Muhammad Ali
During the 1960s and 1970s, no person in American sports was more famous than world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali. Ali’s fame resulted from more than just his boxing title.…
Early Days of Golf
Golf began in Scotland hundreds of years ago, but it did not begin to interest Americans until the 1880s. Golf clubs sprang up in Foxburg, Pennsylvania; Yonkers, New York; and…
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth was possibly the greatest baseball player of all time; certainly he was the most famous. He was the “Sultan of Swat,” the “Bambino,” or simply the “Babe.”…
Nat Turner's Rebellion
On the night of August 21, 1831, Nat Turner led a small band of fellow slaves into the Southhampton, Virginia, home of Joseph Travis, his owner. The slaves killed Travis…
The Shakers
“When they meet together for their worship, they fall a-groaning and trembling, and every one acts alone for him; one will fall prostate on the floor, another on his knees…
The Founding of the Boy Scouts
On a visit to London in 1909, Chicago publisher William D. Boyce became lost in a heavy fog. An English Boy Scout helped him to find his way. The Scout…
Admiral Hyman Rickover
On January 17, 1955, Admiral Hyman Rickover saw one of his life’s dreams become reality. On that memorable winter day, the U.S.S. Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine set out…
Yosemite National Park
Deep in the Sierra Nevada, California’s snow-capped mountains, is a special hidden treasure – not gold or silver, but America’s most spectacular hidden valley. It is called Yosemite and it…
The Navajo
More than 500 years ago, a group of people migrated southward from Canada and Alaska to the present-day American Southwest. These newcomers, the Navajo, soon became the dominant tribe in…
Grand Canyon National Park
The Grand Canyon in northern Arizona is nature’s greatest sculpture. Up to 18 miles wide, a mile deep, and 280 miles long, this breathtaking gorge contains fantastically shaped peaks, buttes,…
Johnny Appleseed
When Americans bite into crisp, fresh-picked apples or slices of apple pie, they should thank John Chapman. No one did more to encourage the cultivation of apple orchards during America’s…
Wyatt Earp
In legend, Wyatt Earp was a brave lawman who cleaned up western towns such as Dodge City, Kansas, and Tombstone, Arizona. In fact, he was not a heroic character. The…
Mark Twain
Mark Twain once defined a classic as “a book that people praise but don’t read.” But he was wrong where his own works were concerned. Although undeniably classics, The Adventures…
Indianapolis 500
The roar of 33 high-powered engines fills the air. Around the track, the cheers of 300,000 fans mix with the thunderous sounds of straining motors. Finally, after 500 miles of…
Ocean Liners
You spend the day soaking up the sun, swimming in the pool, and playing shuffleboard. Then you join friends in the “Garden Lounge,” where tea is served among the towering…