Jean Baptiste Point du Sable was a man without a home, a country, or a culture. He was an outsider everywhere he went. He simply wanted a chance to make a life […]
How a Man Without a Country Created a Quiet Place of Refuge
The Unlikely Lawyer Who Represented a Slave Owner
It was a chapter in American history that every decent person wishes had never been written. Slavery was legal — at least in some parts of the country. Slaves were viewed as […]
An Argument Over an Unpaid Wig Triggered the American Revolution
The greatest historical events can be triggered by the smallest of incidents. This is especially true of warfare. There is the bloody war that was fought over a bucket. Another war was […]
When the Church’s Pulpit Battled Lincoln’s Bully Pulpit
Although Abraham Lincoln had a deep faith in God, he was not as quick to put his faith in those who claimed to be God’s messengers. A distinguished clergyman happened to be […]
The Price of Freedom Equals the Cost of Postage
If $86 seems like a lot to pay for postage — especially in 1849 — you might think differently if you realized that was how much it cost to buy one man […]
The Pharoah, Flies, and Honey
Egyptian Pharaoh Pepi II (2284 BC – c. 2216 BC) had an extreme dislike of flies and an ingenious way of dealing with the problem. He would cover servants with honey and use […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 