Stories worth telling, in minutes

American History

The Kennedy Curse: Examining America's Most Tragic Political Dynasty

What Is the Kennedy Curse

The so-called Kennedy Curse encompasses the numerous tragedies, deaths, and scandals that have affected the Kennedy family since the 1940s. The term gained widespread recognition after Senator Ted Kennedy referenced it himself following the 1969 Chappaquiddick incident, when he wondered aloud “whether some awful curse did actually hang over all the Kennedys.”

The most devastating manifestations of this alleged curse have been political assassinations and aviation accidents. The family has lost multiple members to plane crashes, while two Kennedy brothers who achieved the highest levels of American politics were both killed by assassins.

Read more →

The Historic Bar Where a Future President Met a Pirate

What Happened

The Old Absinthe House on Bourbon Street in New Orleans claims to be the site where Andrew Jackson, then a general defending the city, met with the pirate Jean Lafitte in late 1814 or early 1815. While the specific meeting location remains more legend than documented fact, the collaboration between Jackson and Lafitte during the Battle of New Orleans is historically verified.

Built in 1807, the Old Absinthe House operated as Aleix’s Coffee House during the War of 1812 period. The building’s upstairs rooms would have provided the perfect discreet venue for sensitive negotiations between the American general and the pirate leader who controlled much of the Gulf of Mexico.

Read more →

9 Extraordinary Black Women Who Rewrote American History

What Happened

Mental Floss recently highlighted nine extraordinary Black women whose contributions fundamentally changed American society, yet many of their stories remain undertold. These women span nearly two centuries of American history, from the 1800s through the civil rights era, each breaking through seemingly impossible barriers in their respective fields.

The featured women include civil rights activists like Fannie Lou Hamer and Rosa Parks, political pioneers like Shirley Chisholm, journalists like Ida B. Wells, scientists like Katherine Johnson, and many others who refused to accept the limitations society placed on them.

Read more →