History
Here we bring you the fascinating world of history: U.S. history; archeological, anthropological, natural, and evolutionary history; plus historical figures and military history. To know where we are going we must first understand where we have been.
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A Woman’s Right to Vote Was Secured After Work That Was Inspired by Mothers and Driven by Maternal Instincts
Lucia Graves / America at 250: The Revolutionary Spark / A Smithsonian magazine special report
As a young girl growing up on an Iowa farm after the Civil War, Carrie Chapman Catt was so swept up in the presidential election of 1872 that she named her kittens after the candidates (one of the less comely furballs was dubbed Ulysses S. Grant). But when Election Day arrived, she was horrified to see her mother left behind as her father drove off with the farmhands in the family’s three-seated buggy to the polls. “I was astonished that my mother did not go to vote,” she recalled, “and shocked when she told me she had no legal right to do so.”
That moment set Catt on her path: a life dedicated to the women’s suffrage movement that culminated in the passage of the 19th Amendment. Looking back on her achievements, she later wrote: “I could never forget that rank injustice to my mother.”
Though we often speak of the “mothers of suffrage” in a metaphorical sense, Catt’s story points to a more literal lineage as well: Suffrage succeeded because mothers who lacked any formal political…Read more here.
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How Americans Celebrated the Centennial in 1876
Lesley Kennedy – history.com
In the summer of 1876, the United States was preparing for its 100th birthday with patriotic celebrations. In its first century, the country had grown from 13 states to 37, with Colorado poised to become the 38th state weeks after July 4.
But while Americans felt proud, many were also worried. “The country was filled with anxiety for the future,” says Fergus Bordewich, historian and author of Centennial: The Great Fair of 1876 and the Invention of America’s Future.
A Nation on Edge: The festivities included the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, the first U.S. world’s fair, designed as a celebration of American triumph and progress. Yet, Bordewich adds, it unfolded amid economic depression, political upheaval, racial violence and a war in the West.
The Panic of 1873 had triggered what Bordewich calls the worst depression in…Read more here.
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Archaeologists uncover ‘mysterious’ ancient tunnel near biblical Kingdom of Judah site in Jerusalem
Excavators recently uncovered a “mysterious and impressive” ancient tunnel in Jerusalem, not far from archaeological sites tied to the biblical Kingdom of Judah.
The discovery was announced by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) in a May 14 statement.
The tunnel was found near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, an archaeological site tied to the biblical-era Kingdom of Judah, according to previous IAA excavations.
The rock-hewn tunnel is about 164 feet long and was found ahead of construction on a new residential neighborhood north of Ramat Rachel.
The tunnel is around 16 feet tall and roughly 10 feet wide — and officials note that the rock-cutting “was executed meticulously.” Read more here.
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Benedict Arnold is court-martialed
HISTORY.com Editors / H / This Day in History
The court-martial of Benedict Arnold convenes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After a relatively clean record in the early days of the American Revolution, Arnold was charged with 13 counts of misbehavior, including misusing government wagons and illegally buying and selling goods. Although his notorious betrayal was still many months away, Arnold’s resentment over this order and the perceived mistreatment by the American Army would fuel his traitorous decision.
Abruptly interrupted at its outset by a British attack north of New York City, the court-martial did not get underway again until December 23 in Morristown, New Jersey. Although Arnold was cleared of most charges, General George Washington issued a reprimand against him, and Arnold became increasingly angered.
While on a trip to the important West Point base to make sure that it could withstand a British attack, Arnold stewed over his slight by Washington and the Americans. He thought that he had never…Read more here.
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