The post This Women’s Only Race Was a Passage Into Adulthood appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>A rite of passage, the Heraia race was a girl’s introduction into adulthood. During the race, participants would leave their childhoods behind, becoming young women who were fit for marriage. Nancy Serwint, a professor of ancient art and archaeology at Arizona State University explained that “For unmarried girls, the Heraia may have been “a social introduction into adult society.”
Held on a shortened version of the men’s Olympic track, the Heraia race was highly reminiscent of the Olympic races in many respects. The winners would receive olive-leafed crowns and even a portion of a cow sacrificed to Hera. Ultimately, the aim of this ancient race was for young girls, who were believed to be teenagers, to show their suitability for marriage to potential husbands.
Intriguingly, there is little evidence remaining that serves as proof of this ancient ritual. Ultimately, it was statues of female athletes wearing the specific costume that Heraia runners were believed to have worn.
The post This Women’s Only Race Was a Passage Into Adulthood appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Blockbuster Facts About Actress Anna May Wong appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>In the 1910s, when Wong was a little girl, the movie industry moved from New York City to Los Angeles, her hometown. While working in her parents’ laundromat, Wong would use the money she earned to buy movie tickets. She would also head to movie sets and watch as the actors and crew members got to work. “I would worm my way through the crowd and get as close to the cameras as I dared…I’d stare and stare at these glamorous individuals, directors, cameramen, assistants, and actors in grease paint, who had come down to our section of town to make movies,” Wong explained.
As an up-and-coming actress, Wong’s work opportunities were sadly limited due to America’s anti-miscegenation laws which prohibited interracial relationships and cohabitation. Because many white actors would take on roles as Asian characters, Wong would be barred from performing if the costar was white, even if the character they were portraying was of Asian descent.
With roles being few and far between, Wong went on to establish her own film production company called Anna May Wong Productions. Sadly, the company only lasted one year due to financial issues.
The post Blockbuster Facts About Actress Anna May Wong appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post How the Five-Day Workweek Came to Be appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Joseph McCartin, a labor historian at Georgetown University, explained that back in the early 20th century, it was not uncommon for Americans to work over 60 hours per week. In fact, in 1898, Massachusetts published a “labor bulletin” that revealed exactly how long certain people would work. Many domestic cooks worked as many as 83 hours every week, while factory workers worked an average of 58 hours a week. By then, many laborers began craving a change.
“Eight hours labor, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest,” was a phrase famously created by Welsh textile manufacturer Robert Owen, who went on to become a prominent labor reformer. With calls for labor reform rising throughout the United States, Chicago unions and political activists decided to launch a “May Day”, calling for an eight-hour workday. On Ma 1, 1886, the strike got underway. While it took a long time for the movement to gain steam, workers finally received fewer work hours in 1916, as America was considering entering World War I. A nationwide railroad workers strike was enough to place the US government under enough pressure to grant workers favorable conditions that prevail to this day.
The post How the Five-Day Workweek Came to Be appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Innovative Facts About the Advanced Society of Ancient India appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>If there’s one thing that determines the effectiveness of an engineering feat, it is its longevity. In the second century AD, Indian engineers built the Kallanai Dam. The fourth-oldest water diversion structure in the world, the Kallanai Dam continues to be in use today.
Sadly, oppressive practices such as slavery were very much commonplace in many parts of the ancient world. Not in India, though. This sprawling South Asian country was one of the few places where all people were free.
While women have been relegated to certain jobs and topics of discussion at different points in history, women could make all of their own choices in Ancient India. What’s more, many of them could select their own husbands from an eligible pool of bachelors.
When it came to mathematics, the ancient Indians were pioneers. Among the many mathematical concepts they invented were algebra, calculus, the decimal system, the number zero, and the value of pi.
