Thanksgiving Owes Its Existence To The 1...

In August 1863, as Lee's army retreated from Gettysburg and Vicksburg fell to Grant, the Union's Anaconda Plan deployed hundreds of ships to strangle 3,500 miles of Confederate coastline, triggering hyperinflation and economic collapse as the South lost its ability to export King ... Show More

Pompeii's story is usually told through the lens of catastrophe—perfectly preserved bodies frozen in ash, a civilization erased in hours, sort of like a Roman version of the Chicxulub impactor that killed the dinosaurs 65 million years ago —but the real tragedy isn't just that Mo ... Show More

When St. Francis of Assisi was near death in 1226, he joked with companions that his corpse would be practically as valuable as gold. And he was right: In medieval Europe, relics, or the physical remains of saints, weren't just symbols, they were the center of an entire economy. ... Show More

November 26, 1970. In Plymouth, Massachusetts, on the 350th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ arrival, protestors gather under a statue of Massasoit, the Wampanoag leader who had made peace with the Pilgrims, and partook in the legendary Thanksgiving meal. This protest was organized b ... Show More

Rajan Datar and guests explore the life and legacy of the American thinker Henry David Thoreau and his famous work 'Walden', which describes the young writer's experiment in living simply at Walden Pond in Massachusetts, for two years, two months and two days in the 1840s. A land ... Show More

<p>In the fall of 1621, a year after the pilgrim ship the Mayflower landed on the coast of New England, the settlers of the Plymouth Colony celebrated their first successful harvest. Joining them at the three day feast were the Wampanoag people, Native Americans who had to taught ... Show More

Since its founding in 1851, the "New York Times" has published thousands of obituaries -- for heads of state, famous celebrities, even the inventor of the sock puppet. But only a small percentage of them chronicle the lives of women and people of color. In this insightful talk, " ... Show More

Catherine Flon (c. 18th century) was a prominent figure in Haitian history, known for her role in the creation of the Haitian flag. During the Haitian Revolution in 1803, she sewed together the first Haitian flag, symbolizing the nation's fight for independence from French coloni ... Show More

Annie Christmas (c. 1900s) was a fantastical figure based on a real person, but stories about her were passed down through oral tradition, old timey radio shows, collections of folklore and children’s tales. This brawny and brave keelboat captain has been hailed as the queen of t ... Show More

Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer (c.1526 - 1588) embodied what it meant to be a heroine. As the owner of a shipyard, she played an important role in the 80 Years’ War against the Spanish government. Her bravery helped Haarlem survive a seven-month-long siege and demonstrated the imp ... Show More

Zadie Smith grew up in north west London and studied English at Cambridge University. After a publisher’s bidding war when she was just 21, her debut novel White Teeth became a huge critical and commercial hit on publication in 2000 and won several awards including the Orange Pri ... Show More

Despite how progressives may try to rewrite history, the truth is the Pilgrims were America’s first abolitionists. In fact, they also planted seeds for our equality, free market, freedom of religion, education, due process, private property, and much more! One year shy of the Ply ... Show More