200 years ago today, Florence Nightingale was born. The Englishwoman came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing, tending injured soldiers in the Crimean War, and laying the foundation for professional nursing. She studied mathematics and became a trailblazer…
60 years ago today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved of birth control as an additional use for the G. D. Searle drug Enovid, making it the first approved oral contraceptive pill following the largest drug trials ever run.…
On this day 70 years ago, Robert Schuman, the reformist French Prime Minister presented his proposal to create an organized Europe, which according to him was indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful relations. This proposal, known as the ‘Schuman Declaration’,…
People in their golden years have lived through a lot of difficult times. Most remember the six grueling years of World War II, and the rejoicing 75 years ago today when the Nazis surrendered. People made sacrifices—and weddings were postponed.…
75 years ago today, a jubilant world celebrated V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day). It was proclaimed by England’s Prime Minister Winston Churchill when the Allies in World War II finally defeated Nazi Germany. The end of six years of…
180 years ago today, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the iconic Russian composer was born. Famous for his ballets like The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, and The Sleeping Beauty—he also wrote popular classical works including the famous 1812 Overture (the…
A repayment of gratitude 170 years in the making has rekindled an affectionate bond linking the Great Irish Potato Famine of almost two centuries ago with a Native American tribe in Oklahoma suffering today from the coronavirus pandemic. In 1847,…
60 years ago today, President Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1960, a US federal law that established federal inspection of local voter registration polls. It introduced penalties for anyone who obstructed someone’s attempt to register to vote. It…
It has been five years since the beloved Parks and Recreation television show aired what viewers believed to be its last episode—but this week, the show’s original cast came together for a half-hour reunion episode to raise money for COVID-19…
For the last 23 years, Japanese artist Makoto Azuma has been making art out of his favorite medium: flowers. Azuma says he first became captivated by the power of flowers after he started working part-time at a florist’s in order…
