Symbolism and the $1 Bill
Crack open your wallet, pull out everyone's favorite portrait of George Washington, and be prepared to learn about some odd symbolism that probably seemed perfectly normal in the 18th century.
Crack open your wallet, pull out everyone's favorite portrait of George Washington, and be prepared to learn about some odd symbolism that probably seemed perfectly normal in the 18th century.
Several factors were in play in the 1920s for the emergence of what came to known as flappers, teenagers and young women who flouted convention and spent their time pursuing fun instead of settling down to raise children in the prime of their lives. Many
Audie Murphy was a star in more ways than one. He was the most decorated hero of World War II, after being rejected for service because of his youth and size. He returned from war hailed as a hero, only to see hard times once again as he tried to find civ
Even during the worst economic downturn in modern U.S. history, some folks still knew how to make a buck—many bucks, in fact.
Crayons of yore have a revisionist history unto themselves.
This weekend through Monday, television and the internet will be full of commemorations of the Apollo 11 moon mission, in which Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon's surface. If you want to relive the event, you can
These 8 celebrities and athletes who took issue with their portrayal in video games and advertisements.
On Monday I pointed to The Fog of War, an Errol Morris documentary about Robert McNamara, former US Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam era. Yesterday, Morris posted a thoughtful blog entry on McNamara called McNamara in Context, and I think it's wor
The Cabinet was established in Article II, Section 2 of the United States Constitution to provide a source of key advisors to the President. Today, the Cabinet includes the Vice President and 15 executive departments. Here's a primer on the departments, i
If you think the Internet came out of Silicon Valley, that NASA planned the first satellite to orbit Earth, or that IBM created the modern computer, think again. Each one of these breakthroughs was conceived at RAND, a shadowy think tank in Santa Monica,
Ah, prom. From the illicit temptation of underage drinking to the simple beauty of an over-corsaged wrist, the high school formal is an American tradition.
Let's look back at the maiden voyage of a vessel that was, at the time, the largest human-made moving object in the world.
Long-lost artworks by Leonardo da Vinci, Ludwig van Beethoven, and more have resurfaced in some unexpected ways.
Edward Leedskalnin was born in Riga, Latvia in 1887. He was a small man, around five and a half feet tall and barely 100 pounds, but he built a castle by himself completely out of coral. It took him decades, but he did it... and he disassembled, moved it,
Traditional schools "“ with their lectures, homework, and report cards "“ aren't for everyone. Here are five alternative approaches to education. 1.
So this is surprising: beat writer Jack Kerouac was way into fantasy baseball, and invented a detailed fantasy baseball game which he played -- by himself -- unbeknownst to his friends and colleagues. Lots of evidence of the game remains in his notebook
In 1966, NASA's Lunar Orbiter program performed a detailed survey of the moon's surface. The Orbiters mapped the moon in exquisite detail, searching for suitable places that later missions could use as landing sites. The Orbiters sent back their data vi
Here's a look at six of the more famous pirate ships in history.
The American government has been calling Washington, D.C., home for over 200 years, but a number of other capitals have hit the road.
Ever wonder how Lincoln Logs or Sea Monkeys found their way into 20th-century toy stores? Here are the little-known origins of 10 classic toys.
Slave, traveler, evangelist, abolitionist, and saint. A scant 400 years after Jesus' birth, the priest known as Patrick took the Great Commission seriously, to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth by converting the frightening barbarians of that sca
When much-reviled security firm Blackwater changed its name to Xe last week, it wasn't just cleverly attempting to squash criticism by tossing out a name nobody would know how to pronounce. (Although that idea was probably a foreseen fringe benefit of th
From moviehouses to breweries, these entities faced serious challenges during the Great Depression and lived to tell the tale.
In this third installment of Angels of Death, we'll take a look at several serial medical murderers you may have never heard of. They each left a trail of victims behind them and a lot of unanswered questions. Small Town