Treatment of Slaves in the United States – Lives Our Ancestors Left Behind

Slavery throughout what is now the United States varied, depending on what time in history and what place you look at. Generally, slavery was brutal, especially on plantations. Whipping and rape were …

Source: Treatment of Slaves in the United States – Lives Our Ancestors Left Behind

October 21, 1797 USS Constitution – Today in History

USS Constitution vs. HMS Guerriere 19 August 1812 This painting by Anton Otto Fischer depicts the first victory at sea by the fledgeling US Navy over the mighty Royal Navy.

‘…British and French vessels harassed American merchant shipping, kidnapping American sailors and forcing them to serve in their own navies, a practice known as impressment…’

Source: October 21, 1797 USS Constitution – Today in History

21-Year Old WWII Soldier’s Sketchbooks Reveal a Visual Diary of His Experiences

En-route to Europe. Promenade Deck. “And you know, we were far from even thinking of combat. They didn’t tell us. We didn’t know what was going to happen, once we landed. …—you know, the day it happens they tell you.” (September 2, 1944)

True artists must find a creative outlet no matter what the circumstance—including times of war. Thanks to the creative passion and steady hand of then 21-year old soldier Victor Lundy, we have a breathtaking visual record of World War II, in the form of documentary sketches. For Lundy, “drawing is sort of synonymous with thinking,” which means we are left with an intimate archive of sketches that unfold one soldier’s experience fighting on the front lines. Lundy was studying architecture in New York when …

Source: 21-Year Old WWII Soldier’s Sketchbooks Reveal a Visual Diary of His Experiences

Behind the Walls of a Sports Bar, Remnants of Florida’s Early Years – Atlas Obscura

The Detroit Hotel around 1900. FLORIDA HISTORY, STATE LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES OF FLORIDA/PUBLIC DOMAIN

PICTURE THE FRESH, CLEAN WALLS of a modern interior space. It’s hard to imagine they would hide anything special, but in the case of a former sports bar in St. Petersburg, Florida, some of them concealed a world of history, hidden for decades. When the walls came down …

Source: Behind the Walls of a Sports Bar, Remnants of Florida’s Early Years – Atlas Obscura

The Forgotten Trans History of the Wild West – Atlas Obscura

FROM 1900 TO 1922, HARRY Allen was one of the most notorious men in the Pacific Northwest. The West was still wide and wild then, a place where people went to find their fortunes, escape the law, or start a new life. Allen did all three. Starting in the 1890s, he became known as a rabble-rouser, in and out of jail for theft, vagrancy, bootlegging, or worse. Whatever the crime, Allen always seemed to be a suspect because he refused to wear women’s clothes, and instead dressed as a cowboy, kept his hair trim, and spoke…

Source: The Forgotten Trans History of the Wild West – Atlas Obscura

Meet Hercules, One of America’s Early Celebrity Chefs – Gastro Obscura

Washington’s Philadelphia residence, as depicted by William L. Breton.

AFTER A LONG DAY IN president George Washington’s executive kitchen, chef Hercules hit the streets of Philadelphia with sartorial flair and a keen eye for late-18th century fashion. Atop his head, the enslaved cook wore a voguish tricorn hat. Bright metal buttons held together his blue velvet-collared coat, a pair of shiny buckles dominated his fastidiously polished shoes, and a long watch-chain dangled from the side of his black silken…

Source: Meet Hercules, One of America’s Early Celebrity Chefs – Gastro Obscura

On Catherine the Great and Smallpox | toritto

‘… Let us speak of Catherine the Great, Autocrat and Empress of all Russia…

‘Catherine had seen first hand the ravages of smallpox.  Catherine herself was spared but she saw the horrors of smallpox and probably decided to make efforts to spare her people from the kind of suffering she saw when ascending the throne.  An “enlightened” monarch with a great interest in science and the enlightenment literature of the age, she would lead Russia into its golden age converting it from a backward nation into a …’

Source: On Catherine the Great and Smallpox | toritto

The Choctaw Nation’s Extraordinary Gift to Ireland – Turtle Bunbury

In the summer of 2015, Kindred Spirits, a sculpture by Alex Pentek was unveiled at Bailic Park in Midleton, County Cork, to commemorate the Choctaw Nation and their kindness to the Irish. The beautiful work comprises of an empty bowl made from nine giant stainless-steel eagle feathers. Gary Batton, present chief of the Choctaw Nation, attended the unveiling and declared: “These are great healing moments. A great moment for us to show our respect back to them as nation to nation. A chance to stand up and say, ‘A, Chata Sia.’ ‘Yes, I am Choctaw.’”

Source: The Choctaw Nation’s Extraordinary Gift to Ireland – Turtle Bunbury

Step into a Time Machine with This Incredible 4K, 60FPS Footage of New York City in 1911

‘Here’s something amazing to start your weekend off. The below video shows street scenes in New York City in 1911 but with a significant catch: the video quality has been boosted to 4K and 60 frames per second. It’s also been sharpened, colorized, and ambient sounds have been added…’

Source: Step into a Time Machine with This Incredible 4K, 60FPS Footage of New York City in 1911

Katherine Johnson: Hidden Figures Nasa mathematician dies at 101

Pioneering African-American Nasa mathematician Katherine Johnson has died at the age of 101.

Nasa announced her death on Twitter, saying it was celebrating her life and honouring “her legacy of excellence that broke down racial and social barriers”.

Source: Katherine Johnson: Hidden Figures Nasa mathematician dies at 101

Maya Angelou, Malcolm X & Cuba

It was 1965 in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. Maya Angelou had been set up there for a few years working as a journalist. It was a long way from her birthplace in St Louis (Missouri), but she enjoyed life in Africa.

One day in January, her son, Guy, got home from school to find a feast of fried chicken – his mum’s speciality – laid out. But that wasn’t the most striking thing in…

via Maya Angelou, Malcolm X & Cuba

Kick Kennedy, the Marquess & the Earl – Turtle Bunbury

Seventy years ago today, a plane crash in southern France ended the life of Kick Kennedy, oldest sister of Jack and Bobby, and her lover, Peter, Earl Fitzwilliam. This story recounts the series of events that lead up to the tragedy and the remarkable Irish connections to each of the protagonists…

via Kick Kennedy, the Marquess & the Earl – Turtle Bunbury

Henrietta Lacks, Whose Cells Led to a Medical Revolution

Henrietta Lacks in a family photo. HeLa, the cell line named for her, has been at the core of treatments for ailments like haemophilia, herpes, influenza and leukaemia. Lacks Family/The Henrietta Lacks Foundation, via Associated Press

Cancer cells were taken from her body without permission. They led to a medical revolution…

via Henrietta Lacks, Whose Cells Led to a Medical Revolution

In World War II, Boeing Built a Fake Rooftop Town to Hide Its Factory Beneath From Potential Air Strike by the Japanese ~ vintage everyday

On the roof of Boeing Plant 2, camouflage trees and structures were shorter than a person.

During World War II, a strange, house-filled neighbourhood could be seen in the middle of an industrial area from the air. A close-up look would reveal that it was camouflage for Boeing’s Plant No. 2, where thousands of B-17 bombers were produced.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese submarines were…

via In World War II, Boeing Built a Fake Rooftop Town to Hide Its Factory Beneath From Potential Air Strike by the Japanese ~ vintage everyday

Obituary: Millie Dunn Veasey, pioneering sergeant turned rights activist – BBC News

6888TH MONUMENT COMMITTEE Millie Dunn Veasey and her unit’s contribution to WW2 was “huge”, one expert said

via Obituary: Millie Dunn Veasey, pioneering sergeant turned rights activist – BBC News