Stories of America’s Past

Welcome to America Comes Alive!, a site I created to share little-known stories of regular people who made a difference and changed the course of history. Look around and see what inspires you! — Kate Kelly

Kate Kelly
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Presidential Campaigns of the Past

Presidential candidates of today usually have non-stop schedules. Between fundraising parties and campaign appearances, they have a long list of people to see and things to do. Though Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris got a late start, she set a daunting plan for traveling the country so that people will have a better idea of who she is and what she believes. Was it always like this? No, not at all. The practice of campaigning has changed greatly over 250 years. Unseemly to Campaign During the election era of George Washington and the founding fathers, any sort of travel was…
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The World’s First Ferris Wheel: Chicago 1893

The first Ferris Wheel—known as the Big Wheel—was constructed for the Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. It dazzled and then it was gone. This world’s fair was to celebrate the 400-year anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s voyage to the New World.  (Columbus was viewed differently at that time.) The fairgrounds were slated for Jackson Park, a little-used part of Chicago on the south shore of Lake Michigan. Organizers felt it would revive and bring business to the area. The architect hired to be the on-site director of the Exposition was Chicago architect Daniel Burnham. Other planning luminaries were to join…
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The first police dogs in the U.S.

The First Police Dogs in the U.S.

The first dogs used for police work in the United States were introduced in New York City and Glen Ridge, New Jersey, during the first decade of the 20th century.  Before this time, dogs were used occasionally for “crime control” in the South by plantation owners who sent the dogs after runaway slaves.   Share to Google Classroom:
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women standing by early airplane 1928

Passenger Air Flights Begin

Before there were passenger airline flights there were regularly scheduled flights for the U.S. mail.  These flights actually inspired the idea that people might like to travel by plane. In the 1920s, the pilots carrying the mail were flying in open cockpit planes with the bags of mail stuffed in behind them. Young men often waited around the landing strip hoping for a ride. If the pilot agreed, the passenger hopped in behind the pilot, generally sitting on the mail bag.  Share to Google Classroom: Passengers as Customers Before there were passenger airline flights there were regularly scheduled flights for the U.S. mail.  These…
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On
This
Day

On February 12, 1924, George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue was performed for the first time. Paul Whiteman, an influential orchestra conductor, believed jazz needed to be considered a serious art form and wanted it for his orchestra. At the concert, Gershwin himself accompanied the orchestra on piano. (He composed it in under 5 weeks and had to improvise his part that afternoon.) Rhapsody is now regarded  as an important 20th century contribution to music.

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Welcome to America Comes Alive!, a site I created to share little-known stories of regular people who made a difference and changed the course of history. Look around and see what inspires you! — Kate Kelly

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Part of the inspiration for this site comes from this remark: “People do not want to hear about simple things. They want to hear about great things – simply told.”

Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams (1860-1935)
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