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]
E.B. White
In the world of children’s literature, E.B. White is a super-star: the author of three beloved classics “Stuart Little,” “Charlotte’s Web,” and “The Trumpet of the Swan.” He also co-authored my favorite guide to the writer’s craft, “Elements of Style.”…[Continue]
Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter (1866 – 1943) was an English author, illustrator, and conservationist best known for her children’s books featuring Peter Rabbit and other animal characters. The first draft of “The Story of Peter Rabbit” was based on a letter she …[Continue]
Margaret Wise Brown
Although “Goodnight Moon” is her best known work (it has sold forty-eight million copies since 1947), children’s author Margaret Wise Brown (1910 – 1952) wrote more than a hundred children’s books before dying suddenly at forty-two while recovering from surgery. …[Continue]
Katherine Johnson
Katherine Johnson (August 25, 1918 – February 24, 2020) was an African-American physicist and mathematician who worked on calculating trajectories for NASA. Her work was critical to the success of Project Mercury, the Apollo missions, and the Space Shuttle, but …[Continue]
Ben Franklin
“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing.” Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts, and he has not …[Continue]
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was the third Vice President of the United States (1801–05), serving during President Thomas Jefferson’s first term. Despite his successful career as a politician and lawyer, Burr is frequently remembered …[Continue]
Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth (born Isabella Baumfree) was one of the best-known abolitionists of the nineteenth century. Born a slave in New York in approximately 1797, she was freed in 1828. She took the name Sojourner Truth in 1843 when she began …[Continue]
