On May 15, 1800, John Adams ordered the federal government to move to Washington, D.C., the new capitol of The United States of America. Philadelphia officially ended it’s reign as the nation’s capitol on June 11, once things were running smoothly at the new capitol city. A city which sprung up so quickly, and with [...]

On May 8, 1884, future President Harry Truman, the man who would lead the United States through World War II,  was born. The son of a farmer, Truman joined the army at the age of 33 to be able to fight in World War I and, after the war, open a haberdashery in Kansas City. [...]

This week, it has become clear that Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee for  President of the United States, but it is not yet official. The process has already been underway for months, and still isn’t complete, which leads to a lot of confusion about the nomination process. In late August, the Republican National [...]

In the early hours of April 18, 1906, a devastating earthquake shook the city of San Francisco. The earthquake, and resulting fires, ravaged the city for days. This event changed the city forever, destroying more than 28,000 buildings in 500 blocks, which is about a quarter of San Francisco. In addition, 700 people were killed [...]

On April 13, 1743, Thomas Jefferson was born in Virginia. One of the best known founding fathers, Jefferson is a man around whom legends and myths swirl. Biographer Joseph Ellis called Jefferson “The American Sphinx” for a reason. Let’s see if we can unlock some of his secrets.
We hear people from all over the political [...]

On April 5, 1792, President George Washington exercised our country’s first ever presidential veto. In this case, the bill would divide seats differently in the House of Representatives, giving northern states a larger amount. Washington determined that this bill was unconstitutional as it would mean more representatives than those allowed in the Constitution. Thomas Jefferson [...]

On March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot. This happened fewer than three months into his presidency at the Washington Hilton Hotel in our nation’s capitol. John Hinckley, Jr. was eventually found not guilty of the crime by reason of insanity, and is still in a psychiatric facility to this day. However, many misconceptions [...]

On March 24, 1958, Elvis Presley was inducted into the United States Army. He received a deferment during the Korean War (he was still in high school) and again when he was filming his third movie King Creole. However, 54 years ago, Uncle Sam called on Elvis and he responded. He was stationed both in [...]

This weekend, people across America will wear green and toast to St. Patrick at the local pub. That’s right, St. Patrick’s Day is Saturday! We all pretend to be Irish for the day while we partake in the traditions of the day, many of which come from myths and legends.
This celebration of all things Irish [...]

On March 7, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was awarded a patent for the telephone, the invention which made him famous. As with most famous things in history, however, there are some myths surrounding the telephone and its origins. Let’s take a look at a few.
Famously, the first telephone call was from Bell to his assistant, [...]

Yesterday was February 29th, that fun date that only comes once every four years. Let’s jump right into the myths and legends of Leap Day!
Why do we have a Leap Day, anyway? Where does that extra day come from? There are not, as we have been told, 365 days in a year. There are, to [...]

On February 24, 1868, President Andrew Johnson was impeached. This was the first of three presidential impeachments in the United States of America. Impeachment is very misunderstood, so let’s take a look at what it means, and when it’s been used.
Impeachment, requiring a two-thirds vote, is procedure to remove somebody from public office. These can [...]

On February 12, 1809 in Hodgenville, Kentucky, Abraham Lincoln was born. From humble beginnings, Lincoln rose to be the 16th president of the United States. Remembered for emancipation, Lincoln’s legend looms large in our history. How much of it is legend, however, and how much is true?
Was Lincoln really a simple country lawyer? This is [...]

On February 1, 1790, the United States Supreme Court held its first session. This historic event took place in the Royal Exchange Building in New York City, and was presided over by Chief Justice John Jay. The U.S. Constitution had taken effect nearly a year earlier, and had provided for such a court. Their purpose [...]

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill passed away on January 24, 1965. For the past forty-seven years, Churchill has been remembered as a statesman, the man who got Britain through World War II, and a personality who was never without the perfect quip. We also think we know quite a bit about him which isn’t really true. [...]

On January 20, 1937, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was sworn in as president of the United States of America. 1937 marked the dawn of his second of four terms in office, a presidency which leaves behind the legacy of the New Deal. The New Deal is a labyrinth of truth and legend but, as it turns [...]

