History Buffs Share The Events In U.S. History That People Often Forget
Do we really forget or do we choose to ignore the less pleasant parts of our history? That is the real question. The crux of how America deals with history.
There are so many vital details and so much fascinating information about the forging of this country that we often just study for a moment, then file away in the dead lands of our brains.
Maybe this is why we repeat history, we never learn from it because we choose to forget it.
Thankfully we have historians, teachers and people who crave random knowledge in hopes of one day ending up on 'Jeopardy.'
They'll never let us forget.
Redditor Prestigious_Ad_2322 wanted everyone to share some details of this country's past that we need to be reminded of, so they asked:
"What part of U.S.A. history is easily forgotten?"
My pencil is ready.
Well, my fingers at the keyboard are ready.
I'm here to learn and hit up Wikipedia.
The Great Lakes
"The naval battles on the Great Lakes, piracy on the Great Lakes, and the nazi plot to destroy American aluminum plants during WW2. There was a plot that was failed by the nazis once the soldiers made it to the US. They were dropped off from a submarine off the coast with bombs, guns, and tons of money."
"They were supposed to infiltrate several key locations, such as power plants, damns, bridges, and most importantly a couple of aluminum plants. At the time we produced more aluminum than anyone else in the world and that allowed us to put produce anyone in airplanes by 5:1."
"Anyway, the nazi soldiers fell in love with everything in America and just spent the money acting like average Americans, one of them was caught at the movie theater. It’s a very funny story all together, but lots of people don’t know about it." ~ kudos1007
Casualties
"The Battle of the Wabash in 1791, AKA Little Bighorn on steroids. The Federal Government tried to claim and sell the land of Indians in the Northwest Territory (modern day Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, etc.) to pay off its massive debts. They sent a force of 1000 men to evict the Indians but were met by 1100 warriors of the Northwestern Confederacy. Casualties for the American force was over 97%, about 25% of the entire US Army. Native casualties were about 5%, or 61 casualties in all. It was the worst defeat ever suffered by the US at the hands of Native Americans." ~ Ranger176
An Important Era
"The period between 1790 and 1860." ~ Washpedantic
"Agreed, this period is where a lot of our political and societal norms were established. I had no idea now critical decisions made then impacted the nation. Not to mention the half dozen or so times the nation almost imploded. Heirs of the Founders by H.W. Brands is a great book on the subject." ~ Gregnif
This Little Piggy...
"The Pig War." ~ Ok_Butterscotch1549
"It ended in like around 1860 when the British and US presented their case to the German Empire." ~ JesusHacked
"MyAccountAmerica and Britain asked the German Empire who the islands belonged to, and Germany said America so now they belong to America." ~ NoWorries124
Fascinating.
I remember none of this.
Except maybe the pig war thing.
Though I may be confusing stories.
Devious Plans
"The story of the Cherokees! The U.S. took Cherokee land through essentially rigged treaties, disobeying the Constitution in the process. Note there were many people opposed to this taking of land, but still many more who promoted it." ~ The--Morning--Star
Aloha
"That Hawaii was a recognized sovereign country, the Queen having been received by Queen Victoria of England in 1887. In support of the Dole Corporation and other businessmen, a contingent of US Marines staged a coup and overthrew the Hawaiian government. Queen Liliuokalani submitted peacefully, expecting the US President wouldn't stand for such imperialist behavior. Grover Cleveland did nothing, and his successor annexed Hawaii in 1898." ~ bdbr
"ORGANIZE!!"
"The Battle of Blair Mountain. Strikers and labor organizers in the coal mining industry were attacked by lawmen and strike breakers and eventually the West Virginia National Guard was ordered in to break the strike. This is the story I mention when people say we don't need unions. Real people gave their lives for the right to organize." ~ abe_the_babe_
These Low Effort Jobs Have Surprisingly High Salaries | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Have you ever worked one of those jobs that paid you to kinda sit there? If you have, you know the joy that comes with watching the entirety of Breaking Bad ...Welcome Everyone
"Scottish, Irish, Welsh, and English indentured servitude in the mid 1700s while US was still the colonies and then early 1900s when there was a lot of immigration from Ireland and Italy through Ellis Island. Still don’t understand how people were so mean to them back then when a lot of the citizens at the time were descendants of immigrants. Guess that still stands today." ~ tgmarie137
It All Repeats
"Before the Civil War where northern congressmen were often subject to emotional abuse, death threats, duels and assassinations so that they would not legally question slavery." ~ Vidhara
The Founder
"The inventor of solid rocket fuel, Jack Parsons, was a devoted follower Aliester Crowley and tried to usher the Antichrist into being with the help of his best buddy, L. Ron Hubbard. Yes, the founder of Scientology. No, I’m not making this up."