The post Innovative Facts About the Advanced Society of Ancient India appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Wacky Ways Americans Dodged the Vietnam Draft appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>On August 26, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed an executive order stating that married men whose wedding came after August 26 would no longer be exempt from military service like their predecessors. As a result, young couples across America tied the knot in the late hours of the day in order to register their marriage in time to save the husband from going to war.
Some people were actually exempt from the military on religious grounds. Amish, Jehova’s Witnesses, Mennonites, and Quakers were all eligible to legally avoid the draft on the basis of being a conscientious objector. Around 170,000 men’s services were deferred thanks to their conscientious objector status, including 61,000 in 1971 alone.
Throughout the war, college students were exempt from serving in the military. As a result, it came as no surprise that college admissions rose by up to six percent during the late 1960s.
The post Wacky Ways Americans Dodged the Vietnam Draft appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Here’s How The Presidential Polling Craze Began appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>In 1824, straw polls were conducted to see how people would be voting in the election. These polls were conducted at all sorts of grand juries, celebrations, and other public events. While newspapers reported the results, these weren’t taken as predictions of the election outcome, but rather as interesting information for readers to digest.
In 1916, that all changed when The Literary Digest published a nationwide straw poll that accurately predicted the outcome of the upcoming election. Woodrow Wilson was reelected as president, while the follow-up poll correctly named Warren G. Harding as the election winner. Three more polls were also correct, listing Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt as the winners. Suddenly, these polls piqued the interest of George Gallup.
With his aunt running to become Iowa’s first female secretary of state in 1932, Gallup conducted a poll that accurately predicted that she would win. He subsequently founded the American Institute of Public Opinion, later known simply as Gallup. In 1936, The Literary Digest predicted that Kansas Governor Alf Landon would win the upcoming election. Gallup challenged the poll, claiming that his polling methods were superior and that Roosevelt would win re-election. When Roosevelt won a landslide election, Gallup was seen as the ultimate polling authority, thus beginning the modern polling era.
The post Here’s How The Presidential Polling Craze Began appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post 3 Qualifications That Must Be Met to Run for U.S. President appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>In order to become president, you need to be at least 35 years of age. While age does not necessarily equal competence, the Founding Fathers determined at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 that there should be a minimum age for federal officers. These were 25 years old to serve in the House of Representatives, 30 for the Senate, and 35 for the presidency. For whatever reason, these stipulations remain in effect today.
Any candidate for the U.S. presidency must be a “natural-born citizen”, meaning that they were born within the United States or were born abroad to parents who are U.S. citizens. An American citizen who was naturalized after immigrating to the country is not eligible to run for the nation’s highest office.
While being an American citizen is key to becoming president, it’s not enough to secure your candidacy on its own. Anyone who wants to run for president needs to have lived within the United States for at least 14 years in total throughout their life.
The post 3 Qualifications That Must Be Met to Run for U.S. President appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Vice Presidents Who Became The U.S. President appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>After becoming a Spanish-American war hero, Roosevelt was named as the running mate to William McKinley who ran for president in 1900. When McKinley was shockingly assassinated in 1901, Roosevelt assumed the office of president. Intriguingly, Roosevelt was also the victim of an assassination attempt, however, he lived to tell the tale.
Previously serving as the lieutenant governor and governor of Massachusetts, Warren Harding selected Coolidge as his vice presidential pick in 1920. In 1923, Harding abruptly passed away due to a heart attack. Coolidge subsequently took over as president, winning the 1924 election. He decided not to seek reelection in 1928, however, never revealing his reason for exiting politics.
A former aviator during World War II, Bush served as Ronald Reagan’s vice president for both of his presidential terms. In 1988, Bush senior decided that the time had come to step up to the biggest political stage. He ran for president, defeating Mike Dukakis to become America’s 41st president.
The post Vice Presidents Who Became The U.S. President appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Most Bizarre Olympic Sports That Have Been Discontinued appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Around 776 B.C., the first Olympic Games took place. While it only consisted of a foot race, the Olympic organizers decided to add chariot racing to the mix around 684 B.C. Unlike other races such as on bikes or on foot, chariot racing often involves athletes violently crashing into each other to get an edge and knock their opponents off the path.
