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May 21, 1856: Lawrence Burns

On May 21, 1856, the town of Lawrence, Kansas—a fledgling stronghold of free-state resistance on the contested frontier—was looted and burned by a posse of some 800 proslavery partisans under the authority of a federal marshal. Though often recast in summary as a mere…

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May 21: 1881: America Gets Its Lifesaver

The American Red Cross, an iconic humanitarian organization, was established by Clara Barton on May 21, 1881, in Washington, D.C. Its inception marked a significant development in American charity work, dedicating itself to providing emergency assistance, disaster relief, and education in the United States.…

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May 20, 1956: America Drops The Big One

Operation Redwing was a series of 17 nuclear test detonations conducted by the United States at the Pacific Proving Grounds on Bikini and Enewetak Atolls in the Marshall Islands, between May and July of 1956. The operation, overseen by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and carried out…

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May 19, 1883: Buffalo Bill Makes A Grand Debut

On May 19, 1883, Buffalo Bill Cody, an iconic figure of the American West, unveiled his grand spectacle, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, in Omaha, Nebraska. This event marked the beginning of a revolutionary form of entertainment that combined elements of theater, circus, and historical…

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May 18, 1933: FDR’s Gem In The New Deal

On May 18, 1933, as the economic catastrophe of the Great Depression continued to erode confidence in the American system, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Tennessee Valley Authority Act—a legislative cornerstone of the New Deal and a radical assertion of federal…

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