Crime & Scandal
William Hill Brown wrote the first American novel, anonymously, in 1789. The reissue of the novel in 1894 spurred a debate over his authorship that …
Arts & Leisure
In the 1870s, a famous Italian ballerina and her cowboy celebrity husband lived in a three story commercial building near the millyard in Lowell, Mass. …
Politics & Military
New England’s colonial rangers began in the Rhode Island wilderness in the 17th century. Over the centuries, they evolved into the elite commando unit known …
Business & Labor
Between 1740 and the American Revolution, an estimated 90 women kept millinery shops in Boston. They sold the latest European fashion in gowns, cloaks and …
Religion & Social Movements
The Hopedale Community (1841-1856) in Massachusetts attempted to integrate Christian Socialism with private enterprise in its attempt to live in a utopian society. Its failure …
Science & Nature
One of the very first things the U.S. Congress ever did was to put the federal government in charge of lighthouses. The freshmen Congressmen understood …
