American Legacies Organization, Inc.

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

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

Troy, Indiana

Land Purchased.

Land at Maxville has been purchased and deed recorded in Spencer County for a small tract of land near the bridge that spans Anderson River on the Maxville side. The land was transferred to a committee headed by Mike Bettinger of Tell City. There is to be a marker erected in honor of Abraham Lincoln who operated a ferry at that place at one time. It is said that the ground will finally go to the state and be maintained as a park. (Oct. 22, 1926 Cannelton Telephone)

Rockport, Indiana

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:

The Real Popeye

His real name was Frank "Rocky" Fiegel.

He was born in 1868, in Poland and, as a child, immigrated to the United States with his parents, who settled down in a small town in Illinois.

As a young man, Rocky went to sea.

After a 20-year career as a sailor in the Merchant Marines, Fiegel retired.

He was later hired by Wiebusch's Tavern in the city of Chester, Illinois as a ‘Bouncer’ to maintain order in the rowdy bar.

Happy birthday to Tom Selleck who turned 79 years old today(January 29, 2024).

During the 1980s, Tom Selleck was mostly known for the TV series Magnum, P.I. Frank Sinatra was a fan of the show, so much that he volunteered to be in it and even offered to do it for expenses only. Tom Selleck loved the idea and called Sinatra personally. Selleck said they would write an episode especially for him and asked him what he wanted to do.

Locating a Home

When the white men first came into the hills of Crawford County, the land was a howling wilderness over which wild animals roamed at will. Probably the entire county was covered with a heavy growth of timber. At first the settlers chose the uplands for their homes because the lowlands were so heavily wooded that they were unable to clear it readily, making it unhealthy and the water impure. Many pioneers squatted on the land which they bought later from the government at $1.25 an acre. This land was called the "Congress Land."

RECIPES

Compiled by Women’s Society of Christian Service

Methodist Church

Grandview, Indiana

1955

Peach Ice Cream

Legacy of Mabel K Scifres

Grandview, Indiana

2 cups canned peaches (mashed)

1 cup milk

19 marshmallows

1 ½ cups whipping cream

An elderly Florida lady did her shopping and, upon returning to her car, found four males in the act of leaving with her vehicle. She dropped her shopping bags and drew her handgun, proceeding to scream at the top of her voice, "I have a gun and I know how to use it! Get out of the car!" The our men didn't wait for a second invitation. They got out and ran like mad.

Across the world, wake up!

When I was a HS sophomore – decades ago! – my World History teacher was Mrs. Holloway, but we all called her Granny Holloway. She was a slight woman, scarcely 5 feet tall, seemingly fragile, but full of vim and vinegar….you know the type. She could speak for hours about the Fall of the Roman Empire, the Inquisition, the Industrial Revolution, and the World Wars.

Everett Collection // Shutterstock

What Life Was Like In The Roaring Twenties

The 1920s in America really did roar. People revved up their car engines, took off in planes, and, like never before, made their voices heard literally and figuratively.

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans got married on New Years Eve in 1947. The couple remained hitched until the Singing Cowboy's death in 1998.

Dale Evans and Roy Rogers were married on New Year's Eve 1947 at the Flying L Ranch in Davis, Oklahoma, where they had earlier filmed the movie Home in Oklahoma. The marriage was Rogers' third and Evans' fourth but was successful; the two were a team on- and off-screen from 1946 until Rogers' death in 1998.

This is a picture of Tom Brauns in his garage wearing a hat with the Texaco Logo and a shirt with the Logo, also.

Tom's first job was at the Sandridge, Indiana, Texaco station. He started there when he was 15 years old.The building is still there. Now it has a sign "BJ's Pizza."

Photo: This poignant photograph from 1922 captures Annie Oakley at 62.

Born on August 13, 1860, in a log cabin near the village of North Star in Darke County, Ohio, Phoebe Ann Moses, better known as Annie Oakley, developed her sharpshooting skills at the tender age of eight. By turning fifteen, she emerged victorious in her first shooting competition. In 1885, Annie became part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, earning the moniker "Watanya Cicilla" (Little Sure Shot) from fellow performer Sitting Bull (1831-1890).

Lines of farmers bring cucumbers to market for the pickle industry in Mt. Olive, NC in June of 1947.

In 1926 the Mt. Olive Pickle Company was formally incorporated by local business people in Wayne County.⁣ ⁣ The effort to start the company arose within the community, and the original group of 13 local shareholders invested $19,500 to establish a company to pack and sell pickles.⁣ ⁣

The shareholders purchased an acre of land for $1,000, constructed a 3,600-square-foot building and hired a factory superintendent and a sales representative.