US History

  • American-Dutch diplomacy

    On April 19, 1782, John Adams was received by the States-General and the Dutch Republic as they were the first country, together with Morocco and France, to recognize the United States as an independent government. John Adams then became the first U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands and the house that he had purchased at Fluwelen…

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  • The night of April 14, 1865, marked one of the darkest moments in American history—the culmination of a calculated conspiracy that aimed to decapitate the leadership of the United States government during the final days of the Civil War. While President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination at Ford’s Theatre is the most remembered event from that night,…

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  • The title of this blog is a line from the Pearl Jam song “Jeremy” it is one of my favourite Rock tracks and by far the best track of the album “Ten”. Although I have listened to the song hundreds of times I never really paid to much attention to the history of the song.…

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  • This subject is close to my heart—it makes me emotional. In fact, after enjoying a few of these, it makes me very emotional. What am I talking about? Beer! But not just any beer—canned beer. Having a can of beer isn’t just having a drink; it’s embarking on a mini-adventure. First, you chill it to…

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  • In the early 20th century, radio emerged as a powerful medium, reshaping the ways people communicated, entertained themselves, and consumed news and commentary. However, as with any form of communication, it also became a platform for hate speech. One of the most notorious instances of this was the first documented anti-Semitic rhetoric broadcast over U.S.…

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  • Cornelis Jacobszoon Drebbel was a Dutch engineer and inventor. He was the builder of the first operational submarine in 1620, but it was not until 150 years later that they were first used in naval combat. The world’s first submarine attack occurred during the American Revolutionary War, on September 7, 1776. This historical event was…

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  • The 25th president of the United States, William McKinley, was assassinated on September 6, 1901, during a public event at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. McKinley was attending a reception at the Temple of Music, where he was greeting members of the public as part of his duties at the exposition, a grand…

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  • For Americans, the 4th of July is a great day of celebration; it is Independence Day. However, for three Presidents, it was not such a great day; it was the day they died. Two American Presidents, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, both died on July 4, 1826. This date was the 50th anniversary of the…

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  • Most of us will have heard the phrase, “It’s raining cats and dogs.” The phrase is supposed to have originated in England in the 17th century. City streets were filthy then, and heavy rain would occasionally carry along dead animals. Richard Brome’s The City Witt, 1652, has the line, ‘It shall rain dogs and polecats.’…

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  • The first television commercial aired in the United States on July 1, 1941. This 9-second spot was for Bulova watches and was broadcast on NBC’s WNBT station before a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies. The commercial featured a simple visual of a Bulova clock superimposed on a map of the…

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