Stories of America

On Hiatus...

2011-12-12T16:53:00.002-05:00

Something's cooking. Please enjoy all our past stories until.

T.R. Tough

2011-07-21T10:02:00.003-04:00

Theodore Roosevelt was campaigning in Milwaukee, WI on October 14, 1912 on the Bull Moose ticket. A man made his way through the crowd and shot T.R. in the chest. Roosevelt rather calmly checked his mouth for blood. Finding none, he realized the bullet did not pierce a lung. He made his way to the podium and gave a 90 minute speech with blood dripping from his shirt. The speech began with, "Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot; but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose."

What saved Roosevelt from greater harm? The bullet went through a steel eyeglass cases and his single-folded, 50 page speech. The ricochet off those two objects caused the bullet to lodge (as T.R. asserted) just short of his lungs. The bullet was not removed but did cause health problems for Roosevelt later in life.

I figure now was the time to share this story as I have heard it twice in two days. I am reading and really enjoying E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime which mentions the event and the story was featured on the latest edition of History Detectives as part of a T.R. war club investigation.

A Capitol Trim

2011-07-11T10:27:00.004-04:00

The plot of land that was to become Washington D.C. was chosen by George Washington himself. Our first President selected a site on the Potomac River that was a near perfect diamond shape encompassing the ports of Georgetown and Alexandria (parts of Maryland and Virginia). Then why does the D.C. of today look as though someone took a bite out of it? Well, because someone did.

It's a term we don't use very often; retrocession or the process of donating land back to its original owners. In the 1830's, Alexandria County (the part of D.C. southwest of the Potomac) was struggling financially. One of its main businesses was the slave trade. Rumors were circulating that abolitionists in Congress were starting to talk about outlawing the slave trade in the district. This would be catastrophic to the southern end of the city. So in 1840, residents of Alexandria petitioned for the retrocession of the land south of the Potomac to Virginia. The state legislature approved the petition in February of 1846. Congress followed suit in June and Alexandria County was returned to Virginia as the city of Alexandria. Washington's diamond officially lost two of its points.

I picked up this story on the History Channel's, "How The States Got Their Shapes."

Independence Day Fun

2011-07-05T10:55:00.003-04:00

More fun from the National Archives and the Don't Know Much blog.

-Jefferson is the principle author of the Declaration of Independence with assistance from Franklin and Adams. The latter's edits were incorporated into the final version.

-The D of I was actually passed on July 2nd. Whoops.

-The D of I was signed over the course of a month. The famous painting of each signer coming up to the desk is not true.

-Hancock's signature is not so large because he wanted the king to be able to read it without his glasses. It's because he was the first to sign.

-With the exception of Hancock, everyone's signature is placed geographically to the state he represented.

-The D of I has traveled around quite a bit. Most interestingly to an unused gristmill in Virginia during the War of 1812.

-Reese Witherspoon is a direct descendent of declaration signer John Witherspoon.

All those robes

2011-06-09T09:07:00.002-04:00

Here's a first for Stories of America. Video! I came upon this video from Yahoo!'s Who Knew series. It's all about graduation regalia. Right in time for graduation season. This information is not specific to America, but the information provided has certainly become a piece of academic Americana. For example, not mentioned is the famed Cavalier cap worn by UVA Ph.Ds.

Theremin Fever

2011-05-29T13:53:00.004-04:00

In the 1930's, America was taken by storm by a Russian musical instrument called the theremin. The theremin was one of the first electronic instruments and was invented by Leon Theremin. A user could control the volume and pitch of the instrument by placing his/her hands at different spots between two metal poles. Moving your hands changed the sound because different positions interrupted the electric flow at different points. The theremin was considered one of the easiest instruments to play but one of the hardest to play well.

During the late 20's and early 30's, Theremin was sent on an international tour by the Soviet government to promote his instrument. It worked as the concept was picked up by RCA for a considerable sum. The ulterior motive for Theremin's visit is where this story takes a strange twist. The Soviets successfully used Theremin as a spy. His contract with RCA gave him some interesting insight on many of their more strategically useful projects.

In 1945, Theremin created a secret listening device called The Thing. The Thing was placed in a wood carving of the Great Seal of the United States and presented to the U.S. Ambassador as a "gesture of friendliness" by a group of Soviet schoolchildren. The bugged seal sat in the ambassador's office for seven years before being discovered by the CIA. It later became a key piece of evidence in the hearings following the U-2 incident.

The Student and The Teacher

2011-04-18T16:53:00.005-04:00

The Civil War started 150 years ago last week. I present an intriguing tale from Fort Sumter to commemorate the occasion. This one is pretty widely known but still interesting.

Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was a native of Louisiana trained at the United States Military Academy (Class of 1838). He was such a good artilleryman at West Point that he was kept on an additional year by one of his instructors. Beauregard moved around the South at the beginning of his career and eventually returned to West Point as Superintendent in 1861. He only lasted five days as the start of the Civil War compelled him to fight for his home South.

The most interesting part of G.T. (he eventually dropped the P) Beauregard's career came at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. He led the Confederate bombardment and eventual victory in the first battle of the Civil War. The Union General he defeated you may ask? Robert Anderson; the man who asked him to stay on at West Point.

p.s.:
Nothing to do with the Civil War. I'm proud to report that History Tours was named the #1 Google Earth Teacher Tool by highdefteacher.com.

Check Your Books

2011-04-17T10:09:00.004-04:00

One of my new favorite shows is History Detectives. Even though the show has been on for 8 seasons, I've just discovered it. Here's a great story from one of the episodes.

John Adams loved books. He had a huge library which has been distributed to various libraries, historical societies, and museums since his death. Interestingly, Adams had two literary habits: signing and dating his book and annotating in the margins.

He also apparently loved sharing. Many of Adams' books have made their way into the hands of the public. He would give books as gifts (complete with signature and annotations). These books have therefore not made their way to an Adams library or museum. I'm sure many people realized they had something more than a keepsake when Adams rose to the Presidency in 1796. So, check your personal libraries; especially if you live in New England. There may be an old book in your attic that's not only signed by our second President but is complete with his feelings on the text.

Ben Franklin's Daily Schedule

2011-04-05T20:36:00.004-04:00

From the patron saint's autobiography...

The morning question,
What good shall I do this day?

5:00 AM-8:00 AM
Rise, wash, and address Powerful Goodness; contrive day's business and take the resolution of the day; prosecute the present study; and breakfast

8:00 AM-12:00 PM
Work.

12:00 PM-2:00 PM
Read or overlook my accounts, and dine.

2:00 PM-6:00 PM
Work.

6:00 PM-10:00 PM
Put things in their places, supper, music, or diversion, or conversation; examination of the day

Evening question,
What good have I done today?

10:00 PM-5:00 AM
Sleep.

The Tale of the Frisbee

2011-04-03T12:38:00.004-04:00

Just about everyone has one lying around the house even if it's a knock off. The Frisbee is as American as apple pie. The story behind the toy is quite interesting.

It all begins in 1938 when Walter Fredrick Morrison and his girlfriend were offered 25 cents for a cake pan they were throwing back and forth. Morrison could get cake pans for 5 cents so he saw a business opportunity.

The "flying disc" phenomenon was a byproduct of the 1950's UFO craze. Morrison and his business partner began marketing their new and improved discs as the Flyin-saucer. In 1957, Morrison sold his product to the Wham-O toy company. Wham-O renamed the disc "Frisbee" after the Frisbie Pie Company who had supplied pies (and their throwable tins) to Yale University for years. Students would often be seen throwing the Frisbie tins in the same way Wham-O hoped they would throw the Frisbee. The popularity of the Frisbee took off in the 1960's ultimately leading to the organization of a professional league.

Crazy Horse, maybe?

2011-04-01T19:17:00.004-04:00

The Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota has been under construction since the 1940's. Once completed, it will be the world's largest sculpture. To give an example of size, Crazy Horse's head will be 87 feet high. Each President's head on Mount Rushmore is only 60 feet.

One problem. What did Crazy Horse look like? The Lakota warrior did not trust anything the Americans brought to his land including the camera. Oral traditions say that he was light complected with light hair. His ancestors also know what his dress would have been like given his standing in the tribe. Through the years, many people have come forward claiming to have a picture of Crazy Horse. None have been proven authentic. The closest thing history has is a forensic sketch drawn in 1934 (long after his death) by a Mormon missionary. The missionary drew the picture from an explanation provided by Crazy Horse's sister. It was apparently so close to his likeness that the sketch brought the woman to tears.

Things You Never Knew About Your Car

2011-03-28T19:33:00.005-04:00

I heard a fleeting fun fact on TV the other day. The first cars did not have steering wheels. That got me thinking about the auto. So here's a DYK

The first cars were steered with levers. No wheel.
The first stop light was installed in Cleveland, OH in 1914.
Prior to the 1920's, cars didn't have gas gauges.
The average American will spend two weeks at red lights during their lifetime.
Old cars are the world's most recycled product.
The pitch of most car horns is F.
Henry Ford once said, “Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black.” His first Model Ts, however, did not come in black. They were grey, green, blue, and red.
Ford also sold scrap wood that turned into charcoal from processing on the assembly line. Ever hear of Ford's charcoal? How about Kingsford? Named for Ford's relative who selected the new site of the new charcoal plant.

