History

Refine Search

What is the definition of "Magna Carta"?

The Magna Carta marked the birth of English constitutional law. It was the first document presented to an English king by his subjects in an attempt to limit his power and was conceived by English barons who feared King John's power and sought to codify and guarantee the rights of Englishmen. The Magna Carta states that no Englishman can be deprived of his life or property without the fair judgment of his equals and that no one can be put on trial without credible witnesses to support his arrest.

Continue Reading

What is Sojourner Truth's poem "Ain't I a Woman" about?

Sojourner Truth's convention sermon connected the women's rights and abolitionist movements in a way that the audience had not yet heard. In her speech, she detailed the instances of brutality and injustice she'd endured as a slave, calling out after each, "Ain't I a woman?" and reminding the audience of both her individual humanity and her status as a free black woman. Her address also spotlighted the hypocrisy of the clergy who argued that, "Women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman!"\nIn her conclusion, she reminded the audience ..

Continue Reading

When was the first driver's license issued?

Towards the end of the 19th century, several jurisdictions in the United States developed precursors to the driver's license. In New York City and Chicago in 1899, motorists were required to pass an exam before they could drive their vehicles, though these exams were not followed up by the issuing of a paper license. In the same year, New York City passed a law that anyone driving a steam-powered vehicle within the city needed to be a licensed engineer.

Continue Reading

What was school like 100 years ago?

As the year turned to 1900, the standard of living began to rise, making it easier for children to stay in school longer and attend grades beyond level eight. While some students would continue onto college, many of them needed to stay with their families for financial reasons. This warranted a change in curriculum for the older children that focused on local trades, such as shop, agriculture and secretarial skills. In 1917, the aid for programs directed toward agriculture and vocational education was extended by the federal government. Just prior to the 1930s, the junior high school system be..

Continue Reading

Who is Giovanni da Verrazzano?

During Giovanni da Verrazzano's first expedition in 1524, he made landfall near Cape Fear, North Carolina. He traveled south to Florida and then sailed back north exploring New York harbor and then settling near Newport, Rhode Island. His final voyage, in 1528, headed south towards Jamaica. He and a small group came ashore on an island in the Lesser Antilles, where natives attacked, killed and then ate him and the group.

Continue Reading

What is the main idea of the Gettysburg Address?

In the Battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1 to July 3, 1863, heavy casualties were incurred on both sides. The Union army lost 23,000 men, and the Confederates lost 28,000 men. In the end, the Confederates were forced to retreat. Many Union soldiers were quickly buried in badly marked graves, but later a national cemetery was created at the site of the battle. At the dedication, President Lincoln was not the main speaker. Edward Everett, a popular orator, first spoke for two hours on the significance of the battle. Afterward, the Gettysburg Address, only 272 words long, took fewer than two..

Continue Reading

What was the outcome of Shays' Rebellion?

After the American Revolutionary War, the United States suffered from a crushing economic decline. Former international trading partners were lost, the U.S. market diminished, and many U.S. citizens found themselves falling into debt. In the 1780s, farmers in Massachusetts, one of the hardest hit areas, pleaded state governments to enact pro-debtor laws to reduce the economic strain. When the government ignored these pleas, many farms were seized and farmers who could not pay their debts were imprisoned. These actions caused growing discontent in the local population and led to protests and de..

Continue Reading

What were some popular 1960s inventions?

The first video game was invented in 1962 by a group of programmers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. The video game was called "Spacewar." In 2015, 89 percent of school-age children have at least one video game.\nCordless tools changed the world of people who enjoyed doing odd jobs around the home in the 1960s and beyond. In 1961, Black and Decker released the first cordless drill to the public. Problems with the battery caused the company to modify gear ratios and efficiency in later models. The company even earned a contract with NASA to supply cordless tools to astron..

Continue Reading

Who invented the TEM microscope?

A transmission electron microscope utilizes electrons by speeding them up inside a vacuum until their wavelength is only one hundred-thousandth that of white light. Beams focus in on a sample and are scattered or absorbed by the cell's parts in order to form the image. It is possible for a transmission electron microscope to view an object as small as the diameter of an atom. One drawback to transmission electron microscopes is that no living specimen can survive within their high vacuum, so these microscopes cannot be used to study the movements of a living cell.

Continue Reading

What were the effects of the Watergate scandal?

The first Watergate break-in occurred in May 1972, when members of Nixon's Committee to Re-elect the President burglarized the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate building, bugging the phones and stealing top-secret documents. In June, the burglars returned, as the wiretaps were not functioning properly. This time the police caught them in the act and apprehended them.\nPresident Nixon denied any knowledge of the break-in and as a result won the 1972 election by a landslide. Investigations and secret White House tapes afterwards revealed that he tried to cover up t..

Continue Reading
Showing 6611 to 6620 of 8554 (856 Pages)