In the early 20th century, these three Chicago Cubs filled the following infield positions:
Joe Tinker, shortstop; Johnny Evers, second base; Frank Chance, first base.
Their fielding, immortalized in a popular sportswriter’s phase, “Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance,” has become synonymous with crack teamwork.
Originally called a frankfurter (for its origin in Frankfurt, Germany) or a dachshund sausage (for its shape), the hot dog is said to have been first served on a bun in the U.S. in the 1880s. German food vendors Antoine Feuchtwanger in St. Louis, Missouri, and Charles Feltman in Coney Island, Brooklyn, have both been…
No, the Smithsonian Institution wasn’t named after an American. Founded in 1846, it was named for British chemist James Smithson (1765-1829), who bequeathed his fortune to build the U.S. institution. It is now the world’s largest museum complex, containing 14 museums and the National Zoo.
The Molly Maguires were a secret militant organization of Irish miners working in the Pennsylvania anthracite coal mines in the 19th century. They organized in 1854 to fight the mine operators. In 1875, a Pinkerton spy working for the owners infiltrated the group. That led to the conviction and hanging of 20 Molly Maguires on…
The Seminole War of 1835-42, sparked by the Seminole tribe’s refusal to be exiled to Oklahoma, was fought in the Florida Everglades. The tribe’s greatest hero, Osceola, held off U.S. troops with guerrilla-style actions until his capture in 1837. He died in prison, but the fighting dragged on for several more years.
The grandfather and namesake of 1950s Democratic Presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson served as vice-president from 1893 to 1897 under Grover Cleveland.
The Great Depression in the 19th century was the worldwide period of deflation that lasted from 1873 to 1897 and caused erratic fluctuations in economic activity in the U.S. Unlike the Great Depression of the 1930s, it was not marked by low productivity.