Articles by Kelli Ballard

February 14 has long been celebrated as a day of love. It is that special day when people exchange gifts, chocolates, cards filled with loving wishes. To most of the modern Western culture, it is a harmless holiday. However, in… Read More

Maine became the 23rd state to join the Union on March 15, 1820. Its history began with global warming that melted the ice to reveal the land at the end of the last Ice Age. The indigenous people then called… Read More

What happens when the app designed to report voting results fails? Tuesday’s Iowa’s caucus fiasco, of course. So, what happened? No one really knows for sure, not even the app’s developers. At 10:26 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 3, the Iowa… Read More

Louisiana became the 18th state to join the Union on April 30, 1812. For generations before the Europeans stepped foot in the area, the land was home to several indigenous tribes including the Choctaw, Chitimacha, Atakapa, and the Natchez. The… Read More

Indigenous people roamed this area long before it became known as the state of Kentucky. For many generations, the Woodland people lived here, and then later those who were known as the Fort Ancient people. These tribes built mounds in… Read More

Before Kansas was Kansas, it was populated by the indigenous people known as the Paleo-Indians. The state got its name from the Kansa or “Kaw” tribes that lived there. Other native groups inhabited the area, too, including the Arapaho, Comanche,… Read More

Iowa, also known as the Hawkeye State, became the 29th state admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846. The state’s name comes from the Iowa River, referring to the Ioway people, a tribe of Native Americans that inhabited the… Read More

In a tweet on December 27, President Donald Trump wrote: “Thank YOU Indian Country for being such an IMPORTANT part of the American story! I recently signed 3 bills to support tribal sovereignty…” The mentioned legislation includes compensation to the… Read More

On December 11, 1816, Indiana became the 19th state to join the Union. Like many other territories, before it became part of the United States, it was first inhabited by indigenous people, dating back more than 15,000 years. The most… Read More

Illinois became the 21st state on Dec. 3, 1818. Long before the Europeans came to the area, the land was inhabited by ancient cultures, including the Paleo-Indians, the Woodland people, and the Mississippian peoples. Illinois got its name from the… Read More

Many of our favorite Christmas traditions came from ancestors who moved here from other countries. Different people celebrate Christmas in very different ways, but it’s interesting to see how similar many traditions are. Brazil Brazilians enjoy going to Christmas plays… Read More

The holiday tradition of little gingerbread men and fancy decorated gingerbread houses comes from a long history of courtly gesture, medicinal uses, and knightly love. The tasty treats are made with ginger root, which was first cultivated in ancient China… Read More