While many may think that the Olympics is only about sports, there have been plenty of other events that have catered to those who are interested in the arts and culture. Painting was once an Olympic competition, as was sculpting, music, and even architecture. Ultimately, the International Olympic Committee decided to scrap the arts categories from the Olympic Games as too many professionals were participating (only amateurs were permitted in the Olympics at the time).
At the 1900 Olympic Games, live pigeon shooting became a sport. Like clay pigeon shooting, participants would shoot the pigeons as they were released into the air. In fact, the winner of the event, a Belgian named Leon de Lun, shot 21 pigeons. Fortunately, animal rights activists need not worry as this event was canceled after its Olympic debut.
The post Most Bizarre Olympic Sports That Have Been Discontinued appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Intriguing Facts About the Lengthy Rule of Louis XIV appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>When Louis XIV was born, his mother, Anne of Austria was already 37 years of age. Having given birth at an advanced age, Anne had birthed several stillborns before him, almost making Louis something of a miracle. In fact, Anne began to believe that her son was ordained by God to rule over France. It thus comes as little surprise that he ascended the French throne at just four years of age.
Although arranged marriages were commonplace, especially for a king, Louis XIV had a relationship fall by the wayside before finally getting married. The French king enjoyed a youthful romance with Marie Mancini, the niece of his mother’s close ally, Cardinal Mazarin. Ultimately, Louis XIV’s mother was worried about the pair getting married, with Marie returning to Italy where she would marry another.
At 22 years of age, Louis XIV married Maria Theresa of Spain, who happened to be his first cousin. Ultimately, their relationship appeared to be lacking in the attraction department, even with the pair expressing a mutual affection for one another. The French king fathered 13 children with three other women while also maintaining contracts with other mistresses over the years.
The post Intriguing Facts About the Lengthy Rule of Louis XIV appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post This Women’s Only Race Was a Passage Into Adulthood appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>A rite of passage, the Heraia race was a girl’s introduction into adulthood. During the race, participants would leave their childhoods behind, becoming young women who were fit for marriage. Nancy Serwint, a professor of ancient art and archaeology at Arizona State University explained that “For unmarried girls, the Heraia may have been “a social introduction into adult society.”
Held on a shortened version of the men’s Olympic track, the Heraia race was highly reminiscent of the Olympic races in many respects. The winners would receive olive-leafed crowns and even a portion of a cow sacrificed to Hera. Ultimately, the aim of this ancient race was for young girls, who were believed to be teenagers, to show their suitability for marriage to potential husbands.
Intriguingly, there is little evidence remaining that serves as proof of this ancient ritual. Ultimately, it was statues of female athletes wearing the specific costume that Heraia runners were believed to have worn.
The post This Women’s Only Race Was a Passage Into Adulthood appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Blockbuster Facts About Actress Anna May Wong appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>In the 1910s, when Wong was a little girl, the movie industry moved from New York City to Los Angeles, her hometown. While working in her parents’ laundromat, Wong would use the money she earned to buy movie tickets. She would also head to movie sets and watch as the actors and crew members got to work. “I would worm my way through the crowd and get as close to the cameras as I dared…I’d stare and stare at these glamorous individuals, directors, cameramen, assistants, and actors in grease paint, who had come down to our section of town to make movies,” Wong explained.
As an up-and-coming actress, Wong’s work opportunities were sadly limited due to America’s anti-miscegenation laws which prohibited interracial relationships and cohabitation. Because many white actors would take on roles as Asian characters, Wong would be barred from performing if the costar was white, even if the character they were portraying was of Asian descent.
With roles being few and far between, Wong went on to establish her own film production company called Anna May Wong Productions. Sadly, the company only lasted one year due to financial issues.
