In 1959, John Howard Griffin, a middle-aged white man, decided to pose as a black man in the Deep South of the United States. What Griffin found shocked America. Born in 1920, the society he grew up in believed blacks were inferior, and so did Griffin. Yet one day, Griffin’s granddad caught him using a racial slur. He slapped his grandson and said, “they’re people like us.”
Humbling The King
The ancient Babylonian ritual of humbling the king happened every year during the New Year festival called Akitu. On the fifth day of the festival, the Babylonian king would surrender his crown and scepter to the head priest. The priest would then drag the king by the ear in front of an image of the Babylonian god. The king knelt to pray for forgiveness. Then the priest would slap him in the face as hard as he could. If tears fell from his eyes, it was a sign that God still favored the king. If the king failed to cry, it was a sign that God was angry.
Wartime Sweethearts Reunited After 75 Years
During the Second World War, US soldier KT Robbins was sent overseas. He was ready to fight, but fell head over heels in love instead. Stationed in France the 24-year-old laid eyes on Jeannine Ganaye. It was love at first sight. Two months passed happily, but soon Robbins received his orders to ship out to the Eastern Front. The two lovebirds were inconsolable. Robbins hoped for a reunion after the war. Circumstances dictated otherwise. Robbins had to return to America. He ended up meeting and marrying a woman named Lillian.
The Slave Who Outwitted A President
Several months before he passed away, George Washington said that after his death, all his slaves should be freed. The first president of the United States had kept fellow humans as slaves for 56 years. Historians credited Washington for finally seeing the light. Today the name George Washington is associated with honesty, courage, and freedom. The runaway slave that Washington relentlessly hounded and hunted would beg to differ.
Civil War Superhero
Born into slavery in 1839, Robert Smalls grew up working on a South Carolina plantation. When he was old enough, the plantation owner sent him to work at the docks in Charleston Harbor. It was there that he learned everything about ships. By the time the Civil War came around, Smalls had become an experienced seaman and was sent to work on the Confederate Navy ship called The Planter.
Do You Want A Happy Life Or A Meaningful One?
Mother Teresa was one of the 20th century’s greatest humanitarians. But she wasn’t perfect. Just like anyone else, she had her struggles, including depression and spiritual doubt. Before she became Mother Teresa, she was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. At 18, she became a nun and took the name Sister Mary Teresa. Before long, she was in India teaching children from the poorest Bengali families. But it wasn’t until she was 36 that she found her true calling.
The Blind And Deaf Child Who Was Liberated By Language
If you are blind you still have the window of your ears, and if you are deaf you can listen through your eyes. Helen Keller could neither see nor hear. Yet miraculously she found her salvation through language. Keller was the first deaf and blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree. Her autobiography, The Story of My Life, was once on the reading list of most American schools. She earned renown as an activist for women’s suffrage, socialism, and antimilitarism.
Meet Sergeant Stubby: A Most Peculiar War Hero
Millions of Americans admired Sergeant Stubby. His courage under fire was legendary. He was a decorated hero of World War I. He also had four legs and barked a lot. You guessed it – Sergeant Stubby was a dog. The short brindle bull terrier mutt was the first dog ever given rank in the U.S. Army. His story is the stuff movies are made of.
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