The European nightmare of the horror, violence and destruction of World War II lasted 2,076 days, beginning with Germany’s invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, and ending when Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Western Allies and Russia on May 7, 1945. Tens of millions of soldiers and civilians were killed, and the evil of the Nazi concentration camps was inflicted upon the world—especially the Jewish people. read more...
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It had been an uneventful trip for the 36 passengers and 61 crewmembers who crossed the North Atlantic in the giant airship Hindenburg, leaving Frankfurt, Germany, on May 3, 1937, and now approaching the coastline of America. While waiting out an afternoon thunderstorm before landing on May 6, Captain Max Pruss steered the ship over Manhattan to give the passengers a spectacular view. At 6:22 p.m. the storm moved away, and the Hindenburg headed toward Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey, its final destination. read more...
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Daring train robberies by gangs of desperadoes are an integral part of America’s legendary “Wild West” era, especially the exploits of Jesse James and the James-Younger Gang, as well as Butch Cassidy, Sundance Kid and the Wild Bunch. Because of this popular perception, most people today do not realize that the first train robbery in American history did not occur out West. Historians say the first train robbery occurred in Indiana on Oct. 6, 1866, carried out by the Reno Gang. read more...
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In the spring of 1963, African American protesters organized by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference nonviolently demonstrated against the racist “Jim Crow” laws that made Birmingham, Alabama, a tense, segregated city. On May 2 police were confounded when organizers had schoolchildren participate in the marches. More than 1,000 schoolchildren, mostly teenagers, skipped school to march in the streets, and over 600 were arrested. read more...
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Confederate General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia faced a daunting task in the spring of 1863 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. The Union’s huge Army of the Potomac, with its new leader General Joseph Hooker, was about to smash into Lee’s forces to annihilate his army and finally capture the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia. On May 1, 1863, the pivotal Battle of Chancellorsville began. Five days later the fighting was over, and Lee had won what most historians call his most brilliant victory. read more...
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NewsInHistory is continually adding more content to our historical newspapers archive—titles new to our collection as well as expanding the date ranges and number of issues for titles already in our archive. This current addition involves 16 newspapers from 7 states and the District of Columbia. A total of 2,737 issues have been added in this release! Here are the details:
California read more...
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In 1802 President Thomas Jefferson sent two representatives to France, James Monroe and Robert Livingston, to negotiate the purchase of New Orleans from Napoleon Bonaparte. Jefferson’s agents were authorized to offer up to $10 million for the Mississippi River port, vital to American shipping interests. Imagine their astonishment when the French government offered to sell not only New Orleans, but its entire territory of Louisiana—for $15 million! read more...
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Exactly 68 years later, the sheer horror of it remains as incomprehensible as ever. On April 29, 1945, U.S. troops liberated the Dachau concentration camp in southern Germany, where the Nazis murdered tens of thousands of prisoners. What the American troops found when they entered the camp shocked them and revolts us still, disturbing stories and images that can never be forgotten. read more...
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After the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter began the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued a call on April 15, 1861, for 75,000 volunteers to serve for 90 days to end the Southern rebellion. The response was extraordinary, as men throughout the North rushed to their country’s aid. It was not only the men who rallied to Lincoln’s call, however; the women were zealous as well. read more...
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Just five days after celebrating the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia, euphoria in the North suddenly plunged into grief and despair when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865. The murderer was John Wilkes Booth, a 26-year-old actor and fervent Southern sympathizer, who shot Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., while the president was enjoying a performance of Our American Cousin. read more...
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I understand that when writing a blog, it’s necessary to show a picture and say a few words about yourself, so that people don’t think a nameless, faceless committee or advisory board is running the show. Here I am, a real person. My name is Tony Pettinato, and I live in Deerfield, Mass. I did my undergraduate studies in English at Oberlin College, my graduate work in Journalism at UC Berkeley, and have been a reporter for six newspapers. For the past fourteen years I have worked at NewsBank, six of those as a managing editor for the U.S. Congressional Serial Set project – NewsBank’s acclaimed effort that digitized and indexed twelve million pages of primary source documents – that gratified my lifelong interest in American history. And that led me to editing this history blog!
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