Taking Airline Reservations before Computers, 1945
(via SFO Museum) Back before computers, airlines took reservations manually. Centered around a large board that displayed the next thirty
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US History
The Invention that Tamed America, and the Town Obsessed with It
(via Atlas Obscura) Could anything be less friendly than barbed wire? Its whole purpose is to deter, to turn back,
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Five Men Agree To Stand Directly Under An Exploding Nuclear Bomb
(via NPR) On July 19, 1957, five men stood at Ground Zero of an atomic test that was being conducted
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Broken Wagon Wheels on the “Oregon Trail”
(via Great Big Story) One of the most iconic computer games of your youth was actually created before computers existed.
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Quincy Granite Railway: America’s First Commercial Railroad
(via Amusing Planet) When architect Solomon Willard arrived in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1825, and discovered a granite ledge in a
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The Unsung History of America’s Hard-Working Hoboes
(via Collector’s Weekly) Hoboes are not bums. They were really migratory workers. When they first emerged in the United States
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Why Presidential Candidates Get Top Secret Intelligence Briefings
(via Atlas Obscura) Don’t worry, no one gets the nuclear codes until AFTER the election… maybe. In July, after each
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How Breakfast Became A Thing
(via Priceconomics) You’ve probably heard that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” What you may not know
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The Ghost Army That Helped Defeat Hitler
(via Great Big Story) During WWII a secret division known now as the “ghost army” conducted over 20 tactical operations
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15 Wonderful Things You Might Not Know About L. Frank Baum
(via mental_floss) In 1900, L. Frank Baum published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a book that has never been out
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How Epic Fortunes Were Created During the California Gold Rush
(via Priceconomics)Before the California Golf Rush of 1849, San Francisco had a population of about 500 people. The news of
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The Real “Rosie the Riveters”
(via Retronaut) During World War II, the drafting of millions of men for combat left American military contractors in dire
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