"https://nypost.com/2018/06/19/this-sex-crazed-cultist-was-the-father-of-modern-rocketry/amp/"
"Here’s an over view. It’s public record that he took out ads in newspapers calling for bohemians, occultists, and free thinkers to come party at his house. He also left behind detailed journals pertaining to his magical rituals. I also left out that Hubbard essentially ruined his life, stealing his money, his girlfriend, and ruining his already dubious reputation. Parsons died under odd circumstances involving nitroglycerin." ~ CityofCandles
In Philly...
"In 1985 the Philly Police Dept. dropped a bomb on a residential neighborhood murdering 11 American civilians who lived there. Sixty one homes were destroyed. The fire department let it burn. Google the “MOVE bombing." ~ butchstache
CRUEL
"Sharecropping, Carpetbagging...this was a willfully CRUEL time that KEPT African-Americans disenfranchised that NO ONE mentions. In some ways (very few, I'll stress because slavery was obviously horrific) it was WORSE than slavery because during this time, the landowners had no real incentive to keep their indentured 'sharecropper' workers healthy or alive- when they died, they were just replaced and were effectively 'enslaved' by debt."
"THAT'S when people discovered that invisible chains were cheaper that iron ones. This was also the time of the 'robber barons' like Carnegie who ran RAMPANT expanding their wealth pretty much in the same proportion that billionaires are doing today during the Pandemic." ~ PhoenixNamor
Killer...
"That Christopher Columbus was an idiotic mass murderer who thought the world was pear shaped and did nothing but go from island to island slaughtering the native inhabitants." ~ urukslayer13
Red Dead
"Coal Wars. Series of conflicts between miners and the corporations that owned the mines in Appalachia and some in Colorado culminating in 1921. Miners wanted things like safety regulations, a union, and to be paid with US currency so the coal companies hired essentially a small army ran by Baldwin-Felt. Think the Pinkertons from Red Dead. Instead of giving up the miners armed themselves and made fortified locations in the mountains and armed conflict started."
"Ended when the coal companies asked the government for help so the US army started bombing the miners and the towns the miners families lived in. Also just throwing in that the miners didn’t fortify the towns just the army making a point I guess." ~ WeavBOS
Must Know
"Tulsa massacre. I never learned about it until I was in my late 20s. Such a huge and disgusting part of our history and it is almost never taught." ~ GonnAvomit
"This one I think has finally become common knowledge, at least on Reddit, since they made a show about it and it always comes up in these topics. AP history taught it to me in HS but all my friends in the general history classes never learned it." ~ uss_salmon
"Seven Years War"
"The french and Indian war. What even is that?" ~ NoAlternative2913
"A smaller part of the larger 'Seven Years War' which was a global war between Britain and France. The 'French and Indian War' was the British and French using their North American colonies, with both sides also drawing help from various Native American tribes. It was basically a huge, costly war over territory." ~ azizinator25
Forgotten
"Almost all of USA history is forgotten. Burning down stamp distributors houses in a form of violent protest, Whiskey Rebellions, Barbary Coast Wars, that time we thought we could sit out the Napoleonic Wars until the British started snatching up our sailors and the Canadians burned down the White House."
"When we fought Mexico, when we fought Spain, that time William Walker tried to conquer Nicaragua with an army of mercenaries and got his ass thumped after a month or so." ~ Poorly-Drawn-Beagle
Genocide
"The genocide of Native Americans followed by all the interventions in Central and South America for the sake of corporations. America's border/illegal immigration problems were created by those interventions and propping up right wing dictators." ~ Viker2000
'Let me tell you a story…'
"I highly recommend listening to History That Doesn’t Suck. It is a podcast by Professor Greg Jackson. He is a professor at a university in Utah and does a phenomenal job of delivering a well researched, accurate telling of American history in the form of stories. His catch phrase at the beginning of every episode is 'Let me tell you a story…' He does a good job of keeping it fair and balanced. Lots of focus on the nuances of controversial figures." ~ wtn06
We have so much to relearn.
And unlearn and learn again.
We need to get studying.
Let's not keep repeating mistakes.