The post Blockbuster Facts About Actress Anna May Wong appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post How the Five-Day Workweek Came to Be appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Joseph McCartin, a labor historian at Georgetown University, explained that back in the early 20th century, it was not uncommon for Americans to work over 60 hours per week. In fact, in 1898, Massachusetts published a “labor bulletin” that revealed exactly how long certain people would work. Many domestic cooks worked as many as 83 hours every week, while factory workers worked an average of 58 hours a week. By then, many laborers began craving a change.
“Eight hours labor, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest,” was a phrase famously created by Welsh textile manufacturer Robert Owen, who went on to become a prominent labor reformer. With calls for labor reform rising throughout the United States, Chicago unions and political activists decided to launch a “May Day”, calling for an eight-hour workday. On Ma 1, 1886, the strike got underway. While it took a long time for the movement to gain steam, workers finally received fewer work hours in 1916, as America was considering entering World War I. A nationwide railroad workers strike was enough to place the US government under enough pressure to grant workers favorable conditions that prevail to this day.
The post How the Five-Day Workweek Came to Be appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Innovative Facts About the Advanced Society of Ancient India appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>If there’s one thing that determines the effectiveness of an engineering feat, it is its longevity. In the second century AD, Indian engineers built the Kallanai Dam. The fourth-oldest water diversion structure in the world, the Kallanai Dam continues to be in use today.
Sadly, oppressive practices such as slavery were very much commonplace in many parts of the ancient world. Not in India, though. This sprawling South Asian country was one of the few places where all people were free.
While women have been relegated to certain jobs and topics of discussion at different points in history, women could make all of their own choices in Ancient India. What’s more, many of them could select their own husbands from an eligible pool of bachelors.
When it came to mathematics, the ancient Indians were pioneers. Among the many mathematical concepts they invented were algebra, calculus, the decimal system, the number zero, and the value of pi.
The post Innovative Facts About the Advanced Society of Ancient India appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Wacky Ways Americans Dodged the Vietnam Draft appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>On August 26, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed an executive order stating that married men whose wedding came after August 26 would no longer be exempt from military service like their predecessors. As a result, young couples across America tied the knot in the late hours of the day in order to register their marriage in time to save the husband from going to war.
Some people were actually exempt from the military on religious grounds. Amish, Jehova’s Witnesses, Mennonites, and Quakers were all eligible to legally avoid the draft on the basis of being a conscientious objector. Around 170,000 men’s services were deferred thanks to their conscientious objector status, including 61,000 in 1971 alone.
Throughout the war, college students were exempt from serving in the military. As a result, it came as no surprise that college admissions rose by up to six percent during the late 1960s.
The post Wacky Ways Americans Dodged the Vietnam Draft appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Here’s How The Presidential Polling Craze Began appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>In 1824, straw polls were conducted to see how people would be voting in the election. These polls were conducted at all sorts of grand juries, celebrations, and other public events. While newspapers reported the results, these weren’t taken as predictions of the election outcome, but rather as interesting information for readers to digest.
In 1916, that all changed when The Literary Digest published a nationwide straw poll that accurately predicted the outcome of the upcoming election. Woodrow Wilson was reelected as president, while the follow-up poll correctly named Warren G. Harding as the election winner. Three more polls were also correct, listing Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt as the winners. Suddenly, these polls piqued the interest of George Gallup.
With his aunt running to become Iowa’s first female secretary of state in 1932, Gallup conducted a poll that accurately predicted that she would win. He subsequently founded the American Institute of Public Opinion, later known simply as Gallup. In 1936, The Literary Digest predicted that Kansas Governor Alf Landon would win the upcoming election. Gallup challenged the poll, claiming that his polling methods were superior and that Roosevelt would win re-election. When Roosevelt won a landslide election, Gallup was seen as the ultimate polling authority, thus beginning the modern polling era.
