(New Orleans moonlight tower, c. 1882)Before the United States became widely electrified, it was not practical to build individual street lights in many cities. That’s why some cities built “moonlight towers,...
https://www.neatorama.com/2014/01/07/Before-Street-Lights-There-Were-Moonlight-Towers/(The Monitor vs. The Merrimac by Louis Prang & Co.)During the American Civil War, the US Navy blockaded Southern ports and largely cut the Confederacy off from the rest of the world. But the South did have some succe...
https://www.neatorama.com/2014/01/03/The-Extraordinary-Voyage-of-the-CSS-Shenandoah/What? No, I’m not talking about the old NCC-1701 from Star Trek.(Image via US Navy)I’m referring to the Enterprise, a ship in the Continental Navy from 1775-1777.In May 1775, the dashing American Colonel Bene...
https://www.neatorama.com/2014/01/02/The-First-USS-Enterprise/In the United States, the name of Benedict Arnold is synonymous with treason. In exchange for cash and a commission in the British army, Major General Arnold promised to betray his cause and hand over the American fort a...
https://www.neatorama.com/2014/01/01/Americas-Monument-to-Its-Most-Infamous-Traitor-Benedict-Arnold/(Portrait by Rembrandt Peale)The Second Continental Congress appointed Col. George Washington as General and Commander in Chief of the Continental Army on June 15, 1775. General Washington served in that capacity for eig...
https://www.neatorama.com/2013/12/30/Legally-Speaking-George-Washington-Outranks-All-other-Army-Officers-Past-and-Present/It's Sam Houston (1793-1863), a man who lived an extraordinary, wide-ranging life. He was, among other accomplishments, governor of both Tennessee and Texas.Houston rose from humble origins in Virginia. During his youth,...
https://www.neatorama.com/2013/12/29/Who-Is-the-Only-Person-to-Be-Elected-Governor-of-2-Different-US-States/[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWWkCzJLRGA](Video Link)Deep in the Texas Hill Country—that’s central Texas—is nature’s perfect swimming hole. Jacob’s Well is an artesian spring northwest of...
https://www.neatorama.com/2013/12/18/Jacobs-Well/(Texas Military Forces Museum)It can be hard to determine precisely which is the first or last engagement of a war or what qualifies as a battle. But one can plausibly argue that the last battle of the American Civil War...
https://www.neatorama.com/2013/12/16/The-South-Won-the-Last-Battle-of-the-Civil-War/This is a painting of HMS St. Lawrence. With 112 guns, it was the largest warship ever seen on the Great Lakes and the largest Royal Navy vessel to ever sail entirely on fresh water.After Napoleon abdicated, the British...
https://www.neatorama.com/2013/12/15/In-1814-This-Massive-Warship-Cruised-Lake-Ontario/(USS Kearsarge vs. CSS Alabama by Xanthus Smith)I&... ...tion from original sources. But if it is not good history , then it is at least a good story. Upon casually... ...relationship of shared language, culture, law and history
https://www.neatorama.com/2013/12/13/1871-War-Averted-Between-the-US-and-Britain-When-the-US-Agrees-to-Not-Split-Infinitives/
