Stories of America’s Past
Welcome to America Comes Alive!, a site I created to share little-known stories of regular people who made a difference and changed the course of history. Look around and see what inspires you! — Kate Kelly
The Harvey Girls
The Harvey Girls were an important part of opening the American West in the late nineteenth century. Fred Harvey, a British entrepreneur, started a chain of restaurants along the railroad, and he hired educated young women to serve the restaurant patrons, thereby establishing the Harvey Girls. The young women were vital to the Harvey House Company, and the benefits were mutual. At a time when women had few opportunities to work or to leave the…
Tombs Angel: A One-Woman Social Service Agency
Rebecca Foster Salome was a middle-class woman who earned the apt name the “Tombs Angel” for her daily visits to the Manhattan courts and detention center in the 1880s-1890s. Known as the Tombs, The New York City Halls of Justice and House of Detention, was a surprising place for an upper middle-class wife to find herself. But there were no social service agencies to help the poor and newly incarcerated, and Rebecca Foster learned how…
Bid Whist and Sleeping Car Porters
Sleeping car porters are a well-known part of history. The card game of Bid Whist is not. Yet the story of the men and the story of the card game are very much intertwined. As the Pullman porters traveled the country, they spread information, music and card games like Bid Whist. (Bid Whist is a trick-taking strategic card game compared to spades and bridge.) Why haven’t more people heard of it? Here’s the story: How…
Dr. Charles Drew, Medical Pioneer in Blood Work
Dr. Charles Drew was a pioneer in medicine who achieved recognition in a racially divided America for his work with blood collection and storage during World War II. But those who knew him said that his greatest pride was in having mentored many Black surgeons who might never have moved forward in the field of medicine if it hadn’t been for Dr. Drew. Dr. Drew was one of several scientists working on ways to get…
On
This
Day
On April 25, 1947, President Truman unveiled a new bowling alley in the West Wing of the White House. It was paid for by a group of Truman’s friends from Missouri. Eisenhower closed the alley in 1955, but another was built nearby in the OEOB. Over the years, the presidential residence has had putting greens, swimming pools, a jogging track, a tennis court, and even a tree house (Amy Carter) for its residents.
Women Leaders
WWI: U.S. Recruits Women Operators
About six months after the U.S. entered World War I, the Signal Corps—the U.S. Communications unit of the Army—put out a call for women telephone operators. This was at the […]
U.S. Nurses Survive 3 Years in Japanese Prison Camp
Nurses working for the U.S. Army Nurse Corps were sent to the Philippines from 1939-41 in preparation for possible war in the South Pacific. The world knew Japan was a […]
Guardian of the Manhattan Project: Dorothy Scarritt McKibbin
McKibbin served as the primary contact for people arriving to work on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, New Mexico After the war, she remained in Santa Fe and became […]
Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955), Great Strides in Education and Civil Rights
- Made great progress for African-Americans in the field of education and civil rights
- Consultant to four presidents; most significantly FDR for establishing the Federal Council on Negro Affairs
- First black leader and first woman to have a monument in a public park in Washington DC (1974)
- In 1989, Ebony Magazine included Mary McLeod Bethune as one of 50 Most Important Figures in Black History
Love what you’re reading?
Skip the noise and get compelling stories about America delivered to your inbox. Mailings arrive about every other week.
Welcome to America Comes Alive!, a site I created to share little-known stories of regular people who made a difference and changed the course of history. Look around and see what inspires you! — Kate Kelly
Recent Stories
Harvey House Company
The Harvey House business, founded by Fred Harvey in the late 19th century, played a significant role in shaping the dining and hospitality experience for those traveling west along the […]
The Harvey Girls
The Harvey Girls were an important part of opening the American West in the late nineteenth century. Fred Harvey, a British entrepreneur, started a chain of restaurants along the railroad, […]
Tombs Angel: A One-Woman Social Service Agency
Rebecca Foster Salome was a middle-class woman who earned the apt name the “Tombs Angel” for her daily visits to the Manhattan courts and detention center in the 1880s-1890s. Known […]
Bid Whist and Sleeping Car Porters
Sleeping car porters are a well-known part of history. The card game of Bid Whist is not. Yet the story of the men and the story of the card game […]
Dr. Charles Drew, Medical Pioneer in Blood Work
Dr. Charles Drew was a pioneer in medicine who achieved recognition in a racially divided America for his work with blood collection and storage during World War II. But those […]
Red Ball Express: Transport System Helped Win WWII
The Red Ball Express was a desperately needed World War II truck transport system that came about six weeks after D-Day. By late July of 1944, the Allies were progressing […]
Part of the inspiration for this site comes from this remark: “People do not want to hear about simple things. They want to hear about great things – simply told.”
Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams (1860-1935)