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Curie at work in her lab around the turn of the century. Prolonged exposure to radioactive materials likely killed Curie, who died in 1934. (Biography.com) On this day in 1902, Polish scientist Marie Curie succeeded in refining radium-chloride (RaCl2), a salt compound used in cancer treatments and various other technologies. Aided by her husband Pierre,…
An American political illustration from soon after the Kishinev pogrom. President Theodore Roosevelt is pictured, admonishing Tsar Nicholas II for his treatment of Russia's Jewish population. (Public Domain) On this day in 1903, an angry mob began attacking Jewish people in Moldova's capital city, Kishinev. Then a part of the Russian Empire, Kishinev had recently…
When: 1939 - 1945 Beginning at the end of the 1930s, WWII was really a series of interconnected regional conflicts. Every human being on earth was touched in some way by the unprecedented carnage of the war, whether on the front lines, at the home front, or in the concentration camps. More so than perhaps…
Robinson early on in his career as "no. 42". Although he began his career on first base, Robinson - through relentless practice - eventually became one of the best hitters in the league. (Jackie Robinson.com) On this day in 1947, the Brooklyn Dodgers faced off against the Boston Braves at Ebbets Field, NYC. At first…
Downtown El Paso in the 1880s. During the "Wild West" period, El Paso was one of the most violent towns in the region. (Pinterest) On this day in 1881, the Four Dead in Five Seconds gunfight took place in El Paso, Texas. Earlier in the day, two cattle rustlers (thieves) under the employ of John…
In footage from Operation Delirium, a US soldier experiences a "controlled" mental breakdown in a secret Army test. The Army cooperated with the CIA throughout the duration of MK-Ultra, sharing the findings of their own dubious experiments. (The New Yorker) On this day in 1953, the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) began work on Project…
PRC player Zhuang Zedong, at right, in 1961. On his bus ride with Glenn Cowan, Zedong hesitated before speaking to the American as he remembered a lifetime of anti-Western propaganda. His curiosity got the better of him, however, and "the rest is history". (Timetoast) On this day in 1971, the American Ping-Pong team began a…
Marian Anderson performs at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939. Anderson, an incredibly humble and soft-spoken performer, became the focal point of a much larger American reaction to lingering racist attitudes. (Smithsonian Magazine) On this day in 1939, Marian Anderson - a classical vocalist from Philadelphia - sang for a massive crowd at the Lincoln Memorial…
Russian schoolgirls keep an eye out for German bomber aircraft during the Siege of Leningrad. Over the course of the encirclement, the line between civilian and soldier became increasingly blurred. (Wikimedia Commons) On this day in 1942, a rail line was opened by the Soviet Red Army into the besieged Russian city of Leningrad, enabling…
Communist guerillas of the Vietcong, or Viet Minh, on the Saigon river. The presence of this irregular but formidable force in Vietnam caused untold anxiety in Washington - and resulted in millions of deaths in the region. (Wikimedia Commons) On this day in 1954, American president Dwight D. Eisenhower - a war hero and mastermind…
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