On January 13, 1929, Wyatt Earp passed away at the age of 80. Earp was one of the legendary lawmen of the Wild West who are remembered as larger than life. They tried to bring law to the lawless world of cattle rusting and gunfights…or so we think. Is the Wild West really as wild [...]

This past week, all eyes were on Iowa and Iowan voters. Why? Because Tuesday, January 3rd was the Iowa Caucuses, the first step in winnowing down the field of GOP hopefuls. The last man (or woman) standing will be the Republican nominee and will, of course, be up against Barack Obama in this year’s general [...]

On December 28, 1856, President Woodrow Wilson was born. Wilson, our 28th President is best known for leading the United States through World War I, and for pushing for the creation of a Covenant League of Nations to prevent such a war in the future. With such a legendary history, some of it is bound [...]

It’s almost Christmas! There are a lot of traditions this time of year and with tradition comes legends. Let’s examine some popular Christmas myths to see which are legend and which are actually true. The first thing to establish is that Christmas is not the most important holiday on the Christian calendar.  It has the [...]

December 16, 1773 was a significant moment in American revolutionary history. For many, it’s seen as the first time the American colonies took a stand against British oppression. That was, of course, the date of the Boston Tea Party.
Protestors today still claim similarities to the dozens of men who, dressed as Native Americans, boarded three [...]

On December 6th, The Washington Monument in Washington, DC celebrated its 127th anniversary. The 550-foot obelisk was completed in 1884, 95 years after George Washington’s death. Freemasonry seems to be a wellspring of outlandish theories and, as Washington and the monument’s architect Robert Mills were Masons, the monument is no exception. The legend and history [...]

On November 22, 1783, our First President passed away. If you happen to be a George Washington fan however, you know that he died on December 14, 1799. Why the discrepancy in dates? It’s because we’re not talking about George Washington! We’re talking about John Hanson.
While George Washington was, indeed, the first president of the [...]

Today, we will join around our dinner tables with family to celebrate and give thanks. We will enjoy our turkey and togetherness with traditions passed down by the pilgrims from the first Thanksgiving, which they shared with their Native American neighbors. We love knowing that this is the same way the pilgrims celebrated centuries ago. [...]

This week we celebrate Veterans Day. Most Americans appreciate the sacrifice of every Veteran to protect our freedom, but don’t really understand the holiday. Let’s take a look at what Veterans Day is really all about.
The date itself gives people a little bit of confusion. November 11th was chosen to remember Veterans who served their [...]

Last week, we took a look at some Mayflower myths. Once the Pilgrims landed, though, they inspired many myths of their own. Let’s take a look and see which facts are really true.
We all picture the same thing when we hear the word “pilgrim,” and this starts in the classroom. Traditional
Thanksgiving decorations show pilgrims dressed [...]

In schools, many teachers teach lessons about pilgrims and the original settlers of the British Colonies here in America. Some of them aren’t exactly true, though, starting with a couple of stories about the Mayflower.
The first myth is about the passengers on the Mayflower, who people seem to think were mostly old men. This probably [...]

It’s that time of year again. Time for children to dress up as ghouls and goblins, princesses and superheroes. However, how much of what we really know about Hallowe’en is true?
One myth about Hallowe’en is that is comes from the ancient Celtic Lord of the Dead named Samhain and is, therefore, evil. Most of us [...]

We hear a lot of stories about America’s founding fathers, and many of them are about Benjamin Franklin’s inventions and exploits. One of the most famous legends about Franklin is that he discovered electricity with a kite and a key in a storm. The story goes that he went outside on a stormy night with [...]

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Children hear that a million times, and that much is true. However, the rest of the story is a little more myth than fact. Just a few days ago, we celebrated Columbus Day. Let’s take a look at the true story of Christopher Columbus.
Contrary to popular belief, almost [...]

We’ve all heard the story of Paul Revere’s midnight ride on April 18, 1775. We hear the take of his courageous ride alone through the countryside calling “The British are coming!” The colonists were warned and disaster averted. It’s a wonderful tale of heroism. Unfortunately, it isn’t entirely true.
The true story is equally heroic, although [...]