Home Run Kings

2011-03-22T18:32:00.003-04:00

Barry Bonds maybe the modern home run king, but when I think of sluggers, I think Roger Maris and Babe Ruth. But, should I?

Ruth retired with a record 714 home runs, including 60 in 1927. Not bad, but he may not have even been the best power hitter of his generation. Negro League catcher Josh Gibson hit 69 home runs in 1934 and is credited with hitting "almost 800" in his career by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Gibson was known as "the black Babe Ruth." Others called Ruth, "the white Josh Gibson."

As great as Ruth and Gibson were, they aren't even close to the all time home run record. Sadaharu Oh played 22 season in Japan and hit a staggering 868 home runs.

All of these guys are in the Baseball Hall of Fame with the exception of Bonds who is not yet eligible and may not make it due to controversy over steroid use. It is interesting to consider competition and debate who is the true sultan of swat. Any conversation must include Ruth, Gibson, Maris, Oh, and Bonds.

The Double Pike

2011-03-17T19:28:00.003-04:00

In March 1865, New Yorker Owen G. Warren proposed what he called "the double pike." It was essentially a shovel with a detachable scoop. Minus the scoop, it had two sharp spiked ends (hence the name). The scoop could then be attached to a jacket and used as a breastplate. Warren said, "In strong hands it more than matches the bayonet." His idea was never implemented.

Fifty years later, the U.S. Army began issuing the folding spade for digging trenches.

For more info:
I received this and many other great primary source documents from the National Archives RSS feed.

FDR's Many Forms of Courage

2011-03-14T18:13:00.003-04:00

Franklin Roosevelt saved the country some say twice (Great Depression and WWII). He was elected a record four times and held the position of chief executive longer than anyone else. Throughout his Presidency, however, few people knew he was paralyzed from the waist down.

In August 1921 (9 years before becoming President), Roosevelt came down with a fever. Within a month, he was paralyzed. Roosevelt was a fighter and continued his political career when many would have given up due to public opinion of the early 20th century.

The press treated FDR's disability as taboo. They did not film him getting in and out of cars or trains. When giving speeches, Roosevelt would hold himself up on the podium. He would often gesture with his head instead of his hands. Even the most ruthless political cartoonists, most of whom were aware of FDR's condition, did not portray him in a wheelchair.

FDR was a courageous man and today serves as a role model for those who cannot walk. It is a shame that he had to hide his disability for fear the public would view him as weak. He proved, even in retrospect, that those with disabilities can achieve anything; not only be President but be one of the best Presidents.

Capitol over Dinner

2011-03-13T18:43:00.003-04:00

Why is Washington D.C. our nation's capitol? In Federalist #43, James Madison said we needed a capitol that was separate from a state in response to an attack on the Philadelphia location of Congress in 1783. Remember Madison. He'll come up again.

Fast forward to 1790. A dejected Alexander Hamilton just left a meeting with George Washington. Outside Washington's quarters, he met up with rival Thomas Jefferson. Hamilton explained that Washington didn't think there was enough support for Hamilton's plan of assumption (a plan where all of the nation's debt would be taken on by the federal government). So the story goes, Jefferson invited Hamilton and the main critic of assumption, James Madison, to his house for dinner. The three sat down and hammered out an agreement. Madison would not vote for assumption but would not criticize it so fervently. In exchange, the capitol would move to a location on the Potomac River.

Here's Jefferson's account:
They came. I opened the subject to them, acknowledged that my situation had not permitted me to understand it sufficiently, but encouraged them to consider the thing together. They did so. It ended in Mr. Madison’s acquiescence in a proposition that the question should be again brought before the House by way of amendment from the Senate, that tho’ he would not vote for it, nor entirely withdraw his opposition, yet he should not be strenuous, but leave it to its fate.

Hamilton got his financial plan and ten years later the capitol moved from Philadelphia to Washington D.C.

For more info: This and "the duel" post came from my favorite book; Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis. I picked it up for a third time this week after being asked what my favorite book was by our school librarian. As a fun side note, I first read the book as a history undergrad. I wanted to study early America with Ellis. I looked him up and found he was a professor at Mt. Holyoke. I'm glad I realized Mt. Holyoke is an all girls school before I mentioned it to anyone.

