Happening This Weekend
There’s a little something for everybody this weekend, including Cinco de Mayo—a celebration of Mexico’s victory over French forces in 1862—as well as the Kentucky Derby, the oldest continually-held sporting event in U.S. history. For fans of pop culture, Saturday offers both Star Wars Day and Free Comic Book Day. And if you’re looking for something a bit more supernatural, Friday marks National Paranormal Day, a celebration that’s truly out of this world.
The True Meaning of Cinco de Mayo
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May the Fourth Be with You
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History and Traditions of the Kentucky Derby
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Victory in Defeat
Erik Larson’s new Civil War tome The Demon of Unrest shines a light on Major Robert Anderson, a U.S. Army officer who was celebrated in the North after he surrendered the Federal garrison at Fort Sumter. While it might seem odd to celebrate a loss, it turns out that sometimes, winning really isn’t everything.
The Union’s first hero
Anderson returned to Fort Sumter exactly four years to the day after its surrender, to preside over the hoisting of the U.S. flag over the fort.
The miracle at Dunkirk
The failed defense of the Low Countries and the Battle of France were disasters for the Allies during World War II. But the hastily organized evacuation of the bulk of the British Expeditionary Force and 140,000 other Allied troops from the beaches of Dunkirk would prove to be one of the most morale-boosting retreats in military history.
Honest Abe won in the rematch
The Lincoln-Douglas debates lifted Abraham Lincoln into the national spotlight, but he soundly lost the 1858 U.S. Senate race against his Democratic opponent Stephen A. Douglas. The two would meet again in the 1860 presidential election.
Making the most of seventh place
The reality TV talent contest American Idol has launched quite a few singing careers, but Jennifer Hudson dominates the field. Although she exited the show early in the final rounds of season 3, she has since become one of a handful of performers to win an EGOT.
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