Eleanor Roosevelt (October 11, 1884 – November 7, 1962) created a new standard for First Ladies because instead of retreating to a private life of decorating and entertaining, Eleanor continued her public life by holding press conferences, giving lectures, doing …[Continue]
Biographies Resources
Christopher Columbus
“In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” And his arrival in the West Indies led to enduring links between Europe and the Americas. In the early years of our nation’s history, Christopher Columbus was raised to hero …[Continue]
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a legendary twentieth-century American magician, escape artist, contortionist and showman. Born Erich Weiss in Budapest, Hungary, he immigrated to the U.S. with his parents in 1878. Here’s where his spirit …[Continue]
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was a writer with a wild imagination, and a gift for sharing his vision. Some of his children’s books have been made into movies. Perhaps you’ve seen Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and Giant Peach or Matilda? …[Continue]
Betsy Ross
Many people believe that General George Washington visited seamstress Betsy Ross in June, 1776 to ask her to sew a stars-and-stripes flag that would become the first official flag of the new country. The story continues that Ross convinced Washington …[Continue]
Thomas Jefferson
Born on April 13, 1743, Thomas Jefferson is best remembered as the author of the Declaration of Independence. But Jefferson’s interests and talents covered an amazing range. He was also a two-term president, diplomat, architect, violinist, inventor and a founder …[Continue]
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell was born March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland. March is also the anniversary of his most famous invention: the telephone. In 1875, after receiving a patent for the transmission of multiple telegraph signals on a single wire, …[Continue]
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American poet and short-story author, known as a master of the macabre, but also credited with pioneering work in the detective genre and science fiction. Born in Boston, MA, Poe was orphaned at an …[Continue]
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) was born into Austrian royalty, the youngest daughter of Emperor Francis I and Maria Theresa. As a young teen, she married the grandson of Louis XV, and became Queen of France at the age of nineteen. As …[Continue]
Wright Brothers
On December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers made the world’s first flight in a power-driven, heavier-than-air machine that cost about $1000 to build. With Orville at the controls and Wilbur on the ground, the plane flew 120 feet in twelve …[Continue]
