History
All Brothers: How One Man’s Mercy at Solferino Gave the World the Red Cross
On a hot June evening in 1859, a Swiss businessman named Henry Dunant rode into the Italian countryside hoping to settle a…
Black Tuesday at 97: What the 1929 Crash Teaches Families About Trust
Ninety-seven years ago tomorrow, on Tuesday, October 29, 1929, the New York Stock Exchange had one of the worst days in its…
Martians, Headlines and Half-Truths: The Real Story of 1938’s War of the Worlds
Eighty-eight years ago this Friday, on the night before Halloween, Martians “landed” in New Jersey. At least, that is what a radio…
Dunkirk 1940: The Little Ships, a Day of Prayer and a Rescue Against the Odds
In late May 1940, the situation looked grim for Britain and its allies. Soldiers were pressed against the sea at the French…
95 Questions on a Church Door? The Real Story Behind Reformation Day
This coming Saturday, October 31, many churches around the world will mark Reformation Day. It remembers a fall day in 1517, when…
Aberfan at 60: A Welsh Village’s Grief, Grace and Unconquerable Spirit
Some places carry a date in their hearts forever. For the small village of Aberfan in south Wales, that date is October…
Lightning Across the Plains: The 1861 Telegraph That Held a Nation Together
On the evening of October 24, 1861, a telegraph key began clicking in Sacramento, California. The message was headed for President Abraham…
George Washington Carver: The Orphan Who Rose to Heal the South’s Tired Soil
Some lives begin in the middle of a storm. George Washington Carver’s began in one so fierce that, as a baby, he…
From “Clinton’s Folly” to Mother of Cities: The Erie Canal’s Lesson in Perseverance
On Monday, October 26, it will be 201 years since a small packet boat called the Seneca Chief pushed off from Buffalo,…
69 Days in the Dark: The Faith and Teamwork That Brought Chile’s 33 Miners Home
Sixteen years ago this month, much of the world held its breath as, one by one, 33 men rose out of the…
Wilma Rudolph: From Leg Braces to the Fastest Woman in the World
Some storms start before we are old enough to name them. For Wilma Rudolph, the storm started in a sickbed in Tennessee.…
The Dollar Gifts That Built Lady Liberty’s Pedestal, 140 Years Later
On October 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty was officially dedicated in New York Harbor, with President Grover Cleveland overseeing the ceremony.…
The Man Who Never Saw His Masterpiece: The Sydney Opera House Story
On October 20, 1973, Queen Elizabeth II stood on the steps of a brand-new building beside Sydney Harbour and officially opened the…
Fanny Crosby: The Blind Woman Who Wrote 8,000 Songs of Hope
Some people are handed a storm in the very first weeks of life. Fanny Crosby was one of them. She lost her…
It Is Well With My Soul: The Storm Behind History’s Most Beloved Hymn
Some songs are written in comfort. This one was written in the middle of the ocean, over the very waters where a…