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What is the history of Victorville, California?

Named for Jacob Nash Victor, the construction superintendent for the California Southern Railroad, the town created a grid-pattern plan for growth in 1886. The area contained ample water and rich soil, which spurred agricultural development soon after. At the turn of the century, deposits of limestone and granite led to the establishment of Victor as a cement manufacturing area. The United States Postal Service changed the name of the town to Victorville in 1901 to avoid confusion with Victor, Colorado.\nWhen Route 66 was built through Victorville, a large number of businesses opened to serve ..

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When did Mexico gain its independence from Spain?

Catholic priest Hidalgo's "Grito de Dolores," or "Cry of Delores," of 1810 called for racial equality, the redistribution of land and an end to Spanish rule. Hidalgo achieved some successes but was eventually captured and executed. Other leaders, such as Mariao Matamoros and Vincente Guerro, took his place and continued the revolt against the Spanish and Royalists. Mexico became an independent constitutional monarchy in 1821 and a republic with Guadalupe Victoria as president in 1823.

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What caused the Spanish-American War?

During the Cuban rebellion, Spanish troops captured accused rebels and detained them in concentration camps; disease and starvation ravaged more than 200,000 people. American journalists published sensationalized stories about the malicious treatment and executions, rousing the public against Spanish tyranny. In February 1898, writer William Randolph Hearst incited more outrage by publishing a private letter written by a Spanish ambassador who harshly criticized President McKinley.\nDays later, the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor claimed 260 lives, and the lack of explanation or culp..

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What was the name of the first U.S. aircraft carrier?

The ship was converted from the USS Jupiter, an electrically powered collier transport that was the first to cross the Panama Canal. The first flights took off from and landed on its deck in October 1922. The USS Langley provided valuable training for the Navy and formed a prototype for the subsequent development of carriers. The Navy decommissioned the Langley in 1937, but restored it to service in the Pacific during World War II. The Langley came under fire during a Japanese missile attack off the coast of Indonesia in 1942. After taking several hits, the ship’s captain scuttled the vessel..

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Who were the first settlers in America?

Several studies have concluded that skeletal remains discovered in southern Chile, Brazil and Baja, California, predate the arrival of the Paleoindians by over 1,000 years and most closely resemble the Aborigines from Australia. Anthropologists believe these people descended from the very first humans over 60,000 years ago and originated in Africa. This group most likely traveled by boat and was well-established before being slaughtered or assimilated by the Paleoindians when they arrived.

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How did the Han dynasty end?

Chinese custom dictated that each son inherited a fraction of his father's land. In an agrarian society, one in which wealth cannot be increased as the supply of land is finite, this meant that each family had to subdivide its land with each generation until not enough remained to support its people. This led to declining tax revenues and the Han government's inability to pay tribute to the warlike nomadic people on its frontiers. Without tribute, the nomads forced the Han to fight endless, costly wars on the marginal lands of its borders.\nThese problems were rendered unsolvable by ..

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Why were early factories built near rivers?

Many rivers in city areas today continue to have pollution problems due to early factories and to continued waste from modern factories. As the years progressed, factories would no longer require rivers for power and would begin using coal power. This new power allowed factories to appear in areas that were not near waterways.

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Who were the Tuskegee airmen?

The Tuskegee airmen initially were trained only as pilots, but later the available roles expanded to include navigators, mechanics and bombardiers after the initial program was a success, explains the Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum. Their name comes from Tuskegee University, where approximately 1,000 airmen were trained during World War II. They faced pervasive racism from their fellow servicemen, including being treated like they were still in training and denied access to the Officer's Club.\nOne of the most famous groups of Tuskegee airmen was the 332nd Fighter Group, more ..

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What is Juneteenth and why is it important?

It is important to remember that while the Emancipation Proclamation, issued on January 1, 1863, technically freed the slaves, it didn't apply to states that had seceded from the Union during the Civil War. Many of the southern states still practiced slavery, and many people were enslaved for years after the Emancipation Proclamation.On June 19, 1865 - two months after the end of the Civil War - General Gordon Granger rode to Galveston, Texas with 2,000 Union troops to read General Order No. 3, which freed 250,000 slaves. Thus began the traditional celebration of Juneteenth, but it wasn&a..

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How were the settlers in Plymouth County different than the Massachusetts Bay Colony settlers?

Most Puritans wanted to purify the practices of the Anglican church, preferring to reform it from within to remove all taints of Catholic worship. Many of these Puritans started the Massachusetts Bay Colony in order to build their City on a Hill, a church other Puritans might see as a model. However, the Pilgrims had determined in the late 16th century that the Anglican Church was beyond reform. Therefore, they had seceded entirely from the Church, many of them moving to Holland prior to emigrating to the American Colonies.\nWhile these differences seem minor, it was easier for the Massachuset..

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Showing 1801 to 1810 of 8554 (856 Pages)