, the birthday of John Adams, the only president who ever spent a night bickering in bed with Benjamin Franklin.
In The Early 20th Century, Some Americans Thought Tipping Was Horrible
When tipping first came to the US, it had lots of opponents, sometimes for opposing reasons.
The Washington Monument That Was Built Before The Washington Monument
Today in 1827, the people of Boonsboro, Maryland marked Independence Day by trying to build a stone monument to George Washington in a single day.
The Treaty That Ended World War I Also Set The International Standard For Musical Pitch
Today in 1919, the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the massive conflict known today as World War I and set a lot of postwar international standards, including standard musical pitch.
Medieval Europeans Really Could Have Banged Coconuts Together, Like In Monty Python
According to a 2017 research paper, that running gag in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” where the characters keep running around the countryside banging coconuts together... that could’ve happened.
Legend Says Instead of Fighting A War, Two Armies In Switzerland Sat Down For Some Soup
Legend has it that today in 1529, two armies in Switzerland decided that instead of having a war, they would have some soup.