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

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Laika the space dog was the commander of Sputnik 2 and the first living being to visit space. The program had no plan to safely return Laika, leading to the first death in the space race.

On March 15th, 1783, six months before the signing of the Treaty of Paris, George Washington convened Continental Army officers to deliver his Newburgh Conspiracy speech, convincing rebellious officers to unanimously support congress.

The widely underreported Orangeburg Massacre caused by a South Carolina bowling alley owner who refused entry to blacks would result in three dead and many more injured by police.

In a young nation divided over slavery, on June 19th, 1865, Union Major General Granger declared all enslaved people free from bondage in Texas, leading to Juneteenth as a recognized holiday to celebrate the abolition of slavery in the US.

Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing at 19 months of age, but despite these handicaps, learned to read and write, eventually graduating from Harvard and authoring fourteen books.

The Sons of Liberty was an organization of notable founding fathers including Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Paul Revere, that provoked civil disobedience against British rule.

Mozart was a musical prodigy from childhood, composing his first opera at the age of eleven. He would go on to compose some of the most influential pieces of music in history, despite dealing with physical and mental illness.