History

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Where did Christopher Columbus travel?

The first land Columbus reached in the New World was an island somewhere in the Bahamas that he named San Salvador. Unfortunately, his charts were ambiguous, and which island he actually first encountered is unknown. Although the island of San Salvador, renamed from Watlings Island in 1925, lays claim to this honor, there are several likely candidates in the island chain.\nBefore his famous journeys west across the Atlantic, Columbus took a number of voyages to explore Africa in search of a more traditional route from Europe to central and east Asia. His first journey nearly ended in disaster ..

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Where did the Cherokees live before the Trail of Tears?

The Trail of Tears relocated the Cherokee Native Americans to "Indian Territory," which mainly included lands west of the Mississippi River. This forced relocation and removal was a result of the 1830 Indian Removal Act passed by United States officials in order to preserve education and higher standards of morality. However, at the time of removal, Cherokee populations actually had a higher literacy rate than non-Native Americans, albeit in their native language.

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What are some facts about Molly Pitcher?

Molly moved to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1768 and married William (also known as John) Hays, a barber, in 1769. Hays enlisted as a gunner in the Continental Army. As was custom for the time, wives often followed their husbands to battle so they could be near them and to help as needed; Molly was no exception.\nThe Battle of Monmouth occurred in Freehold, New Jersey, on June 28,1778. It was a particularly hot day, and the soldiers nicknamed Molly "Molly Pitcher" for the countless trips she made filling pitchers with cold water. The water was used by soldiers not only to drink but also to pour ..

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Why have the fortunes of much of the English gentry degenerated?

For centuries, only the land-owning gentry could vote in England, which meant they could control the laws regarding land ownership. Naturally, these favored the wealthy. In the early part of the 19th century, however, voting law was reformed, expanding the voting population in England. This initiated the decline of the English gentry. The voting issue for the gentry was compounded by the industrial revolution, which saw the establishment of factories in urban areas and the migration of workers from the country into the city. The establishment of the railroad made the transportation of goods an..

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What are some famous photographs of the American Civil War?

Matthew Brady was one well-known photographer of the American Civil War. He, alongside 24 other men, used portable darkrooms to document the War between the States pictorially. The photographic technology of the time was relatively slow, requiring the subject to stand still during development. This precluded the capture of battle scenes, so instead Brady and his assistants took portraits of leaders, common soldiers and, controversially, corpses. Brady exhibited such photographs from the Battle of Antietam in his New York gallery in October 1862, titling the series "The Dead of Antietam."\nMany..

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What historical factors influence the value of Triumph motorcycles?

Triumph motorcycles have been in continuous production longer than any other brand of motorcycle in the world. The first Triumph was produced in 1903, and since then, the company has endured through two world wars and numerous financial hardships and ownership changes. The 550cc Model H Roadster 4 stroke produced for use by Allied troops in World War I is considered to be the first modern motorcycle. This long history makes Triumph an iconic motorcycle brand.\nTriumph started chalking up competition victories with second and third place finishes in the 1907 Isle of Man TT road race, the first ..

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What are some facts about Ethiopian history?

Names for Ethiopia throughout history include Nubia, Kush and Abyssinia. Ethiopia became the second nation to adopt Christianity, after Armenia, in 324 A.D. Between 325 and 1700, control of Ethiopia changed hands between Muslin, Coptic and Roman Catholic rulers, often with European, Ottoman and Arab supporters. Ethiopia successfully defended invasions by Turkey, Egypt, Sudan and Italy under the reign of Menelik II between 1879 and 1913.\nHaile Selassie became the de facto emperor in 1916 until being deposed by Communist-backed rebels in 1974. Selassie's appeal to the League of Nations fol..

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When did ZIP codes start?

The United States Postal Service began using two-digit area codes in 1943 in order to define postal zones in larger cities. Beginning in 1967, the ZIP code became progressively mandatory. The word "ZIP" comes from the acronym for "Zone Improvement Plan." The original ZIP code was composed of 5 digits. In 1983, the ZIP + 4 was introduced in order to make delivery to densely populated areas more efficient.

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Who invented the projector kinetoscope?

Located behind the kinetoscope peephole was a spinning wheel with a narrow slit that acted as a shutter, which permitted a momentary view of each of the 46 frames that passed in front of the shutter every second. The continuous movement of the frames resulted in a lifelike representation of motion. The kinetoscope was first publicly displayed in 1894. The kinetoscope formed the basis for the first equipment used to project motion picture film.

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What was the Truman Federal Employee Loyalty Program?

The Truman Federal Loyalty Program was placed under the Civil Service Commission review board and looked for individuals who were members of various threatening groups such as communist, fascist or totalitarian groups. The program was signed into action as Executive Order 9835 by President Truman. The action was made in part due to the concern by the public rather than by governmental officials that there were impostors working in the government.

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