Photo: woman wearing a flu mask, 1919. Credit: Red Cross.

Influenza Masks Circa 1918

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on April 21, 2020

In this article, timely for our current coronavirus pandemic, Gena Philibert-Ortega describes how our ancestors used masks during the 1918 flu pandemic... (Read More)

Painting: "Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor," by William Halsall, 1882. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

What Was the Mayflower Compact?

By Sarah Stevens on April 20, 2020

Exactly what was the Mayflower Compact? Discover how it began and whether your ancestors were a part of this historic moment... (Read More)

Photo: CDC rRT-PCR test kit for COVID-19. Credit: U.S. Centers for Disease Control; Wikimedia Commons.

Comparing the COVID-19 Pandemic to the Polio Epidemic

By Jane Cook on April 17, 2020

In this article, with the whole world fighting COVID-19, Jane Hampton Cook compares this pandemic to the fight against polio 70 years ago... (Read More)

Photo: Harriet Quimby in her Bleriot monoplane, 1911. Credit: George Grantham Bain; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

Harriet Quimby: First Woman to Fly across the English Channel

By Tony Pettinato on April 16, 2020

An article about American Harriet Quimby, who on 16 April 1912 became the first woman to fly across the English Channel, in a 50-horsepower monoplane!.. (Read More)

Illustration: "Assassination of Abraham Lincoln." This Currier & Ives print (1865) implies Rathbone was already rising as Booth fired at Lincoln; in fact, Rathbone was unaware of Booth until he heard the shot. Credit: Currier & Ives; Wikimedia Commons.

Lincoln’s Assassination: The Curse of the Presidential Box

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on April 14, 2020

In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega writes about some of the other victims of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination on 14 April 1865... (Read More)

Photo: this 1963 poster featured the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's national symbol of public health, the "Wellbee," encouraging the public to receive an oral polio vaccine. Credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Wikimedia Commons.

Salk’s Vaccine Vanquished Poliovirus 65 Years Ago

By Jane Cook on April 13, 2020

In this article, with the whole world hoping for a coronavirus vaccine, Jane Hampton Cook writes about the vaccine that conquered polio 65 years ago... (Read More)

Photo: American soldiers at the front during WWI, c. 1918. Credit: Flickr: The Commons.

On This Day: U.S. Declared War on Germany in WWI

By Tony Pettinato on April 6, 2020

An article about the U.S. declaring war on Germany during World War I, on 6 April 1917... (Read More)

Why Did the Pilgrims Come to America?

By Sarah Stevens on April 3, 2020

Exactly why did the Pilgrims come to America? We’re revealing the motives behind their immigration and tools to help you learn more!.. (Read More)

Photo: Jesse James. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

Wild West: The ‘Desperadoes’ in the James-Younger Gang

By Tony Pettinato on April 1, 2020

An 1874 newspaper article providing descriptions of the members and robberies of the notorious James-Younger gang, featuring Jesse James... (Read More)

Category: History