Month: June 2025
The Place Where the Diamond Rush Started
When you think of state where you can find volcanoes you probably aren’t thinking of this spot. However, it’s this place that started a diamond…
The Worst Disaster in U.S. Maritime History
It remains the worth disaster in U.S. maritime history. Add to the tragedy the fact that many of the dead were young soldiers being transported…
The Tragedy of the Steamboat Sultana
It was the early morning hours of April 27th, 1865. The steamboat Sultana was overcrowded, bearing a load of souls over five times it’s capacity. …
Returning Civil War Prisoners to Home
As the Civil War drew to a close in April of 1865, there was a massive job to return prisoners of war back to their…
The World’s Greatest Athlete
In 1912 he was proclaimed the world’s greatest athlete and some of his Olympic records from that year still stood two decades later. He was…
The Rise of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School Football Team
When you think of historically great collegiate football programs, names like Notre Dame, Penn State and Alabama might come to mind. Most people don’t name…
The Story of the Spencer Rifle at the Illinois Military Museum
Imagine you had invented a new type of rifle that could be helpful to the U.S. military. How would you go about selling your device? …
The Tombstone Courthouse
In the 1880s, stagecoaches brought dozens of people each day to a boom town called Tombstone. But it was a cycle of boom and bust…
Dig a Grave When You Get There
When this man set out to find his fortune he was told he’d need to dig his grave when he got there. He decided to…
The Lake of the Ozarks
In the 1930s, it became the largest lake in the world. Interestingly, that record-setter was nestled in the undeveloped forest land of the Midwest…