From the early days of the 20th century, when lifeguard legend "Cap" Watkins rode a horse to make ocean rescues, to present-day crew members who are aided by Baywatch rescue boats, t
Its heyday was fairly close to those of other lines, but in other ways the Key System was unique. It was an outright inducement for workers in the downtown San Francisco area to purchase homes in Berk
In the spring of 1757, the Lynch brothers established a ferry across the James River to transport settlers on their way to the Ohio Valley. Within a decade, the settlement clustered around the ferry h
Nashville's first professional baseball team was organized in 1885, but the city's baseball roots can be traced to 1862, as Union soldiers camped along the Cumberland River taught the Northern game to
The Knoxville Zoo began as the Birthday Park Zoo in 1948. Due to a lack of expertise and funding, the Humane Society started proceedings to close the zoo in 1971 after the animals' welfare came under
Choctaw are the largest tribe belonging to the branch of the Muskogean family that includes the Chickasaw, Creek (Muscogee), and Seminole. According to oral history, the tribe originated from Nanih Wa
To John Gary Anderson, a well-designed, well-made, well-marketed car would speed to the head of the pack, leaving the bewildered competition in its dust. John Gary Anderson?the hungry visionary who fo
Central to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the town of New Market lies at the western base of the Massanutten range. Its crossroads go back to two Native American hunting trails that crossed here t
In the dark, frenzied years of World War II, the San Francisco Bay Area was the geographic center of a $6.3 billion West Coast shipbuilding industry. Stretching from the Golden Gate to Vallejo to Sunn
Of the rail lines created at the turn of the 20th century, in order to build interurban links through Southern California communities around metropolitan Los Angeles, the Pacific Electric grew to be t
On a brisk January morning in 1888, nine young men from Tulane University faced off against nine young men from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge to play base ball. Tulane won 22 to 8 in what
Townsend is nestled comfortably in the north-central region of the state, on the border of New Hampshire. Its location is close enough to major travel routes that it continues to grow, yet far enough
No other city in the United States is home to more Slovaks than Pittsburgh. It is estimated that close to 100,000 Slovak immigrants came to the area in the 1890s looking for work and the chance for a
In 1867, a roomful of men gathered in the office of a noted attorney to discuss Detroit's need for a rural cemetery. They decided to form an association and invested their own money to purchase a plot
Ponce de Leon is reputed to have entered the inlet now named for him at New Smyrna Beach during his first Florida exploration in 1513. Jonathan Dickenson crossed the inlet to safety with the Spanish i
It was more than 150 years ago that Uncle Billy" Leonard took refuge from the hellish heat in the shade beneath a Ponderosa pine, breathing in relief to his companions: "Boys, this has got to be Parad
Dedicated to the state's citizen soldiers, New York State National Guard reveals the sweeping vista of the often turbulent years from 1860 to 1960. This exciting history documents the faces, dress, an
In 1854, a group of engineers and railroad businessmen drew a straight line from Philadelphia to the New Jersey coast, built a railroad along the line, and created Atlantic City. From the 1850s to the
Orlando writer Joy Wallace Dickinson gives readers a peek at a variety of little-known city stories. From the visits of Elvis Presley and Jack Kerouac to the famous dedication of the Lake Eola fountai
Philadelphia, as laid out in the 1680s, extended from the Delaware River to the Schuylkill River and from Vine Street to South Street, an area known today as Center City. As its population grew, the s
The heavily wooded area of western Hennepin County, known as the "Big Woods" to early explorers, slowly transformed into three trade centers with the first permanent settlers staking their claims to l
The roots of community theater can be traced back to before the Revolutionary War. In the years that followed, many towns throughout America were fortunate to have both professional and amateur acting
The Forest Hills neighborhood is set within a heavily treed, rolling landscape adjoining Rock Creek Park and was first home to the Piscataway Indian tribe and later to Civil War encampments. Threshing
A century ago, William A. Stinchcomb, aged 27, closed his annual report as chief engineer of parks for the City of Cleveland with a challenge to create an outer ring of parks and boulevards to benefit
With the migration of African American sharecroppers to northern cities in the first half of the 20th century, the African American population of Milwaukee grew from fewer than 1,000 in 1900 to nearly
Incorporated in 1807 as West Cambridge, the rural town of Arlington adopted its name in 1867, just prior to emerging as a streetcar suburb of Boston. Then & Now: Arlington commemorates this to
Oregon State University began its football program in 1893 and has been a study in contrasts ever since. The Beavers went to the Rose Bowl after the 1941, 1956, and 1964 seasons and to the Liberty Bow
According to Gov. Robert L. Ehrich Jr., "[The Maryland StateFair] is an annual opportunity as Marylanders to come together to celebrate the history, tradition, and charm of our State during the best d
When the population of Boston exploded in the late 1800s, the critical need to expand the public water supply was realized. In response to this, all eyes focused northward to the Quabbin Valley, with
Originally part of Rancho San Miguel, the West of Twin Peaks district was among the last to be developed in San Francisco. Behrend Joost, using the fortune he made to start dredging the Panama Canal,
Perhaps more than any other Central Valley community, Sacramento is changing so rapidly as to become almost unrecognizable. New hou si ng project s a nd ongoi ng redevelopment efforts have led to a de
Glen Ellyn took its name from a Victorian real estate development whose massive promotional campaigns brought this unusually beautiful village to the attention of city dwellers eager to move their fam
Norwood has long used the tagline “Gem of the Highlands.”While the origin of this name is not clear, it is believed to refer to Norwood’s beautiful locale among the hills and valleys of southwestern O
Hydroplane racing burst onto the Seattle scene in 1950, and local sports fans embraced it with a passion that is hard to imagine. Throughout the early 1950s, thousands of fans flocked to Lake Washingt
Originally inhabited by the native Quinnipiac, the Puritans traded blankets and wares in 1638 to acquire land destined to be a prosperous mercantile port. New Haven became a manufacturing center and w
On September 8, 1875, Wellesley College, an undergraduate liberal arts college for women, opened its doors to its first students. Eager, brave, and determined, they came from around the country to beg
The Oklahoma City Zoo began when a single deer was donated to a neighborhood park. Because deer were rare in 1902, crowds flocked to see the creature. Soon other people in Oklahoma Territory began don
The widespread persecution of the Christian Assyrians byneighboring populations in the Ottoman Empire led to theirimmigration to the United States. Beginning at the end of the19th century, with an inf
Door County is the final resting place of many shipwrecks, from the first Euro American ship to sail the western Great Lakes, LaSalle's fabled Griffin that left Washington Island in 1679 never to be h
From schooners to submarines, Manitowoc has been home to shipbuilders and their craft for over 200 years. Thanks to the vast collections of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, Maritime Manitowoc: 1847-1947
