The Resolute Desk has been used by American Presidents since 1880, and resided in the Oval Office for nearly 50 years. So, where did this stout wooden desk come from? And where did it get its formidable name? You might be surprised that all those answers rest with a British exploration vessel from the 1850s. This is the story of the Resolute Desk.

Sources

https://www.whitehousehistory.org/photos/treasures-of-the-white-house-resolute-desk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resolute_desk

https://www.thoughtco.com/the-resolute-desk-4121120

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Photograph_of_President_Reagan_working_at_his_desk_in_the_Oval_Office_-_NARA_-_198593_(cropped).jpg

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In the mid 1950s, Australian-born Joan Anderson brought back an innocuous bamboo hoop from her home country to the United States. She would dub it the hula hoop, and present it to a major toy manufacturer. What followed was the hula hoop craze. Unfortunately, she did not see a single penny from the wildly popular toy. This is the story of Joan Anderson and the Hula Hoop.

Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6J32JLRNOk

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70x4w4z138o

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In 982 AD, Vikings came to Greenland. Several colonies were established, and for more than 400 years there was a Scandinavian presence on the island. But then, there was silence. And when Europeans finally returned - they found nothing but the ruins of farmhouses and churches. This is the story of the Vikings of Greenland.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_settlements_in_Greenland

https://medium.com/a-maverick-traveller/the-rise-and-fall-of-viking-greenland-a-non-fishy-tale-876bf782dc5

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hvalsey_Church.jpg

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John Basilone served in the United States Army, then enlist in the Marine Corps just before the outbreak of WWII. He earned a Medal of Honor on Guadalcanal, conducted war bond tours stateside, and gave his life on Iwo Jima. This is the story of John Basilone - perhaps the greatest United States Marine to ever where the uniform.

Sources

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2005-11-18/pdf/CREC-2005-11-18-pt1-PgS13334-2.pdf

https://homeofheroes.com/heroes-stories/world-war-ii/john-basilone/

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Basilone,_September_1943_(10931006014).jpg

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By kissing the famed blarney stone a person is said to be imbued with the gift of gab. But what is the story behind his fanciful tale? Did the stone come from the Holy Land? Or Scotland? Did it involve Queen Elizabeth or Robert the Bruce? This is the story of the Blarney Stone.

Sources

https://blarneycastle.ie

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blarney_Stone

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kissing_the_Blarney_Stone_1897.jpg

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From 1819 to 1846, James Holman traveled throughout the world - going to every continent - except Antarctica - and circumnavigating the globe. It’s estimated he traveled 250,000 miles in his days - making him one of the most well-traveled people in the world. And the even more amazing thing is that Holman was blind. This is the story of James Holman, the Blind Traveler.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Holman

https://explorersweb.com/legends-series-james-holman/

"A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveler" by Jason Roberts

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James.Holman.by.George.Chinnery.1830.jpg

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During the American Civil War a group of inventors and privateers got together to build a submarine. The result was the H.L. Hunley. Launched in 1864, the Hunley would go on to be the first submarine in history to sink an enemy vessel. It then disappear without a trace for 130 years. This is the story of the H.L. Hunley.

Sources

https://www.history.navy.mil/research/underwater-archaeology/sites-and-projects/ship-wrecksites/hl-hunley.html

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/hl-hunley

Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._L._Hunley#/media/File:Conrad_Wise_Chapman_-_Submarine_Torpedo_Boat_H.L._Hunley,_Dec._6,_1863.jpg

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In 1992, one of Great Britain’s most revered and trusted brands - Hoover - began a marketing campaign giving away two plane tickets to the United States - a value of 600 pounds at the time - if you bought at least 100 pounds worth of appliance products. If that seems like an insanely bad idea - you are right. This is the story of the Hoover Flight Promotion - perhaps the most costly and catastrophic marketing campaign in history.

Sources

https://thehustle.co/the-worst-sales-promotion-in-history

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_free_flights_promotion

Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Hoover_vacuum_cleaner_illustration%2C_1919.jpg

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One of the most iconic and influential toys ever is the simple Lego brick, with a history stretching back over a century. The Lego has captured the hearts and minds of millions - kids and adults alike. They are a simple, elegant toy with infinite complexity and creativity. This is the history of legos.

Sources

https://www.lego.com/en-us/history

Image: By Arto Alanenpää - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lego_dublo_arto_alanenpaa_5.JPG

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On August 2, 1943, a patrol boat commanded by a young John F. Kennedy was rammed by a Japanese destroyer in the waters of the Solomon Islands. Despite his own injuries, the 26-year old Kennedy spent the next week attempting to get himself and the surviving crew to safety. He even used a life jacket strap clenched between his teeth to tow an injured crewman in the water for more than five hours. This is the story of John F. Kennedy and PT 109.

Sources

https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/john-f-kennedy-and-pt-109

https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2003/summer/pt109.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrol_torpedo_boat_PT-109

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PT_boat

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lt._John_F._Kennedy_skipper_aboard_the_PT-109.jpg

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