Booth Mummy

2011-03-12T18:58:00.003-05:00

On January 13, 1903, a man named David George died. This would not be very important other than, upon his death bed, George claimed to be John Wilkes Booth. Some of the evidence matched. They looked the same. George was the same age as Booth. He had a long healed broken leg just above the ankle. He was considered a pretty darn good actor. So just to be sure, George was mummified.

The mummy went on display for a while, but when interest faded, it was sold to a Memphis lawyer who of course used it as a sideshow attraction. The mummy quickly began causing trouble. It was bought and sold numerous times. Each time, a curse seemed to bankrupt or physically harm the owner.

But was it Booth? The short answer: no. Booth's body was released to his family after an extensive investigation. Both the government and family believed they had their man.

The Conversation at Weehawken

2011-03-07T13:21:00.004-05:00

This story is cross-posted with a new Google Earth tour on History Tours. Read the story here and follow the geography on History Tours. The HT wiki recently went over 5,000 hits and has taken off significantly in the past few weeks. Thanks a bunch.

On July 11, 1804, the Secretary of the Treasury met the Vice President on the dueling ground. Sound crazy? A little. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr had been political rivals for years. Burr took one comment which Hamilton may have never made personally and demanded an apology. When Hamilton's eventual apology was too little too late, Burr challenged him to a duel or conversation as dueling was illegal.

Here's what we know. Both men left their Manhattan homes early that morning and were rowed across the Hudson to Weehawken, NJ. At the end of the day, the Founding Father and Treasury Secretary was dead. How this occurred is disputed.

-Hamilton's camp said that he never intended to shoot at Burr. After being shot, Hamilton claimed that his gun was still loaded and cocked.
-Burr's camp said that Hamilton shot above Burr's head. Burr was either shaken that he was shot at or a terrible aim. He fired and subsequently killed Hamilton.

So which is it? The historical record suggests that Burr is actually correct. Hamilton's gun was fired and appears to have hit branches far above Burr's head. Burr returned fire and hit Hamilton in the ribs which caused the bullet to ricochet off numerous vital organs. A hit a few inches lower would have caused only a slight wound.

Whether the Vice President was shooting to kill or not remains a mystery. Burr fled New York and lived with his daughter in South Carolina for a while before murder charges were thrown out at which time he returned to Washington and finished out his term as Vice President.

The Misquoted Mr. Lincoln

2011-03-06T09:41:00.003-05:00

Two quotes famously attributed to Abraham Lincoln, well... were never actually said by Lincoln.

"You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time."

This may be the most famous Lincoln quote not in the Gettysburg address. The problem: there is no historical record that he ever said it. A few folks around the turn of the 20th century said they recalled him saying something like that. It took off from there.

In reference to General U.S. Grant's drinking:
"If I knew what brand he used, I'd send every general a barrel."

Very entertaining but also not Lincoln's words.

Hello or Ahoy?

2011-02-23T17:28:00.003-05:00

We all know Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. Did you know he expected people to answer the phone by saying, "ahoy?" It was famed inventor and noted buttinski, Thomas Edison, who suggested, "hello." Edison's case was strengthened by the first phone books. An early New Haven edition listed "hulloa" as the official greeting. The official ending, you might wonder? "That is all."

That is all.

For more, here's the article from NPR

The Battle of Los Angeles

2011-02-16T18:56:00.004-05:00

The events of the night of February 24th, 1942 were quite strange even for Hollywood. Early on the 24th, the Navy released a statement that an attack on Los Angeles by the Japanese was possible. Artillery units were put on high alert as night fell. An unusual number of lights were in the sky that night making for an even more tenuous situation. Things returned to normal until around 2:15. Reports came in of enemy planes flying west of L.A. A red light was spotted and fire upon. Artillery units followed shooting at lights in the night sky. Despite all the fire, no aircraft either fired back or was hit.

The problem? There were no planes or a battle over Los Angeles. The military was still reeling from the attack on Pearl Harbor and was a bit too quick on the trigger. While UFO enthusiasts will claim the army was shooting at aliens, the truth lies with the first red light. The artillery officers that night commented that what they were firing at seemed to be too slow to be a plane; that's mostly because they were firing at weather balloons. The Japanese released a statement years later saying that, while they did launch planes from submarines near the American coast during the war, it did not take place near Los Angeles or on the night in question.

