The Stage Door Canteen was an entertainment center for members of the armed forces during World War II. The original Stage Door Canteen was on 44th street in New York City, but a second Stage Door Canteen was opened in the basement of the Academy of Music building in Philadelphia, … Continue reading
Alger Hiss was an American lawyer who was accused of being a member of the Communist Party by the House Un-American Activities Committee(HUAC). On August 3, 1948, a man named Whittaker Chambers testified before the committee that he and Hiss had both been secret communists for years. Despite questions over … Continue reading
“I sit here in this old house and work on foreign affairs, read reports, and work on speeches — all the while listening to the ghosts walk up and down the hallway and even right in here in the study.” Harry Truman, the 33rd President of the United States, began … Continue reading
Paul Hackett was a Storekeeper 2nd class on the USS Mindanao when the ammunition ship USS Mount Hood exploded on November 10, 1944. All crew members aboard the USS Mount Hood that day were killed in the explosion. The Mindanao was only 350 yards away from Mount Hood at the … Continue reading
Ansel Adams was an American photographer and environmentalist who took many well-known landscape photographs of the American West. One of his most famous shots was entitled Moonrise Over Hernandez. In this video, Ansel Adams’s son, Michael Adams, recalls being with his father when he took the famous photograph: “I was … Continue reading
See this never before shown footage of the SS Normandie (aka The Lafayette) as she burns in New York Harbor. The SS Normandie, a French-built ocean liner, began service in 1935 as the largest and fastest passenger ship in operation. The Normandie is still considered to be the most powerful … Continue reading
Dizzy Gillespie is considered to be one of the greatest trumpeters of all time. He is credited, along with Charlie Parker, with creating Bebop and Modern Jazz. In this interview, Gillespie talks about how Bebop got his name, and explains why his trumpets are all bent at a seemingly bizarre … Continue reading
Ruth Voorhies, born and raised in San Diego, California, describes her experience during World War II as her family was placed in a Japanese Internment Camp in Arizona. Over 110,000 people of Japanese heritage were imprisoned in internment camps on grounds of Executive Order 9066, signed by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, … Continue reading
During World War II, British Prisoners of War were used by the Japanese to build a railway linking Bangkok, Thailand to Rangoon, Burma. Over 12,000 POWs were killed building the railway. In this video, British POWs recall building the railway. Remembering the harsh working conditions, one POW says: “If you … Continue reading
On October 14, 1943, approximately 600 prisoners attempted to escape from the Sobibor extermination camp on the outskirts of Sobibor, Poland. Of the 600 who revolted, around half were able to escape and fifty of those were able to avoid being recaptured. In this video, survivors of the Sobibor camp … Continue reading