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Have you ever heard of a certain job that people call a career and thought... "PEOPLE PAY YOU FOR THAT?!?!"
All hard, honest work is good work.
And then there is just trash work.
And I don't mean garbage collection, that is honest work.
I don't know how some people live with themselves.
Redditor MrTuxedo1 wanted to discuss the careers they don't believe people should chase. They asked:
"What job do you have no respect for?"
Ticket scalpers. How do you the audacity to say that's a job?
Actual burglars have more empathy.
Disrespectful
"There are debt collectors who call relatives of the deceased to pay off their debts when they are not legally obligated to."
Top_Gun_2021
Shady. Shady.
"Australian Real Estate Agents. Laws don't seem to apply to them. Just as dodgy in sales and rentals alike. Never seen anything like it overseas."
snave_
"I'm in the US, it can vary state by state but my state is pretty strict on realtor laws. Some states require attorney review and there are definitely penalties for being reported for shady sh*t. It does require consumer reporting though."
ilostmytaco
Etransfer
"Where I live, tax info was leaked and now scammers are targeting low income individuals/families (people earning under 30,000 per year) with etransfer scams. I got one the other day that was an etransfer warning that 240$ 'a family member sent me' was about to expire."
SnowyInuk
"That’s disgusting. The scammers know what they’re doing, they know the harm they cause people and yet they don’t care."
surelysandwitch
Should be illegal...
"MLM managers. Not the low level idiots that get suckered into it, they suck too for trying to bring new people into that sh*tshow, but the people who create them know exactly what they are doing and are pretty much the only ones who profit off of it. Should be illegal. Pyramid schemes are illegal. None of them ever get the just desserts except occasionally by vigilantes I assume."
Wereno
I hate debt collectors. Yeah, you calling me one hundred times a week is going to miraculously make money appear.
Animals
"Paparazzi."
VictorBlimpmuscle
"I met Jack Gleeson (King Joffrey from Game of Thrones) at a bus stop in Dublin. Really nice guy but he said he quit acting due to people being nasty online and constant hounding from paparrazi. He's happier now but it sucks that he was pushed away from a career he was quite good at."
goobi94
Scumbags
"The pastors at mega churches whom ask their followers for money for private jets. Absolute scum to abuse others faith for your own greed."
ichancho
"Brian Tamaki is a greedy freaking pig, he takes advantage of so many people who are already struggling. Every time he’s in the local news (which btw is often) I get more and more pissed off at him and his wife. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Tamaki "
surelysandwitch
it’s a thing???
“'Dating Expert.' Sadly it’s a thing. It’s basically a self appointed title that requires no training or qualifications. What’s worse, is that I have a female friend who uses one. It’s very much a blind leading the blind situation."
Mean_Manufacturer_61
"Most of the self proclaimed “dating coaches” I know are women in their late 30s or early 40s who have never been married or had a longer relationship."
ipozgaj
EVIL
"Poachers. Especially big game poachers who purposefully hunt nearly extinct animals from species they know they are on the brink."
"I know there are poachers that come from rural villages who are trying to just put food on the table, which has my sympathy but poachers who come from money and hunt down animals minding their business in most shelters or restricted areas just to put a head on their wall as a trophy are absolutely heinous."
GetterdoneObiwan
I See It All
"Psychic Mediums. Specifically those who prey on the grieving."
JamesDeadite
"I've always found it interesting how many magicians go after people like this. I think it's because they know what it takes to trick people for the art. The slight of hand and mentalism. And they abhor people who use these tactics for such sh*tty purposes."
34HoldOn
I want so bad to believe in psychics and mediums. What say we on that topic?
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The nose is constantly being attacked by odors of the world.
Going through one day without having to hold my breath during a certain point, is a miracle.
Of course, I'm a New Yorker, so I maybe exaggerating for people in the countryside.
What's funnier is odors that are pleasant, that shouldn't be.
Have you ever looked and something and thought... "yuck."
But then you smelled it and it was like... "oh lovely,"
Redditor HappQueue wanted to know what aromas are arousing to the senses that may come as a surprise to many. They asked:
"What smells good but shouldn't?"
For some odd reason I love the things burning. Anything, food, pots, pans. You name it. Weird.
Blow
"Matches/candles on a birthday cake. I remember lighting matches as a kid purely to blow them out and inhale that sweet match-y smell."
semispooked
"guilty good"
"I work at a Chemical plant. We make a highly acidic product that is dark blue, viscus, highly corrosive, and smells exactly like Fruit Loops. It is incredibly disturbing."
