Fredrick Douglass: Slavery, Literacy, Escape, Activism and More

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For nearly 300 years, Vikings or Norsemen sailed from Scandinavia to Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East and even North America, acquiring slaves, concubines and culture along the way.

After back-to-back morale-deflating defeats, General George Washington inspired his Continental Army to cross the Delaware River to engage in the Battle of Trenton the day after Christmas, achieving a much-needed victory in the Revolutionary War.

After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, FDR signed executive order 9066 leading to the Internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans until nearly six months after WWII ended.

On May 31st, 1916, Germany’s armada would meet British warships in WWI’s battle of Jutland, the largest and possibly last battle fought entirely at sea.

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 Germany and raised to be a musician by his father and teachers including Haydn. His eventual deafness forced his later compositions to be created from musical memory, unable to physically hear the notes.

The impeachment of Andrew Johnson was caused by the ideological differences between Congress and the president during the post-civil war reconstruction era.

Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little, was imprisoned at 21 for larceny and soon introduced to Islam where his violent views for achieving racial equality would form the basis for his eventual assassination.