Top of page
Posted by: Heather Thomas
Two days after Mississippi is readmitted to the Union on February 23, 1870, Hiram Revels, a schoolmaster and preacher, becomes the first African American to serve in the U.S. Senate.
Posted in: African American History, Biography, Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers
Posted by: Malea Walker
In a time of extreme racism and yellow journalism, documenting and speaking the truth about lynchings in the South was a rare and dangerous act. But that did not stop journalist Ida B. Wells.
Posted in: African American History, Biography, Digitized Newspapers, Journalism, Women's History
Posted by: Arlene Balkansky
Events in Rosa Parks' life are chronicled in newspapers and comic books and reinforce her well-justified iconic status. At times, though, their simplified coverage perpetuates the myth of Parks as the quiet seamstress who was too tired to stand to give up her seat.
Posted in: African American History, Biography, Comic Books, Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers, Women's History
Posted by: Amber Paranick
Introducing the great, cyclonic, Eva Tanguay—the world’s most eccentric comedienne and most loved musical comedy star on the American stage that you probably never even heard of! Eva Tanguay was the highest-paid and billed as the most outrageous star of vaudeville’s golden age. Born in Marbleton, Canada, her family relocated to Holyoke, Massachusetts when she …
Posted in: Biography, Digitized Newspapers, Women's History
Posted by: Valerie Haeder
Ever wondered what you can do with a history degree? Teacher, lawyer, librarian—all valid options. But how about working as, well, an historian? Yes, such a profession exists…and even outside the hallowed halls of academia! Kevin Hymel is one such historian who eschewed the teaching route and is now an historian with the Army. He …
Posted in: Biography, Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers, World War I
Posted by: Heather Thomas
“Onstage, she looks as regal and exotic as a Russian princess; offstage, she is as American as wampum and apple pie,” cheered TIME magazine about prima ballerina Maria Tallchief in 1951. One of the most celebrated Native American women of the 20th century, Tallchief was the first American dancer in the history of ballet to earn …
Posted in: Biography, Digitized Newspapers, Native American History, Newspapers, Sports, Women's History
Posted by: Amber Paranick
Have your Halloween costume picked out yet? Why not go dressed as Bessie McCoy, the original Yama Yama Girl? During the 1910s, the Yama Yama Girl costume was all the rage. But who was the Yama Yama Girl and why did people dress up as her? Stage actress and vaudeville performer Elizabeth G. McEvoy (also …
Posted in: Biography, Halloween, Holidays, Newspapers, Women's History
Posted by: Valerie Haeder
When Michael Hill opened his mailbox in 1982 and found a letter from renowned historian David McCullough he was astounded, and his life changed forever. Two months earlier he’d sent a letter to Mr. McCullough offering his research services, the envelope addressed only to David McCullough, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts—no zip code, no street address. Somehow …
Posted in: Biography, Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers
Posted by: Malea Walker
For 82 years people have tried to solve the mystery Amelia Earhart's disappearance, but in 1937 America remembered her as the brave pioneer woman who conquered flight.
Posted in: Biography, Digitized Newspapers, Mystery, Sports, Women's History