History

Refine Search

Where did the French and Indian War take place?

The English and the French battled for domination of the colonies in India, the Caribbean and in North America. The English eventually won most of the colonial outpost, but they did so at a very steep price that almost caused the English government to collapse. In a bid to recover money that was spent in the war, the English imposed very high taxes on the colonies, which caused sweeping discontent in the Americas that precipitated the Revolutionary War.

Continue Reading

Why were so many of the founding fathers Free Masons?

After the signing of the U.S. Constitution, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson appointed another Freemason to assist in the design of the new capital, which is why Masonic symbolism is visible throughout government buildings, street layout and artwork in Washington, D.C. Some of the most recognizable symbols today include the square and compass, the pentagram, and the pyramid with the all-seeing eye, added to the one-dollar bill by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935. Franklin D. Roosevelt is one of 14 presidents and 40 vice presidents and known Freemasons, as of 2015.\nThe Freemasons ..

Continue Reading

How is the Columbian Exchange significant in history?

Prior to the beginning of the Columbian Exchange in 1492, the New World had no horses, cattle, sheep, goats or pack animals, aside from llamas and alpacas. The Americas also had no wheat, rice or barley, which formed the staple crops of Old World civilizations. Corn, potatoes and manioc first became available to Europe as a result of the exchange.\nHuman populations also shifted dramatically. People of European and African origin became dominant across much of the Americas, while Native American people visited Europe for the first time. Each continent's cultures changed in response to the..

Continue Reading

What were Hernando de Soto's accomplishments?

de Soto was a Spanish explorer who began his period of exploration with Francisco Pizarro in 1532, and assisted with the latter's mission to conquer Peru. After returning to Spain with 18,000 Incas of gold, de Soto became restless and began exploring other parts of the Americas. In 1538, using all his resources, he gathered 10 ships and set sail for Cuba, where he aided the city of Havana following the French sacking and burning it. He assisted the Spanish crown in capturing Florida, as well as Alabama and Georgia.In 1541, de Soto captured the Mississippi River. This was the first time a ..

Continue Reading

What is Dorothea Dix famous for?

Dix's report was presented to the New Jersey legislature in 1845. After a proposed bill to create a state-funded asylum was delayed for several months, the bill was passed later that year. Dix then traveled to New Hampshire and Louisiana to again document the treatment of the mentally ill. She helped draft bills for the funding of mental hospitals in those states before traveling to Illinois. In 1847, she helped establish Illinois' first mental health hospital.\nDix then turned her attention to North Carolina and Pennsylvania, and she was successful in establishing mental hospitals i..

Continue Reading

What was ancient Chinese makeup like?

Chinese people started using gum arabic, gelatin, beeswax and egg white to stain their fingernails as far back as 3000 B.C. The colors were regimented according to social class. Chou Dynasty royals wore gold and silver, although later dynasties wore red or black. People in lower classes were not allowed to wear bright colors on their fingernails.\nThe tradition of whitening the face started in 1500 B.C. People used rice powder to make their faces look white. They usually shaved off their eyebrows, replacing them with a stain of dark henna dye. They painted their teeth black or gold.\nChinese p..

Continue Reading

Who was John Crapper?

Crapper was born in 1836 in Yorkshire, England. In 1853, he worked as a plumber's apprentice with a master plumber. He became a sanitary engineer in 1851. Crapper applied for several patents, including the floating ballcock, the disconnecting trap and the bottom slapper. He died in 1910 in Bromley, England. Crapper's company was sold in 1963, though it is still in business as of May 2014. In 2011, the company celebrated its 150th anniversary.

Continue Reading

What did the Yurok Indians trade?

Yurok Indians relied heavily on mollusk shells for currency and revenue. They gave particular value to dentalium shells, which varied in size. These mollusk shells often made their way into Yurok settlements from northern Californian tribes. The Yurok, along with other tribes, used dentalium shells as currency. The largest shells received the greatest monetary value while smaller shells had less value. The Yurok traded shells on long strings, sometimes attaching nearly 30 shells to each string. Yurok Indians assigned various prices for these strings. They used the strings for many items, inclu..

Continue Reading

What was John Cabot's childhood like?

Information provided by Loon Lake Elementary School indicates that as a child, Cabot learned a great deal about trading spices from his father and others who lived and worked in the city. In fact, it was the spice trade that inspired him to become a sailor. He understood at a young age that learning the spice trade routes himself would allow him to eliminate the middle man and earn more money for his time. As a result, he set about learning mathematics, astronomy, cartography and navigation as a boy. He also learned to speak a number of languages to help him on sailing expeditions.\nThe CBC, C..

Continue Reading

What led to the French Revolution?

One major cause of the French Revolution was the huge debt that the French monarchy had taken on to fight foreign wars. The Seven Years' War, which took place between 1756 and 1763, ended in victory for France's enemy, England, causing more debt for the French. The French incurred even more debt to support the American Revolution. This debt weakened the financial power of the government and forced it to ask for higher taxes.\nThough the commoners were willing to accept tax reform, the nobility and the clergy opposed them. Nobles and churchmen enjoyed exemption from taxes, and because..

Continue Reading
Showing 201 to 210 of 8554 (856 Pages)