A Different Lincoln/Booth Tale

2011-02-08T13:57:00.004-05:00

Robert Todd Lincoln:
"The incident occurred while a group of passengers were late at night purchasing their sleeping car places from the conductor who stood on the station platform at the entrance of the car. The platform was about the height of the car floor, and there was of course a narrow space between the platform and the car body. There was some crowding, and I happened to be pressed by it against the car body while waiting my turn. In this situation the train began to move, and by the motion I was twisted off my feet, and had dropped somewhat, with feet downward, into the open space, and was personally helpless, when my coat collar was vigorously seized and I was quickly pulled up and out to a secure footing on the platform. Upon turning to thank my rescuer I saw it was Edwin Booth, whose face was of course well known to me, and I expressed my gratitude to him, and in doing so, called him by name."
John S. Goff, "Robert Todd Lincoln: A Man In His Own Right"

Edwin Booth:
He (Booth) had started for Philadelphia from New York, and while he was standing on the platform of a car, still in the Pennsylvania railroad station at Jersey City, and just as the train was above to move, a young lad, going from one car to another, stumbled, and would have fallen between them, had not Edwin caught him by the collar of the coat and landed him in safety by his side. The boy, whom Edwin had never seen before, evidently recognized him, and holdibng out his hand said to him, "That was a narrow escape, Mr. Booth," and thanked him warmly. Two weeks later Edwin received a letter from General Adam Badeau in which the latter mentioned that Robert Lincoln had told him that it was his life that had thus been saved.
William Bispham "Memories and Letters of Edwin Booth"

That's right. John Wilkes Booth's brother, Edwin, saved Abraham Lincoln's son, Robert, about a year before the assassination. It is also striking to note that Robert is the only son of Lincoln who survived to adulthood. Had this encounter not happened, there may have been no direct descendants of Lincoln.

May we borrow your Constitution?

2011-02-05T20:07:00.003-05:00

In 1861, the Confederate States of America drafted their own Constitution, or did they?

The Confederate Constitution and the U.S. Constitution are remarkably similar. In a lot cases, entire sections are lifted. It's strange considering that men on both sides were fighting and dying for two documents that outlined ways of life that were almost the same.

The differences:
In the CSA, the President had a line item veto. The U.S. instituted the same in the 1990's, but it was quickly struck down as unconstitutional.

The President of the CSA would serve for one, six year term. At the time, U.S. Presidents were allowed to run for as many 4 year terms as they liked although all only ran for two out of respect for George Washington.

And the biggie, slavery. Slavery was expressly allowed in the CSA Constitution. Foreign slave trade was outlawed but there was no doubt that slavery would continue in the CSA and in any other states they added.

I decided to share this story after reading this post on Kenneth Davis's Don't Know Much About blog, which is great and everyone should read. I don't agree with everything in the post, but there are some very interesting points presented.

More than a pretty face

2011-02-03T20:03:00.003-05:00

Hedy Lamarr was one of the most famous actresses of the Golden Age of Hollywood. She starred in 18 films during the 1940's. A little known fact about Lamarr, however, is that she played a significant role in the remote control of everything from torpedoes to wifi.

Early in her acting career, Lamarr married an Austrian arms manufacturer name Friedrich Mandl. Mandl did not approve of Lamarr's acting career and would often take her to business meetings with him. From these meetings, the mathematically gifted Hedy learned about military technology.

In 1941, she paired with German composer George Antheil to create a wireless system of musical instruments. The radio technology they developed could also be used by the military to remotely control torpedoes. Their work was not received with great attention until the advent of later technologies such as cordless phones and wireless internet connection. The so called frequency hopping makes the connection you're on right now more secure.

Liver Eating Johnson

2011-01-30T19:26:00.003-05:00

The life of John Johnson is part folktale, part Old West historical figure. Johnson is said to have been born as John Garrison in New Jersey in the early 19th century. He joined the Union Army during the Civil War but deserted after fighting with an officer. He moved West and took the name John Johnston.

The stories of this mountain man's life abound. The most famous is that he married a Native American woman and settled down in Montana. During a raid, Crow Indians killed his wife. Johnston set out on a personal mission against the Crow that lasted over a decade. Legend says that whenever he killed a Crow, he would remove the man's liver and eat it as a sign of disrespect. This practice earned him the name "Liver Eating Johnson." For some reason, the "t" was left out.

Another tale involving Johnson comes when he was taken prisoner by the Blackfoot tribe. The Blackfoot planned on trading Johnson to the Crow. According the story, Johnson bit through his restraints, knocked out the guard, and sawed off the guard's legs. He escaped to the woods using a leg as a weapon where he then used the leg as food. This story is actually believed to be true but not about Johnson.

Johnson eventually made peace with the Crow and settled into a normal frontier life in Montana. Johnson is buried in Wyoming, but true to his reputation, no one knows how he got there. Some say he died at his Montana cabin, others say it was a Los Angeles retirement home.