Holy Cow History
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: Who was John Wilkes Booth’s 'Mysterious Beauty?'

On Good Friday, 1865, a man entered his room in Washington’s National Hotel. He’d be leaving on a one-way trip in a few hours. He filled one pocket with things you’d expect: a … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: Happy July something!

For the 249 th time, we’re getting ready to haul out the hot dogs and fire up the fireworks for America’s big birthday bash. It’s a star-spangled party, the highlight of summer … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: The 1st march on Washington

The American lexicon was once filled with dozens, hundreds of charmingly quaint phrases that have now gone the way of the dodo. A particular favorite was, “There was enough food to feed … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: A tardy student turned genius

Always be on time, we are taught. Promptness is, after all, a virtue. But one time, being late paid off spectacularly for one tardy student, and we are all the better today for it. Here’s how … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: A soldier’s big secret

At first glance, there was nothing unusual about Private Lyons Wakeman. The service record in the National Archives reads the same as countless other Civil War soldiers. Age: 21 Height: 5 … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: Titanic’s ill-fated kid sister

As the 20th century dawned, the owners of Britain’s White Star Line were thinking big. Really big. They envisioned three luxury ocean liners that would be larger and far more luxurious than … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: It took a Rose to save frozen pizza

Chances are good there’s a frozen pizza in your refrigerator. Or two. Americans feast on more than 350 million of them annually, ringing up $5.5 billion in sales. In fact, the average family … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: Why the president drank

Historians love ranking presidents. You’ve seen the lists. There are the Greats, the Near Greats and the Mediocre. Then there are the Failures: Andrew Johnson, Herbert Hoover and the … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: A tale of two trains, when Friendship rode the rails

Eighty years ago this spring, Europe was finally quiet. Planes no longer dropped bombs, tanks sat stationary, rattling machine guns fell silent. After six bloody years, World War II was at last over … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: How a sweet tooth educated children

Milton didn’t like farm work. Milton wasn’t lazy. Quite the opposite. He just wanted to do something different. That was common among young people in the late 1800s. When he was 13, … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: The Centenarian White House correspondent

Springtime in Washington is famous for two things: the Japanese cherry blossoms and the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. It’s one of D.C.’s biggest bashes of … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: Who blabbed to Ben Franklin?

Washington loves a leaker—an “unidentified source” who’s willing to spill the beans and dish on his boss or colleagues. Sometimes the motivation is revenge, settling the score … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: Toxic talk, deadly duel

The one (and perhaps only) thing Americans seem to agree on these days is political rhetoric is too toxic. They long for folks to cool down and behave like dignified statesmen from that long-ago time … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: Meet the real Duncan Hines

Most supermarkets’ cake mix shelves feature the Big Three. There’s Pillsbury, whose Doughboy is a cartoon character. There’s Betty Crocker; sure, her pretty face is on the box, but … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: Old Hickory’s close call

After a four-year absence, Andrew Jackson is back in the Oval Office. Not the actual Jackson, of course. The office didn’t exist when he lived in the White House, after all. Rather, his … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: “I Know Hillbilly”

Sixty years ago, Americans were doubled over laughing at a 70-something spitfire’s antics. When “The Beverly Hillbillies” debuted on CBS in 1962, critics were aghast. But … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: America’s worst tornado, 100 years later

Winter is no bed of roses. And 1925 had been a rough one. A late January blizzard had dumped more than two feet of snow, with up to four feet reported in some places, on the Northeast. In Alaska, a … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: Adolf’s American cousin

Every family has a rotten relative, a black sheep, the one relation you avoid above all others. Even Adolf Hitler. Yes, the personification of Evil had a relative he couldn't stand. … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: How the State of the Union became Primetime TV

The eyes of the nation were glued to the U.S. House chamber once more for America’s annual spectacle: the State of the Union address. It’s a moment of high drama, a democratic version of … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: Box Brown’s strange trip to freedom

They say getting there is half the fun. But that wasn’t the case for one man over 175 years ago. In fact, his trip was anything but pleasant. However, the sweet reward he received at the end of … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: How a kids’ toy named the Super Bowl

Lamar Hunt had a problem. The big game, the biggest of its kind ever held, was being planned. And it needed a name worthy of the occasion. Hunt, an oil tycoon’s son, had been crazy about … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: Gilbert’s star-spangled excellent adventure

Gilbert Bates was getting madder by the minute. The 31-year-old farmer was chewing the fat with a neighbor in November 1867. The man was a Radical Republican (like being a “woke” … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: An inauguration blunder gave us a president for 6 minutes

History surrenders this secret grudgingly. Several people technically were president, but aren’t considered presidents of the United States. You have to look hard to find them, but … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: They were crazy about Kate

If any woman was ever born to be the first lady of the United States, it was Kate. Glitteringly beautiful and dazzlingly charming, she was an engaging hostess whose table and conversation sparkled. … more
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HOLY COW! HISTORY: The Jewish man who created a Christmas classic

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen. And yes, you still recall the most famous reindeer of all. But how did that red-nosed misfit become a key character in Yuletide celebrations? He … more
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