The second time I ever flew in an airplane, I jumped out of it. I was a 25-year-old surgical intern when World War II broke out; convinced that there would be more romance in Europe than in the Pacific theater, I volunteered as a battalion surgeon to join parachute regiment 506 of the 101st Airborne Division, also known as the "Screaming Eagles." From D-Day, to the invasion of Holland, to the Battle of the Bulge, I learned firsthand what it means not just to treat casualties of war, but also to become one.

D-Day

Dennis P Hallinan/UNIC NA // Getty Images

What Grocery Shopping Was Like The Year You Were Born

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Independent since 1776, the United States of America is 248 years old. With the average life expectancy now hovering around 80 years, that means the entire history of the country—from powdered wigs to the Internet of Things—spans a little more than just three back-to-back modern human lifetimes. Historically, America is a young country.

Unusual facts

The month of May gets it’s name from Maia, the Greek goddess of fertility.

Before Julius Caesar had changes made to the calendar, May was the third of the year, not the fifth.

The month of May was also once known as “Threemilk,” referring to the fact that during that month, cows could be milked three times a day.

The American Flag is Folded 13 Times...

The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.

The second fold is a symbol of our belief in eternal life.

The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans departing our ranks who gave a portion of their lives for the defense of our country to attain peace throughout the world.

The fourth fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in time of war for His divine guidance.

Great knowledge!!

On Jeopardy the other night, the final question was, How many steps does the guard take during their walk across the Tomb of the Unknowns? ------ All three missed it ---

This is really an awesome sight to watch if you've never had the chance Very fascinating.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

1. How many steps does the guard take during their walk across the tomb of the Unknowns and why?

By Stephen Saalman

The Jacob Rickenbaugh House

Rickenbaugh House--Celina House

Celina Lake, Oil Twp., Perry County, IN-1984

The Rickenbaugh House was built for Jacob Rickenbaugh in 1874. This house was constructed of sandstone blocks by hired Belgian masons and it served as home for his descendants until it's acquisition by the U.S. Forest Service in 1968, and for most of the period between 1878 and 1961 it was the Celina, Indiana, Post Office.

The Horrendous "Reindeer" Disaster

Stephen Saalman

Cannelton, Indiana

Ward Bond was born Wardell Edwin Bond in Benkelman, Nebraska, on April 9, 1903, the son of a lumberyard worker. When he was 16 his family moved to Denver and he attended school at Denver's East High School. He then enrolled at the University of Southern California and it was through playing American football for the USC team that he entered movies. Also playing for the USC team was John Wayne, then called Marion Morrison, who became a lifelong friend.

The year is 1954.

Prices

By John A. Ragosta

March 20, 2024

On March 23rd in 1775, Patrick Henry rose at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, to urge his countrymen to arm themselves for the Revolutionary War. Four weeks before the battle of Lexington and Concord, Henry saw the future: “The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms!” 

By Heidi Welte

November 22, 2022

Every hurricane or severe storm to hit the capitol of the United States brings with it photos of the soldiers who guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier solemnly carrying out their watch despite the terrible weather. None of these moments, however, can possibly surpass the eventful journey that brought the Unknown Soldier back home from France, or that of the USS Olympia, the ship tasked with this special mission which very nearly ended in tragedy. 

Express/Hulton Archive // Getty Images

Around the world, 1969 was a year for the ages: the Vietnam War reached its bloody peak, the United States took a giant leap for mankind and safely landed astronauts on the moon, and a youth-driven counterculture emerged that would come to define the next decade through protests and music.

By Jonathan Den Hartog

Public debates have recently focused on school history standards – what the Advanced Placement program should teach in its African-American Studies course and what the state of Florida should say about the effects of slavery. These are important questions. But I’m concerned about a longer-term problem: the danger of making American history and civics dull.

“I want to be a dictator for one day,” proudly declared former President Donald Trump to the New York Young Republican Club on December 9, 2023. Two hundred and forty years earlier on December 23, 1783, General George Washington humbly informed Congress that he did not want to be a dictator – not even for one moment. That day is when the victorious commander-in-chief willingly gave up power at the end of the American Revolution.

Jed Jacobsohn // Getty Images

From wars to elections, international incidents to civil unrest, entertainment to sports, the key defining moments of history profoundly influence who and what we are today.

To discover some of the most iconic moments from each of the last 100 years, Stacker mined historical data, government reports, and newspaper accounts. While most years offered more than one major incident that helped mold our attitudes and beliefs, we strove to provide the most important, defining event of each year since 1920.

Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason established a friendship on the set of "The Hustler" (1961). At one point, Newman got a little cocky about his newfound pool skills and challenged the much more experienced Gleason to a $50 bet on a game. Newman broke, then it was Gleason's turn. He knocked all 15 balls in and Newman never got another shot. Gleason recalled that the next day Newman paid him off with 5000 pennies.

The pendant and medallion shield were added to the center of the dome during the 1917 renovation. The pendant is 12 feet long and the medallion shield is 27 feet in diameter.

Southern Indiana History

Stephen Saalman

On February 27, 1987, West Baden Springs Hotel in French Lick was named a National Historic Landmark.

Troy, Indiana

Stephen Saalman

Land Purchased.

Rockport, Indiana

Stephen Saalman

Lincoln Pioneer Village is an unusual example, unique in Indiana, of an educational tourist attraction built under the auspices of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration(FERA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

William Stokes Garwood Home

Newburgh, Indiana

This house is one of the earliest houses in Newburgh. The house sets on four lots. According to Warrick County assessors the house was built in 1842; the two lots of which the house was built on was purchased by Francis Macy in 1850 for $125.

First Settlers Of Crawford County, Indiana

Commercialization the County.

From the 1840's on there was a tremendous business done by flat-boating on the Ohio River. The flatboat was loaded with corn, lime or other articles. The hay boat or corn boat was much more pleasant on which to work. The lime boat was dangerous should any water get on the lime barrels. The boats stopped at most all the towns and sold corn and other produce. The man when he reached the Gulf of Mexico qith his flatboat either sold the boat or had it towed back upriver to his home.

So, for those that wondered about the hems of dresses getting dirty, or why escorts helped ladies across streets….another side of “The Gilded Age”:

The Horse Manure Problem of 1894

The 15 to 30 pounds of manure produced daily by each beast multiplied by the 150,000+ horses in New York city resulted in more than three million pounds of horse manure per day that somehow needed to be disposed of. That’s not to mention the daily 40,000 gallons of horse urine.

Image: The Historic Daniel Boone Home in winter.

One of the most asked questions at our site is: Why is this called the Daniel Boone Home when it is really the Nathan Boone Home?

Cash & Kristofferson

Here’s an interesting read: Johnny Cash Once Demanded that Kris Kristofferson, who was a janitor at the time for Columbia Records, be allowed to sit in on one of his recording sessions.

It all started with Kristofferson being banned from Johnny’s recording sessions…Kris in his own words: