FREDERICK DOUGLASS' FOURTH

Once Frederick Douglass rose to speak, Independence Day no longer seemed so free.

RFK -- "MAKE GENTLE THE LIFE OF THIS WORLD"

"Do they know about Martin Luther King?" Robert Kennedy asked as he stepped before the crowd.

THE TAKING OF ALCATRAZ -- "WE HOLD THE ROCK!"

It was 1969, rebellion in the air, when Native-Americans landed on Alcatraz, claiming it as Indian Land.

History, REBELSThe AtticMarch 18, 2022Native Americans, Protest, 1960s, People of ColorComment

ELLA BAKER -- HOW TO GROW A MOVEMENT

Everyone knows Rosa and Martin, but there would have been no deep Civil Rights Movement without Ella.

THE MAN ON THE FLYING CARPET

Swimming the Panama Canal, flying to Timbuktu, crossing the Alps on an elephant, Richard Halliburton enthralled a housebound America.

THE OTHER COLUMBUS DAY

After centuries of smooth sailing, Columbus ran into the shoals of history. And Indigenous Peoples’ Day was born.

History, REBELSThe AtticOctober 8, 2020COLUMBUS DAY, Indigenous People's Day Comment

HOW HERBERT HOOVER SAVED MORE LIVES THAN ANYONE ELSE IN HISTORY

During WW I, when famine loomed, Herbert Hoover masterminded a global relief effort that saved millions.

History, HEROESThe AtticSeptember 17, 2020Herbert Hoover, World War I, Hunger relief, Belgian relief Comments

HAMILTON'S OTHER HALF

Broadway’s biggest hit celebrates the Founding Father, but without Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, there would have been no “Hamilton.”

THE DECLARATION -- FARMER STYLE

Income equality? Unions? Co-ops? Busting up corporations? The radical left? Nah, just American farmers.

History, REBELSThe AtticJune 26, 2020Populism, Declaration of Independence, American Farms, AgricultureComment

JUNETEENTH!

Slavery continued in Texas for months after the war. Then came the word — on Juneteenth.

History, REBELSThe AtticJune 11, 2020Juneteenth!, Juneteenth, Slavery Comments

IKE'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE -- COAST-TO-COAST IN 1919

When he crossed America by convoy in 1919, the future president saw the need for “broader ribbons across our land.” The seed of our interstate highways was planted.

History, HEROESThe AtticAugust 8, 2019Eisenhower, Interstate Highways, Road trips, 1919 Comments

HOLLYWOOD'S TOP DOG -- RIN-TIN-TIN

Beloved dogs abound but none captured hearts like Rin-tin-tin. Not even Hollywood could make this up.

History, HEROESThe AtticJuly 26, 2019Rin-tin-tin, Dogs, Hollywood dogs Comments

THE ASTRONAUT WHO NEVER CAME DOWN

After Apollo 14, Edgar Mitchell kept soaring. ESP? Psychokinesis? UFOs? When you’ve been to the Moon, anything seems possible.

History, DREAMERSThe AtticJuly 12, 2019Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14, Parapsychology, ESPComment

WHEN BIGOTRY STRUCK OUT

When the Massachusetts team went South, its star black player came face-to-face with Jim Crow. And guess what the whole team did for Bunny?

History, HEROESThe AtticMay 17, 2019Springfield Mass, Baseball, Race Comments

IDA TARBELL -- THE WOMAN WHO TOOK ON ROCKEFELLER

Few battles had been so mismatched. A billionaire tycoon vs. a woman with a pen. The winner?

MARIAN ANDERSON AND THE CONCERT THAT STIRRED AMERICA

When the D.A.R. turned Marian Anderson away, Eleanor Roosevelt and friends found a better venue.

Women, History, HEROESThe AtticFebruary 21, 2019Marian Anderson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Lincoln Memorial, D.A.R. Comment