San Francisco 1853 Levi Strauss, a Bavarian dry goods dealer is doing a brisk business selling unsold tenting material that he converted to trousers for the miners. Word is spreading that Strauss, the "Cowboys' Tailor," has designed pants that can take a beating and survive. He is using indigo dye to color the drab brown cloth. The durable twilled cotton cloth known in France as... Continue reading
The Swan Boats are the harbinger of spring to native Bostonians. Famed in the stories Make Way for Ducklings and The Trumpet of the Swan, the Swan Boats are the only boats of their kind in the world! For over 120 years, the Swan Boats have appeared in Boston’s Public Garden, the first public botanical garden in the United States, established in 1837 This Boston tradition dates back to 1877... Continue reading
Make Way for Ducklings The Swan Boats are the harbinger of spring to native Bostonians. Famed in the stories Make Way for Ducklings and The Trumpet of the Swan, the Swan Boats are the only boats of their kind in the world! For over 120 years, the Swan Boats have appeared in Boston’s Public Garden, the first public botanical garden in the United States, established in 1837 This Boston... Continue reading
Peter Max made the cover of Life Magazine with a 9-page feature cover story inside. Max also debuted on television with the “Ed Sullivan Show” and appeared on the “Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.” Some of his renowned installations include a 600-ft-stage for the Woodstock Music Festival, a giant mural for the Winter Olympics and 10-foot guitars for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. His art is on... Continue reading
Huey Long – “The Kingfish” Huey Long grew up comfortable on a farm in the poorest section of Louisiana. He was self-confident and compassionate and aware that many of his poor friends and neighbors had no opportunity at all. His brilliance and boundless energy motivated him to charge into politics on a mission to champion the common man. He rose to the governorship of Louisiana in 1928,... Continue reading
TIME MAGAZINES - MAN OF THE YEAR - The 1960s 1960 American Scientists 1961 John F. Kennedy 1962 Pope John XXIII 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. 1964 Lyndon Johnson 1965 General William Westmoreland 1966 Kids 25 and Under 1967 Lyndon Johnson 1968 Apollo Astronauts 1969 The Middle Americans
The US Government issued a 640 acre land certificate in what is now Hannibal, Mo. to Abraham Bird after he lost his original land in the powerful New Madrid earthquake of 1811. Hannibal was officially founded in 1819 by Moses Bates. He and Jonathan Fleming built the first building in town, a log cabin, near the corner of North Main and Bird Streets. Bates also owned the first steamboat in town... Continue reading
The building firm Levitt & Sons, Inc. was founded by Abraham Levitt and his two sons William and Alfred. They developed Levittown on Long Island in 1947. William spearheaded the project and is considered the father of modern suburbia. He developed an expertise while in the Navy for mass-producing buildings for military housing using uniform and interchangeable parts. His architect-brother,... Continue reading
Caleb Bradham of New Bern, North Carolina was a pharmacist at the turn of the century. He had a soda fountain in his drugstore, where he served his customers refreshing drinks, that he created himself. His most popular beverage was something he called "Brad's drink" made of carbonated water, sugar, vanilla, rare oils, pepsin and cola nuts. "Brad's drink", was... Continue reading
The year was 1935. The place was Springfield, Massachusetts. The Great Depression had weakened the nation and good, secure jobs were few and far between. Undaunted by the dismal economy and inspired by a vote of confidence loan from their parents, two spunky brothers – 20 year-old Prestley Blake and 18 year-old Curtis Blake – opened a modest neighborhood ice cream shoppe. The young... Continue reading

Pages