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
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…
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…
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:
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…
On
This
Day
On February 16, 1923, English archaeologist Howard Carter entered the sealed burial chamber of the ancient Egyptian ruler King Tutankhamen. The tomb had not been disturbed since the original burial, and its contents revealed a great deal to scientists and historians. Examples from the tomb were put together for a traveling exhibit so that people everywhere could see what the tomb contained.
Entrepreneurs & Investors
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 […]
Apple Varieties Identified by Apple Detectives
Apple season is in full force at grocery stores. But even large grocery stores only carry about five or six apple varieties. In my mind that was all there were. […]
Cross-Country Air Travel: The Beginning
Cross-country travel by plane? By the early 1920s, dreamers knew that one day people would fly across the country. The questions were when, how, and would it be safe? As […]
Why the QWERTY Keyboard Persists
The QWERTY keyboard is a relic of the past, but today’s keyboards on laptops, computers, and phones carry it forward. Why? The electronics of our modern devices require regular software […]
Movie Palaces: A Film and an “Experience”
Today movie theaters are most successful with blockbuster action films. One hundred years ago, movies were exciting and new. Developers built giant movie palaces for those who could afford to […]
Celebrating Airmail: 1938
Today, e-mail travels in a matter of moments, text messages arrive in real time, and almost all items sent through the U.S. Mail spend at least part of their time on an airplane.Love what you’re reading?
Skip the noise and get compelling stories about America delivered to your inbox. Mailings arrive about every other week.
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
Who Thought of That?
Recent Stories
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 […]
Political Conventions: A Look at 1908
As the balloons come down at the end of the final political convention of 2024, it is quite fascinating to look at a convention of the past. Many years ago […]
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. […]
Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter: Architect in the Southwest
Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter was a pioneer who created a place for herself in the world of architecture and design. She was hired by the Fred Harvey Company–the hospitality firm […]
Tourism in the Southwest: Fred Harvey Company
Tourism in the Southwest was almost nonexistent when the railroads began traveling to the West Coast. But Fred Harvey’s hospitality company saw an opportunity to pioneer the leisure travel in […]
American Quilts: Documents of Politics and History
American quilts are appreciated for their warmth and beauty but also tell important stories. “History chronicles the large and glorious deeds of the standard bearers…and tells nothing at all of […]
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)