Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “This Month in History”
Every year on June 19th, Americans celebrate Juneteenth, a holiday that marks the day the last enslaved people in the United States finally learned they were free. It is a story of a delayed promise—a reminder that freedom doesn’t always arrive when it is declared, but only when it is enforced.
The story begins more … Read the rest
Long before Easter became a Christian holiday, people across Europe celebrated the arrival of spring.
These ancient festivals marked the end of winter and the return of life to the earth.
Many cultures used eggs as symbols of new life and rebirth. Animals like hares and rabbits, known for … Read the rest
On Sept. 17, 1787, the Constitution of the United States was completed and signed by a majority of delegates attending the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.
On Sept. 15, 1963, four Black girls were killed when a bomb went off during Sunday services at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. (Three Ku Klux Klansmen were eventually convicted for their roles in the blast.)
Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Memorial Day 2024 will occur on Monday, May 27.
Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday … Read the rest
Basketball legend Bill Walton is one of the sport’s most recognizable and beloved figures. His success on the court is well-documented; the nation’s top college basketball star at UCLA under legendary coach John Wooden, he then played for two NBA Championship teams – the Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics. But Bill’s nightmarish challenges off … Read the rest
On this day, May 9, in 1962, a pulse light laser beam sent by a team of scientists from MIT successfully bounced off the moon, the first lunar laser ranging experiment. Later similar experiments used a reflector left on the moon’s surface by the Apollo 11 mission to increase accuracy.
The Laser Ranging Retroreflector mirrors … Read the rest
Battle Of The Wilderness Facts
Location: Spotsylvania and Orange Counties, Virginia
Dates: May 5-7, 1864
Generals: Union: Lt. Gen Ulysses S. Grant | Confederate: General Robert E. Lee
Soldiers Engaged: Union: 102,000 | Confederate: 61,000
Outcome: Inconclusive
Casualties: Union: 18,400 | Confederate: 11,400
Battle Of The Wilderness Summary: The Battle of the Wilderness began Lt. … Read the rest
These are Michael Bakich’s picks for the most famous eclipses in history.
Nov. 30, 3340 B.C. – Spiral petroglyphs on the Loughcrew Cairn L Megalithic Monument in Ireland indicate this was the earliest observed solar eclipse for which a record exists.
March 30, 1578 B.C. – The partial solar eclipse that was closer to total … Read the rest
In 1960 “La Dolce Vita” directed by Federico Fellini and starring Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg has its film premiere in Italy. On February 3, 1960, the Italian dramedy ‘La dolce vita,’ directed by Federico Fellini, had its world premiere, marking a significant milestone in cinema history. The film quickly gained widespread … Read the rest
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