The post Here’s How The Presidential Polling Craze Began appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post 3 Qualifications That Must Be Met to Run for U.S. President appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>In order to become president, you need to be at least 35 years of age. While age does not necessarily equal competence, the Founding Fathers determined at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 that there should be a minimum age for federal officers. These were 25 years old to serve in the House of Representatives, 30 for the Senate, and 35 for the presidency. For whatever reason, these stipulations remain in effect today.
Any candidate for the U.S. presidency must be a “natural-born citizen”, meaning that they were born within the United States or were born abroad to parents who are U.S. citizens. An American citizen who was naturalized after immigrating to the country is not eligible to run for the nation’s highest office.
While being an American citizen is key to becoming president, it’s not enough to secure your candidacy on its own. Anyone who wants to run for president needs to have lived within the United States for at least 14 years in total throughout their life.
The post 3 Qualifications That Must Be Met to Run for U.S. President appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Vice Presidents Who Became The U.S. President appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>After becoming a Spanish-American war hero, Roosevelt was named as the running mate to William McKinley who ran for president in 1900. When McKinley was shockingly assassinated in 1901, Roosevelt assumed the office of president. Intriguingly, Roosevelt was also the victim of an assassination attempt, however, he lived to tell the tale.
Previously serving as the lieutenant governor and governor of Massachusetts, Warren Harding selected Coolidge as his vice presidential pick in 1920. In 1923, Harding abruptly passed away due to a heart attack. Coolidge subsequently took over as president, winning the 1924 election. He decided not to seek reelection in 1928, however, never revealing his reason for exiting politics.
A former aviator during World War II, Bush served as Ronald Reagan’s vice president for both of his presidential terms. In 1988, Bush senior decided that the time had come to step up to the biggest political stage. He ran for president, defeating Mike Dukakis to become America’s 41st president.
The post Vice Presidents Who Became The U.S. President appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Most Bizarre Olympic Sports That Have Been Discontinued appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Around 776 B.C., the first Olympic Games took place. While it only consisted of a foot race, the Olympic organizers decided to add chariot racing to the mix around 684 B.C. Unlike other races such as on bikes or on foot, chariot racing often involves athletes violently crashing into each other to get an edge and knock their opponents off the path.
While many may think that the Olympics is only about sports, there have been plenty of other events that have catered to those who are interested in the arts and culture. Painting was once an Olympic competition, as was sculpting, music, and even architecture. Ultimately, the International Olympic Committee decided to scrap the arts categories from the Olympic Games as too many professionals were participating (only amateurs were permitted in the Olympics at the time).
At the 1900 Olympic Games, live pigeon shooting became a sport. Like clay pigeon shooting, participants would shoot the pigeons as they were released into the air. In fact, the winner of the event, a Belgian named Leon de Lun, shot 21 pigeons. Fortunately, animal rights activists need not worry as this event was canceled after its Olympic debut.
The post Most Bizarre Olympic Sports That Have Been Discontinued appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Intriguing Facts About the Lengthy Rule of Louis XIV appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>When Louis XIV was born, his mother, Anne of Austria was already 37 years of age. Having given birth at an advanced age, Anne had birthed several stillborns before him, almost making Louis something of a miracle. In fact, Anne began to believe that her son was ordained by God to rule over France. It thus comes as little surprise that he ascended the French throne at just four years of age.
Although arranged marriages were commonplace, especially for a king, Louis XIV had a relationship fall by the wayside before finally getting married. The French king enjoyed a youthful romance with Marie Mancini, the niece of his mother’s close ally, Cardinal Mazarin. Ultimately, Louis XIV’s mother was worried about the pair getting married, with Marie returning to Italy where she would marry another.
At 22 years of age, Louis XIV married Maria Theresa of Spain, who happened to be his first cousin. Ultimately, their relationship appeared to be lacking in the attraction department, even with the pair expressing a mutual affection for one another. The French king fathered 13 children with three other women while also maintaining contracts with other mistresses over the years.
The post Intriguing Facts About the Lengthy Rule of Louis XIV appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>