
James Fenimore Cooper

Back in the day


Louisiana Purchase Completed




Billie Holiday

Affectionately known as "Lady Day," Billie Holiday is considered one of the greatest vocalists in jazz history as well as one of its most tragic figures. Known for her haunting rendition of the song "Strange Fruit," Holiday began singing professionally in 1930 and embarked on a successful solo career in 1940. However, Holiday's drug and alcohol addiction and abuse at the hands of men took a toll on both her health and her voice, and she died in 1959 at the age of 44. What was her real name?

Born on a day like today


Samuel Mudd

Mudd was the physician and Confederate sympathizer who set the broken leg of John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln's assassin, just hours after Booth fled the crime scene at Ford's Theater. In 1865, Mudd was charged with conspiracy to murder the President, stood trial, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was pardoned by President Johnson in 1869 and returned to his home in Maryland. Of the eight people charged with conspiring to assassinate Lincoln, how many were hanged?

Last updated on Sunday, 20th December 2009

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