“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic piece of literature today that has been read by millions. The book set on Long Island during the Jazz Age is a work read by English classes across the country. The story told by narrator Nick Carraway about his wealthy, mysterious neighbor, Jay Gatsby, and his love for Daisy Buchanan …
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The United States launched a massive invasion of the Japanese home island of Okinawa, with an initial landing of 60,000 soldiers and marines, on this day in history, April 1, 1945. The Battle of Okinawa proved the last major engagement of World War II and the largest battle of the entire war in the Pacific Theater. Kamikazes, mass civilian suicide, …
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The stunning cherry trees of Washington, D.C., a gift from Japan that blossom spectacularly each spring in a cherished symbol of renewal, were planted by first lady Helen Herron Taft and other dignitaries on this day in history, March 27, 1912. “The blossoms are officially in peak bloom!” the National Cherry Blossom Festival enthused in an online announcement Thursday, marking …
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Celebrity tailor and Holocaust survivor Martin Greenfield died at the age of 95 last week. “Holocaust survivor, American icon, beloved by his congregational family, his abiding faith was a source of inspiration and blessing,” an online obituary from Hampton Synagogue rabbis published by the New York Times reads. “To his dear wife Arlene, children, Jay and Tod and to the …
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Mail Pouch Tobacco barns still pitch nostalgia on country roads in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and other nearby states. They offer both beautiful American folk art and a haunting reminder of a rural United States as it was well into the 20th century. Americans were tied to the land, not addicted to their cell phones. They smoked cigarettes, not marijuana. …
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For decades, their mission during World War II was a secret. With inflatable tanks, trucks and planes, combined with sound effects, radio trickery, costume uniforms and acting, the American military units that became known as the Ghost Army helped outwit the enemy. Now, they are being awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Three of the seven known surviving members are set …
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An interactive exhibit opening Wednesday at the National WWII Museum will use artificial intelligence to let visitors hold virtual conversations with images of veterans, including a Medal of Honor winner who died in 2022. Voices From the Front will also enable visitors to the New Orleans museum to ask questions of war-era home front heroes and supporters of the U.S. …
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More toxic waste will be extracted from a World War II aircraft carrier in Charleston Harbor to prevent leakage that would imperil the commercial shipping industry and coastal ecosystems central to the South Carolina port city’s identity. The removal of over 1.2 million gallons of petroleum and other hazards is part of an $18 million remediation effort for the USS …
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