Milicent Fenwick was a lot of things. She was a mother, model, fashion editor, Congresswoman, and diplomat. But she was never conventional or typical. Milicent’s life was very much defined by her going her own way, however her impact on politics as a whole inspired a great deal of positive change in Congress and beyond.
There is no doubt that the ongoing COVID19 pandemic is an important part of the American story. However, it is not the first time that the United States has faced an outbreak of disease on such a scale. Americans saw their first cases in the Spanish Flu pandemic in March 1918. But did you know that the first American cases of the 1918 flu might have actually been the first cases of the disease in the world?
Read MoreOne of the most important women in American history was the Civil War humanitarian, Clara Barton. While Barton is well remembered today for being the founder of the American Red Cross, her career was as lengthy as it was impressive. To tell her story, we decided to speak with Jake Wynn, Director of Interpretation at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum.
Read MoreNow it’s time to choose our next podcast location, and we’re turning the decision over to you! Cast your vote and tell us where the next episodes of A Place in Time should be set. Voting ends this Thursday and the new episode announcement will be made Friday.
Read MoreWhether you know the it as the subject of the James Cameron film from 1997 or as the famously “unsinkable” ship that sunk on its maiden voyage — there is no denying that the RMS Titanic has an enduring legacy. But did you know that there is a memorial to the Titanic in Washington, DC?
Read MoreWhat started out as a pleasure cruise for President John Tyler and his dignitaries on February 28, 1844 turned into a tragedy the likes of which had never been seen before. By the time the day was over, the disaster had killed more top American government officials in a single day than any other tragedy in U.S. history. But you might not have heard of it.
Read MoreHappy Women’s History Month! Here are a few ways to celebrate in Washington DC…
Read MorePatricia Roberts Harris was a woman of firsts. First Black women to serve as an ambassador, first Black woman to serve as the dean of Howard University’s Law School, first Black woman to serve on the board of directors of a Fortune 500 company, and more. Our women’s history month continues as we dive into the remarkable life and career of this trailblazing American woman.
Read MoreThis Women’s History Month we’re kicking off with the story of a Revolutionary War heroine whom you might not have heard of before. Sybil Ludington is known today as the “female Paul Revere” and while her actions were equally heroic, she was largely forgotten until just over a century after her own midnight ride took place.
Read MoreThe Civil War endures heavily in the minds of Americans up until the present day. Yet, American interest in the Civil War has produced and proliferated much historical misinformation with respect to the greater understanding of the conflict. One story that has entered the mainstream is that of Black soldiers fighting for the Confederacy alongside the white men of the South. But were there actually Black Confederates?
Read MoreThis month marks an historic anniversary - the first successful photograph of sitting U.S. President … by Mathew Brady no less! Read all about it.
Read More“Tout le sang coule rouge” is not from the clever mind of some Hollywood scriptwriter. It is the actual title of an unpublished autobiography of, oddly enough, an American. The story of Eugene Bullard is one of grit and determination and should have been taught in schools.
Read MoreWelcome to our first installment of Historic Happy Hour, a series where we will be exploring the choice drinks of American presidents. First up is Lyndon B. Johnson’s scotch and soda fueled escapades around his Texas ranch.
Read MoreOak Hill Cemetery is a historic treasure in Washington DC. Visible from the grounds of Oak Hill, are the grounds of Mount Zion and Female Union Band Society cemeteries. The contrast of picturesque, meticulously preserved Oak Hill Cemetery, to the peculiar blight just east of it’s boundary, is a visual representation of systemic inequity, the indignities of segregation, and the devastating cultural erasure of gentrification.
Read MoreDid you know that one of Historic America’s own tour guides - Andrew Davenport - is a Hemings family descendant? YES … that Hemings family. Pretty cool huh? He’ll be moderating a fascinating event this weekend and he’s sent us a dispatch with all the info. What’s it all about Andrew?
Read MoreTucked into Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood is a narrow street with an old-fashioned name: Elfreth’s Alley. Since at least 1713, this little street has been home, with possibly ten thousand people living here in the intervening three centuries. The homes that stand today, built between 1724 and 1836, have seen Philadelphia change from a bustling Colonial port to an industrial powerhouse and finally to a post-industrial city.
Read MoreWhen one thinks of the Civil War in Charleston, South Carolina, the mind immediately goes to Fort Sumter where on April 12, 1861 Confederate forces fired the first shots of what became the bloodiest war in American history. However, just over a year after the war began, Charleston was also the site of an extraordinary act of courage on the part of an enslaved man named Robert Smalls. Despite this, many people have never heard the story of Smalls’ actions.
Read MoreAs The Big Lebowski tells us, “Sometimes there’s a man, well, he’s the man for his time and place.” That’s Yeager - the very definition of American manhood; a rugged, whip-smart, patriotic, devoted, courageous fighter pilot who rose from humble beginnings in rural West Virginia to enlist as a teenage private in the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) and would go onto to become one of the most famous pilots in history.
Read MoreLove is in the air! Although the pandemic has definitely shaken up our usual Valentine’s Day plans this year, but Americans have been celebrating the holiday for over a century. Join us as we go back in time and explore how our fellow Americans have commemorated their love over the past hundred years of Valentine’s Day festivities!
Read MoreThere were many foreign heroes who made American independence possible. Among them was Tadeusz Kościuszko, a Polish military engineer who arrived in the Thirteen Colonies unable to speak English but ready to help the American cause. In fact, Kościuszko carried his love for freedom and republicanism wherever he went in his life, becoming not just a national hero here in the United States but in his native Poland as well.
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