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This Week in History – May 2-May 8

May 3, 1989 – Charlotte Day, founder of the Red School House (St. Paul), dies. A member of the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe, Day founded the school to meet the needs of Native American children, teaching Native languages and culture as well as English reading and math skills in Native contexts.

Those Were The Days – Friday, May 2, 1913

Those Were The Days – From the Tower Weekly News, Friday, May 2, 1913.

How a fight over gunpowder helped spur the American Revolution in Virginia 250 years ago

‘It’s interesting to think about these things happening at the same time period.’

This Week in History – April 25-May1

April 26, 1877 – Minnesotans observe a statewide day of prayer, asking deliverance from a plague of Rocky Mountain locusts that had ruined thousands of acres of crops over 4 years. The plague ended by summer.

Those Were The Days – Friday, April 25, 1913

From the Tower Weekly News, Friday, April 25, 1913.

When a leader breaks a law

Southern insurrection and Lincoln’s suspension of the ‘Great Writ.’ The Confederacy fired upon Fort Sumter. Lincoln responded with a call to arms—and a constitutionally explosive order.

This Week in History – April 18-April 24

April 18, 1775 – The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere and William Dawes began as the two men rode out of Boston about 10 p.m. to warn patriots at Lexington and Concord of the approaching British.

Those Were The Days – Friday, April 18, 1913

From the Tower Weekly News, Friday, April 18, 1913.

Who was this remarkable American?

The anniversary of his death is today, April 17.

This Week in History – April 11-April 17

April 13, 1742 – Handel’s famous oratorio Messiah premieres in Dublin’s Fishamble Street Musick Hall and is met with critical praise.

Those Were The Days – Friday, April 11, 1913

From the Tower Weekly News, Friday, April 11, 1913

Remembering Bonhoeffer 80 years after his martyrdom

There are almost a quarter-of-a-million people still living with the direct consequences of the Holocaust.

The Battle of Aachen: Breaking down the door to Europe in WWII

To enter Germany, the U.S. Army would first need to capture the city of Aachen in one of the toughest urban battles of World War II.

This Week in History – April 4-April 10

April 4, 1968 – Civil Rights leader and Baptist minister, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, was shot and killed by a sniper in Memphis, TN.

Those Were The Days – Friday, April 4, 1913

From the Tower Weekly News, Friday, April 4, 1913

Third time’s the charm: How America secured the Virgin Islands

After 50 years and multiple treaties, Denmark finally cedes the Danish West Indies to America.

This Week in History – March 28-April 3

April 1, 1778 – New Orleans businessman Oliver Pollock creates the “$” symbol.

Those Were The Days – Friday, March 28, 1913

From the Tower Weekly News, Friday, March 28, 1913

This Week in History – March 21-27

March 27, 1980 – Mount St. Helens in Washington State, part of the volcanic arc of the Cascade Range and segment of the Pacific Ring of Fire, becomes active, erupting after 123 years of dormancy.

Those Were The Days – Friday, March 21, 1913

From the Tower Weekly News, Friday, March 21, 1913

The man behind Reagan’s ‘Evil Empire’: Tony Dolan, RIP

Reagan speechwriter, Pulitzer Prize winner helped shape nation.

Death: Britain's most valuable Cold War spy inside the KGB