Carole Butcher

The Civil War was not going well for the Union in 1862. A victory at Shiloh in April was followed by defeat in the Seven Days Battles, an inconclusive result at Antietam, and a disastrous loss at Fredericksburg.

While Ben Eielson is North Dakota’s most famous aviator, others came before him, though their names are less well known. On June 9, 1911, Fargo banks and stores closed as more than 12,000 people flocked to the fairgrounds to watch Robert St. Henry take to the air in his Glenn Curtiss biplane. St. Henry was working for Curtiss, the New York airplane designer based in Hammondsport.

It’s a tale as old as time: two young men in love with the same girl. Tom Allen lived on the farm next to the Lockhart place and spent much of his spare time courting Laura Lockhart, even though he was quite a bit older. But Allen had two obstacles. He often got drunk, which did not appeal to Laura. And he had a rival: Brownie Emery. Emery was closer to Laura’s age, she seemed more attracted to him, and, unlike Allen, he never arrived at the Lockhart home drunk.

It was 1902, and President Theodore Roosevelt was deep in the woods on a hunting trip when something felt off.

The Pure Foods Movement was a grass roots effort that called attention to the presence of unhealthy additives in processed food. Prior to 1906, there was no governmental oversight of processed foods and pharmaceutical drugs.

On this date in 1906, Teddy Roosevelt became the first American to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending the Russo-Japanese War.

In the late 1800s, workers averaged ten to sixteen hours a day, six days a week. Workers in Great Britain and the United States began to push for a reduction in work hours.

On the morning of July 30, 1916, New York City was jarred awake by a huge explosion. Four people were killed, thousands of windows were blown out, and the Statue of Liberty was hit with debris.

As Secretary of State for President James Monroe, John Quincy Adams advocated for the expansion of the United States. He was responsible for establishing the northern boundary of the country from the Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountains, and eventually to the Pacific Ocean. More than any other man, Adams was responsible for putting the Monroe Doctrine into action.

The Dorcas Society is a charitable organization named after Dorcas, a woman described in the Acts of the Apostles. Dorcas was a biblical figure widely known for her dressmaking abilities. The primary mission of the society was originally to provide clothing for the needy, although that grew to include other necessities, like food.