Jennifer Latson

Recent Articles

The Man Who Would Be King… of Texas

Dec. 29, 1845: Texas becomes the 28th state in the Union

By Jennifer Latson

The Surprising First Fighters in the War on Christmas

Dec. 25, 1659: Puritan settlers eschew Christmas celebrations, which are illegal in the colonies from 1659 to 1681

By Jennifer Latson

How America's First Self-Made Female Millionaire Built Her Fortune

Dec. 23, 1867: Sarah Breedlove Walker, the first black female millionaire in U.S. history, is born

By Jennifer Latson

Two Shootings, 30 Years Apart, Linked by Fear

Why Bernie Goetz was celebrated for shooting four unarmed black teens, and how things have—or haven’t—changed

By Jennifer Latson

When Is the Anniversary of the First Flight? The Answer's Not So Easy

Dec. 17, 1903: The Wright brothers make what history has recorded as the first successful powered airplane flight in Kitty Hawk, N.C.

By Jennifer Latson

Then as Now, the Tea Party Proved Divisive

Dec. 16, 1773: Colonial activists dump 45 tons of tea into Boston Harbor to protest the Tea Act

By Jennifer Latson

James Brown: The Hardest-Working, Fastest-Driving Man in Show Business

Dec. 15, 1988: James Brown begins serving a prison sentence for charges related to a high-speed police chase

By Jennifer Latson

The Not-So-Romantic Story of the First-Ever Woman of the Year

Dec. 11, 1936: King Edward VIII abdicates the throne to marry an American divorcee

By Jennifer Latson

How the Mystery of AIDS Created Dangerous Myths

Dec. 10, 1981: The New England Journal of Medicine publishes a series of articles about a new disease that appears to target gay men

By Jennifer Latson

How the John Birch Society Was Founded

Dec. 9, 1958: The right-wing John Birch Society is founded

By Jennifer Latson

A Toast to the End of Prohibition

Dec. 5, 1933: Prohibition comes to an end in the United States

By Jennifer Latson

Plastic and Permanent: The Artificial Heart's Debut

Dec. 2, 1982: Doctors implant the first permanent artificial heart in a human, Barney Clark, who lives 112 days with it

By Jennifer Latson

The Woman Who Broke the U.K.'s Parliamentary Gender Barrier Wasn't Even Trying

Dec. 1, 1919: American-born socialite Lady Astor is sworn in as the first female member of the British House of Commons

By Jennifer Latson

Thanksgiving Parade Balloons Gone Wild!

Thanksgiving Day, 1924: Macy’s debuts its annual parade to kick off the Christmas season

By Jennifer Latson

The Origins of the 'Pharaoh's Curse' Legend

Nov. 26, 1922: Archaeologists enter King Tut’s tomb for the first time

By Jennifer Latson

Elian Gonzalez, 15 Years Later

Nov. 25, 1999: Cuban refugee Elian Gonzalez, just shy of his 6th birthday, is rescued off the coast of Florida

By Jennifer Latson

A Sheep, a Duck and a Rooster in a Hot-Air Balloon — No Joke

Nov. 21, 1783: Two men take flight over Paris on the world’s first untethered hot-air balloon ride

By Jennifer Latson

The Princess Diana TV Interview That Made History

Nov. 20, 1995: Princess Diana admits, during a TV interview, that she had an affair with her riding instructor

By Jennifer Latson

The Jonestown Massacre, Remembered

Nov. 18, 1978: More than 900 people die after drinking poisoned Flavor Aid under instructions from cult leader Jim Jones

By Jennifer Latson

The Nuclear-Safety Activist Whose Mysterious Death Inspired a Movie

Nov. 13, 1974: A plutonium plant worker and activist dies in a mysterious car crash on her way to expose the plant’s lax safety record

By Jennifer Latson
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