Harriet Hubbard Ayer moved to New York City by 1883 and established Recamier Preparations, Inc., the earliest cosmetic company owned and operated by a woman. First with her creams and balms and then w
In 1854, Decatur was nicknamed Hell's Half Acre."? By the 1910s and 1920s, the town was referred to as the "Second Most Corrupt City in Illinois, "? gaining notoriety as a p
On May 4, 1968, Dancer's Image crossed the finish line at Churchill Downs to win the 94th Kentucky Derby. Yet the jubilation ended three days later for the owner, the jockey and the trainers who prope
In a town where ladies of the evening walked the streets (but were legally bound to hide their ankles) and trouble rolled through town on the famous railways, this Piedmont city has seen its fair shar
Wicked Puritans of Essex County is a unique report on Puritan criminality that shatters the stereotype of the Puritan (someone striving, above all, to achieve moral purity). With a ground breaking, ey
After more than one hundred years of craving a champion, the University of South Carolina finally has one. The 2010 Gamecock baseball team won six consecutive games over eight summer nights to take th
With the advent of the railroad in 1849, North Williston changed from a small collection offarms to a thriving economic center in Chittenden County. Transportation access spurred industries such as Sm
Tennessee has never been a stranger to strangeness. Stories of the weird, wild and wonderful abound in the Volunteer state. Join author and seasoned journalist Kelly Kazek as she tracks down the extra
In February 1862, after defeats at Bull Run and at Wilson's Creek in Missouri, the Union army was desperate for victory on the eve of its first offensive of the Civil War. The strategy was to penetrat
The Battles of Lexington and Concord have long been considered the beginning of the American Revolution. However, Vermonters know that the first blood was actually shed in Westminster in March 1775. O
A strange sort of pride tends to embellish infamy -- like the notion that Frank and Jesse James robbed every bank in Missouri. But the citizens of Joplin need not exaggerate their community's unsavory
The brief war that Black Hawk waged against the United States in 1832 saw half of the people under his leadership killed in savage massacres and the entire Sauk tribe removed to Iowa. Yet this dismal
Prior to the Civil War, Atlanta was at the intersection of four rail lines, rendering the Georgia crossroads the fastest-growing city in the Deep South. As the Confederate States formed, Atlanta was a
In September 1862, Robert E. Lee led the Army of Northern Virginia north of the Potomac River for the time as part of his Northern invasion, seeking a quick end to the war. Lee divided his army in thr
At the heart of Fishtown is the final resting place of generations of Kensington and Fishtown residents. Founded prior to 1748, Palmer Cemetery is one of the oldest in Philadelphia. Interred here and
As one of the five boroughs of New York City, Staten Island has a rich and colorful past, and it is full of places where people have shaped the city, state and nation. To commemorate its 350th anniver
The entire village of Old Frontenac is snugly nestled in the National Register of Historic Places--a tribute to the frontier paradise cultivated under the patronage of the Garrard family. With the exc
Beyond the streets and buildings that now bear the name Brickell is the rich history of William and Mary Brickell, who worked alongside Julia Tuttle and Henry Flagler to found Miami and Fort Lauderdal
Built in 1811 in Mount Holly and intended to be a short-term holding facility, Burlington County Prison became one of the most notorious prisons of its time as criminals of all sorts spent days, years
With lively narration, telling anecdotes, and vivid battlefield accounts, Michigan and the Civil War tells the story as never before of Michigan's heroic contributions to saving the Union. Beginning w
A woman ahead of her time, the remarkable Dr. Annie Dove Denmark dedicated her life to higher education and the youth of her day. As the first female college president of both Anderson College and in
Major General William T. Sherman's march from Savannah, Georgia, to Columbia, South Carolina, was marked by a battle with an unrelenting enemy: the swamps of the Palmetto State. For more than two week
North Jersey Shore towns such as Long Branch, Ocean Grove, Red Bank and Atlantic Highlands began as quiet retreats for pious New Yorkers wishing to escape the vice and crime of the city. However, with
Though it was far from the front lines of the War Between the States, Williamstown, Vermont, made undeniable contributions to the victory of the United States Army. The proud sons of Patriots fell on
Just south of the Mason-Dixon line, Frederick, Maryland, was poised at the crossroads of the Civil War. Here, Confederate troops passed west to the Battles of Antietam and South Monocacy, and Union tr
This book tells the story of Villa Madonna-Thomas More, from its inception in 1921 as a diocesan college in downtown Covington, where most classes were held in renovated privateresidences, to its relo
While today's Telluride might bring to mind a hot tourist spot and upscale ski resort, the earliest days of the town and surrounding San Miguel County were marked by an abundance of gamblers, con men
Andrew Wyeth is renowned for his paintings of the Chadds Ford countryside, but what about the his brother, the inventor of the plastic soda bottle? Then there is Bill Haley of Booth's Corner who, alon
In 1819, a young man outwitted death at the hands of John and Lavinia Fisher and sparked the hunt for Charleston's most notorious serial killers. Former homicide investigator Bruce Orr follows the sto
Ever since her boat drifted up against the mammoth docks in Milwaukee's harbor, Leah Dobkin has been enthralled by the evolution of the port and the city so firmly moored to it. From an era when it wa
In the Ozarks, music frames everything. The Ozark Opry was a focal point of that cultural tradition for over fifty years, playing to sold-out audiences and influencing the course of the American enter
During the Revolutionary War, Sephardic Jews fled British-occupied New York to become the first Jewish families in Connecticut. This long Jewish history is explored in a collection of essays by histor
The story of Chicago is often likened to that of a phoenix rising out of the ashes of the Great Fire. Yet that infamous event was only part of the destruction that has shaped Chicago's identity. Disco
Far from the glistening waters and gray-shingled villages of Cape Cod were the bloody front lines of the American Civil War. During this era, Cape Cod recruiting officers often urged soldiers to &
While many institutions of higher education made great sacrifices during the Civil War, few can boast of the dedication and effort made by the University of Notre Dame. For four years, Notre Dame gave
Since the days of John Smith and Squanto, the coast of Massachusetts stretching south from Boston to Plymouth has been transformed. Once an isolated Puritan colony, the region has made an indelible ma
For nearly ninety years, Pizitz offered Birmingham residents and Alabamans across the state a one-of-a-kind shopping experience. From the Enchanted Forest that sprung up every Christmas to in-store fa
These shrines, now gone save for League Park's crumbling remnants, hosted American sports heroes and icons, rock legends and hockey stars. Babe Ruth launched his 500th home run at League Park, where I
In 1817, as Gloucester, Massachusetts, was recovering from the War of 1812, something beneath the water was about to cause a stir in this New England coastal community. It was a misty August day when
Salem, nestled along the rocky coast of Massachusetts, has long been synonymous with witches, despite efforts to emphasize other aspects of the city's rich history. In this fascinating collection of s
