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Brunel's Thames Tunnel to Be Opened

Mar 12, 2010 2:40pm

A tunnel built under the River Thames in London by the great Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and his father, Marc Brunel, is going to be open to the public this weekend. The brief opening will mark the first time in 145 years that people will be able to walk...

Ireland's Century of Rebellion

Mar 8, 2010 3:07am

Ireland in the 19th century was engaged in an epic struggle marked by a series of open revolts and sustained protests against British rule. A trend in revolutionary activity in Ireland which began in the late 1790s essentially lasted until Irish independence was achieved in the early 1920s. As St. Patrick's...

Ad Making Light of the Great Famine Denounced

Mar 6, 2010 2:43pm

The Denny's Restaurant chain drew criticism this past week for running TV spots which offered free French fries and pancakes in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the end of the Great Famine in Ireland. As you might imagine, people were outraged by what seemed to be a joking approach...

Yellowstone, the First National Park

Mar 1, 2010 6:55am

Today marks the anniversary of President Ulysses S. Grant, with a stroke of the pen, designating Yellowstone as the first National Park. On March 1, 1872 Grant signed a remarkable piece of legislation which resulted from Congress being motivated by what an astounding government expedition had discovered. Rumors about spectacular scenery...

The Eruption of Krakatoa

Feb 28, 2010 1:24pm

The news coverage of the earthquake in Chile, and the subsequent tsunami warnings, often included a mention of one of the great cataclysms of recorded history, the eruption of the volcano at Krakatoa, an island in the Pacific Ocean, in 1883. The massive destructive power unleashed at Krakatoa, in which the...

The Murder of Helen Jewett

Feb 25, 2010 3:05pm

If the case of Helen Jewett sounds like something from today's tabloids or cable news channels, it's because her 1836 murder in New York City created the template for countless other sensational news stories. Jewett, who was born under another name in New England, came to New York and became prominent...

Lincoln Became a Star at Cooper Union

Feb 22, 2010 2:19am

This week marks the 150th anniversary of one of the most significant visits any political figure has ever made to New York City. In late February 1860, Abraham Lincoln, who had gained some attention by debating Senator Stephen Douglas on the pressing issue of slavery less than two years earlier,...

Recognizing David Ruggles, a Forgotten Hero

Feb 18, 2010 2:38pm

David Ruggles, a printer, writer and editor in New York City, helped guide hundreds of fugitive slaves toward freedom in the decades before the Civil War. His role in the abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad has never been fully appreciated, and it's only now that someone has written an...

Pierre de Coubertin, Founder of the Modern Olympics

Feb 15, 2010 3:31am

If you've been enjoying the spectacle of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, you are soaking up a tradition with its roots in the late 19th century. A French aristocrat became an unlikely sporting hero when he devoted himself to reviving the spirit of the Olympics held in ancient Greece. Pierre de...

Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln

Feb 11, 2010 4:37pm

Today marks Abraham Lincoln's 201st birthday, and while it also ends the Lincoln Bicentennial, there's no reason to believe commemorations of Lincoln's life will be wrapping up anytime soon. Indeed, this year is the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's rise from a regional politician known for opposition to slavery to his election...