Sam Houston: First President of the Republic of Texas

173 years ago today, Sam Houston was elected as the first president of the Republic of Texas. He served from October 22, 1836, to December 10, 1838, and served a second term from December 12, 1841 to December 9, 1844.
After Texas was annexed by the U.S. in 1845, he was elected to the U.S. [...]

How a Little Girl Grew a Beard and Changed History

Thanks to Keith for finding the topic of today’s post.

According to the “On This Day” section of The New York Times, in 1860 a girl named Grace Bedell wrote a letter to Abraham Lincoln stating that she believed Lincoln could improve his appearance if he grew a beard.
I thought this was interesting story so Keith [...]

Today in History: Chicago Fire of 1871

On this day, 138 years ago, a massive fire ripped through the city of Chicago, killing 300 people and leaving 90,000 homeless.  It caused $200 million worth of damage and destroyed 4 square miles of the city.  Using the website Measuring Worth to calculate the amount adjusted for the worth of today’s dollar, the damage [...]