History In A Nutshell Shorts

These short-form "factoids" highlight various observances throughout the year, such as anniversaries, holidays, people, and more!

Within this Series

"Remember the Alamo!" | History In A Nutshell Shorts

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

During the Texas Revolution, Fort Alamo, located in present-day San Antonio, fell to President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna’s Mexican troops on March 6, 1836. This siege between Mexican forces and...

Absolum Williams

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Did you know that a Black sailor once served on the ill-fated Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley? Shortly after the Hunley's arrival in Charleston, South Carolina, Lieutenant John Payne of the...

Apollo 8's Out of This World Christmas Present | History In A Nutshell Shorts

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Grades: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

A Christmas miracle could not have been more needed in the year 1968. With the Vietnam War at its height, race relations reaching a boiling point in the U.S., and the assassinations of Dr. Martin...

Brown v. Board of Education Anniversary | History in a Nutshell Shorts

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The Brown v. Board of Education court case is recognized as one of the most crucial court cases in U.S. history. In 1951, plaintiff Oliver Brown filed a lawsuit against the Board of Education of...

Camouflage to Ward Off Leprechauns? | History In A Nutshell Shorts

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Every year on March 17th people traditionally wear green for St. Patrick’s Day, but why the color green, specifically? While some wear it to show tribute to their Irish ancestry, another reason is to...

Cinco de Mayo: NOT Mexico's Independence Day! | History In A Nutshell Shorts

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Cinco de Mayo is commonly mistaken for Mexico's Independence Day. May 5 commemorates the miraculous Mexican victory against Imperialist French forces at the Battle of Puebla. On May 5, 1862, 2,000...

Edgar Allan Poe's Ties to South Carolina | History In A Nutshell Shorts

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American author Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. Poe solidified his legacy as master of the gothic and macabre with his poems and short stories, and was one of...

History of Hispanic Heritage Month | History In A Nutshell Shorts

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Grades: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated in the U.S. from September 15 to October 15 - a time to recognize the achievements of famous Hispanic Americans as well as a celebration of Latino cultures and...

Honoring Native American Code Talkers | History In A Nutshell Shorts

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Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Native American “Code Talkers” played a crucial role in the allied victory in World War II. Coined by the U.S. Marine Corps, a “Code Talker” is the term given to American Indians who used their tribal...

John Dillinger

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Grades: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

John Herbert Dillinger is remembered as arguably the most infamous bank robber in American history. Dillinger’s crime spree across the Midwest lasted from June 1933 to July 1934. The FBI’s J. Edgar...

NASA's "Successful Failure": Apollo 13 | History In A Nutshell Shorts

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Grades: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

"Failure is not an option!" -Flight Director Gene Kranz NASA's Apollo 13 was intended to be the third mission to land on the moon, but fate had other plans. Apollo 13 launched from Kennedy Space...

Spanish Flu Pandemic First Sighted in U.S. | History In A Nutshell Shorts

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Grades: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Imagine returning home from one of the most brutal conflicts in human history just to find out that a new enemy is there waiting for you! This new battle, however, cannot be won with rifles, tanks or...

The Civil War Begins At Fort Sumter | History In A Nutshell Shorts

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

April 12 marks the anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War, in Charleston, S.C. in 1861. South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union, in December 1860. Fearing a...

The Day Mount St. Helens Blew Its Top | History In A Nutshell Shorts

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Higher Education

On May 18, 1980- The most powerful volcanic eruption in U.S. history occurred. Located in Washington State, Mount St. Helens blew its top, destroying every living and non-living thing within six miles...

The History of the Jack-O-Lantern | History In A Nutshell Shorts

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Where did the Halloween tradition of carving faces into pumpkins and lighting them up come from? This custom stems from the old European legend of "Stingy Jack" or "Jack of the Lantern". In the tale...

The Story of a SC State Fair Icon | History In A Nutshell Shorts

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Grades: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

“Meet me at the rocket!” Visitors to the South Carolina State Fair may have heard those famous words. Fair-goers have used this rocket as a popular rendezvous point ever since it was placed there...

The U.S. Army's Birthday | History In A Nutshell Shorts

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The date of June 14th is the birthday of the United States Army! Founded on this day in 1775, the US Army’s origins are traced back to the old Continental Army, which was formed to fight against the...

The Unthinkable Happens to the Unsinkable | History In A Nutshell Shorts

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Grades: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The unthinkable happened to the "unsinkable" passenger liner R.M.S. Titanic on April 15, 1912. The second of three Olympic class ships built for the White Star Line, she was the largest man-made...

Was Lieutenant Dixon Destined to Command the H.L. Hunley Submarine? | History In A Nutshell Shorts

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Higher Education

Was it coincidence or destiny that Lieutenant George E. Dixon commanded the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley on its fateful run? During the American Civil War at the Battle of Shiloh, Dixon suffered...

Where Did The Name Halloween Come From? | History In A Nutshell Shorts

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Through a bizarre twist in history, the Catholic Church contributed just as much as Pagans did to the Halloween we know today! In the Catholic Church's early years, missionaries journeyed out to...

Why Are Army Bombers on an Aircraft Carrier? | History In A Nutshell Shorts

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Grades: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Here's something you don't see every day: Army bombers on a Navy aircraft carrier? You may have asked that question if you were a sailor on board one of the ships escorting the U.S.S. Hornet in early...

Why Do We Like to Tell Scary Stories on Halloween? | History In A Nutshell Shorts

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Grades: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

One possible origin for telling scary stories around Halloween is found thousands of years ago with the Celts of ancient Ireland! These Celtic Pagans worshipped the earth, and during their festival...