Articles by Kelli Ballard

“History develops, art stands still.” ~ E.M. Forster March 6, 1836: Remember the Alamo In the 1800s, the area that would become Texas was trying to gain its independence from Mexico. The Battle of the Alamo is a famous skirmish… Read More

“History provides no precise guidelines.” ~ Douglas Hurd March 1, 1961: Peace Corps Was Established John F. Kennedy, who was a senator at the time, wanted to find a way to bridge cultural gaps between the American people and other… Read More

“History is a vast early warning system.” ~ Norman Cousins February 20, 1962: First American Orbits Earth Astronaut John Glenn was the first American to orbit Earth. Aboard the Friendship 7 spacecraft, Glenn completed three orbits in just under five… Read More

“The history of mankind is the instant between two strides taken by a traveler.” ~ Franz Kafka February 14: Valentine’s Day Valentine’s Day. This is a holiday for romance, but not everything that happens on February 14 is to do… Read More

“The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.” – Theodore Roosevelt  February 7, 1795: The 11th Amendment Was Ratified “The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to… Read More

“The past is malleable and flexible, changing as our recollection interprets and re-explains what has happened.” ~ Peter L. Berger January 30 – February 5 January 30, 1835: President Jackson Survives Assassination Attempt Andrew Jackson, the seventh U.S. president, was… Read More

History is important because it helps us avoid the same mistakes in the present or future. We learn about ourselves and our countries. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “We are not makers of history, we are made by history.”… Read More

The 37th president of the United States is the only commander-in-chief to resign while in office. Richard Milhous Nixon (1913-1994) did not have an easy presidency due to the Vietnam War, as well as strained relations in China and the… Read More

A time capsule is an interesting item that lets people from the past speak to those in the future. Anything can be put into one of these treasure collections, such as books, jewelry, toys, newspaper articles, and so on. The… Read More

It’s time to welcome in a new year! People all over the world will be celebrating the beginning of a new year with many different traditions. But one ritual is so recognizable that people around the globe tune in to… Read More

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy (JFK) is still a mystery. Fifty-eight years after he was reportedly shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald on November 22, 1963, the circumstances of the shooting have inspired the idea that Oswald… Read More

Can a person really buy an original copy of the United States Constitution? Absolutely, if you have enough money and can find one of the two privately owned copies for sale. This rare item sold for a whopping $43.2 million,… Read More