Wikimedia Commons/public library of Utica, New York The Battle of Oriskany The American Revolution tore apart the mighty Iroquois confederacy on August 6, 1777, during a savage ambush near Fort Stanwix. British forces and Mohawk warriors trapped General Herkimer’s militia in a deadly ravine. Oneida fighters chose the American side, creating the bizarre scene of … Read more

Wikimedia Commons/Daderot Lava Beds National Monument, California The Modoc War began on November 29, 1872, and ended June 1, 1873. It was the only major Native American war fought in California. Captain Jack, also called Kintpuash, led 53 warriors and about 160 women and children. The Modocs left the Klamath Reservation in Oregon because they … Read more

Wikimedia Commons/Ben Wittick The Lincoln County War Lawrence Murphy and James Dolan controlled every dollar that flowed through Lincoln County, Well, until English lawyer Alexander McSween and rancher John Tunstall decided to break their iron grip in 1878. At the time, the Murphy-Dolan faction owned the only general store, charged outrageous prices, and had the … Read more

Wikimedia Commons/Internet Archive Book Images The Great Locomotive Chase On April 12, 1862, twenty Union soldiers dressed as civilians walked into a Georgia train station with a wild plan. Led by spy James Andrews, they would steal a locomotive called The General and race north to Chattanooga, ripping up railroad tracks behind them. The mission … Read more

Wikimedia Commons/Walter William May The Gaspee Affair of 1772 The Gaspee was supposed to stop smuggling in Rhode Island waters. Instead, it became the first British ship Americans burned in anger. On June 10, 1772, the revenue cutter ran aground while chasing a suspected smuggler near Providence. Local colonists saw their chance. They attacked the … Read more

Shutterstock The Battle of Point Pleasant October 10, 1774 started with Virginia hunters looking for deer near Point Pleasant. Instead, they found 800 Shawnee warriors ready for battle. Chief Cornstalk had crossed the Ohio River to stop Colonel Andrew Lewis and his 1,000 militia from linking up with Lord Dunmore’s forces. The bloody fight that … Read more

Wikimedia Commons/Chadwick, H. D The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake At 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906, San Francisco shook violently. A 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck just 2 miles off the coast. The ground moved in waves for nearly a minute. People felt the shaking from Oregon to Los Angeles and as far east as central … Read more

Flickr/wallyg Ebbets Field, New York A 28-year-old rookie named Jackie Robinson walked onto Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947. He became the first Black player in Major League Baseball since 1884. He took his spot at first base as the Boston Dodgers faced the Boston Braves. More than 26,000 fans looked on as decades of … Read more

Flickr/hermilo87 Wave Organ A strange musical instrument sits at the end of a jetty in San Francisco’s Marina district. The Wave Organ makes music using only waves from the bay. Peter Richards and George Gonzalez built this stone structure in 1986 with 25 pipes that create sounds when water hits them. The Exploratorium museum backed … Read more

Wikimedia Commons/Katja Schulz from Washington, D. C., USA Biosphere 2 Eight researchers walked into a glass building in the Arizona desert on September 26, 1991. They wouldn’t leave for two years. The 3.14-acre facility near Oracle, Arizona cost $150 million. Texas billionaire Ed Bass funded this experiment to test if humans could live in a … Read more