Turin082
"Organic chemistry has many 'guilty good' smells. Thiophosgene (sulfur derivative of a chemical weapon used extensively in WW1) apparently smells like meat. Phosgene is used to make polycarbonate, thiophosgene is used to make some sulfur-containing molecules which eventually end up in therapeutic drugs."
HammerTh_1701
I can't huff it...
"Paint, specifically house paint. I love the smell. But anytime I hear that anyone is painting a room or their house, I volunteer. I just love sitting on the floor in a room that's been freshly painted, closing my eyes and just inhaling that slightly chemically, slightly creamy aroma."
Neowza
A Hint of French...
"A fish and chips shop burnt down as couple blocks from work a few years ago. The whole neighborhood smelled amazing for days. Just the slight hint of French fries. Nothing overpowering. It was so awesome. Until I found out someone was trapped in the fire and died."
stevey_frac
Drag
"Race fuel. Instantly puts me in a good mood as it reminds me of going to the drag races with my dad when I was young."
garfnodie
Fuel and matches get me too. And they sort of go together. Interesting.
Just like the Movie...
"The water from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Mmm, bromine."
Stalkerslovemy
"This is one of my favorite scents of all time, and Disney is very aware that people enjoy it. Evidently it’s a lot harder to recreate than just adding bromine to water."
cash4panties
"black widow".
"There's a chicken wing restaurant near my house that has a challenge sauce called "black widow." The owner claims it to be around 500,000 scovilles. A few years back some buddies and I decided to try them, the sauce was a dark molasses color and smelled almost like a BBQ sauce, no hint of the danger that lurked at all. We each grabbed one wing and it went terribly. I don't know how something so spicy could smell so innocent."
Final-Chapter
Endless Weekend
"Hotel/rented rooms whenever you go on vacation. There's this particular smell that just says 'you are on vacation,' especially on a beach/swimming trips/out-of-the-town vacays."
Yummy_Llama
"Bath and Body Works has a plug-in scent called Endless Weekend that replicates that scent (to my humble nose)."
Exxcentrica
"oh no..."
"Someone you are attracted to's body odors. Anyone else who is slightly unhygienic smells repulsive."
Mini_gunslinger
"I remember back in high school a girl leaned over, sniffed me, told me that I smelled really good, and asked me what cologne I was wearing. I asked if she was joking, and she's like, no, you smell really good. When I told her I had just gotten done with gym class, she gets a small 'oh no...' look on her face and turns away. I think we both had a revelation that day."
user deleted
That Smell
"The smell inflatable things give off. I have no idea how to describe it, but it’s… nostalgic? to me."
crestfxllen
I do love the smell of plastics and inflatables. Ahh....
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At one point in time, we've misplaced things that we've considered priceless possessions.
It's hard to imagine how to go on without the lost object–whatever it may be–but over time, it becomes a distant memory and we move on.
That is until we magically find ourselves presented with this opportunity proposed by Redditor mikehotel288, who asked:
"You find yourself in a room with everything you’ve ever lost in your life. What do you look for first?"
There are necessities people cannot do without.
No More Dry Lips Ever Again
"Gonna be a lot of chapstick in that room."
– camefromxbox
There are things that bring us comfort and are irreplaceable.
Safety Blanket
"My baby blanket. It became tattered over the years—to the point where I couldn’t reasonably wash it anymore—so I had to throw it away a little while back."
"I have heavily regretted that decision. I was really attached to it (hence it being in tatters), but I really wish that I kept what was left of it instead of throwing it away. Just knowing that I’d still have it would be a huge comfort to me."
– Uearie
Sentimental Heirloom
"The pendant my dad had made for me with my grandmother’s engagement diamond. It was 2 carats. It disappeared from a Las Vegas hotel room 20 years ago. It was hidden deep in a suitcase where it would not have been easy to find. It was just GONE. Cops didn’t do anything. Didn’t even come to take my statement. Cleaning lady said she thought she saw an elderly man enter my room. The guy I was with was not sympathetic in the least. Entire situation was f**ked. I’m still so upset about it."
– MaritimeDisaster
Lone Shark
"My plastic shark toy I lost when I was 10. Ain't no f'king way it just VANISHED."
– Guilty_As_Charged__
Not everything lost is tangible.
Tick Tock
"The time I wasted."
– shinyfennec
It Holds Value
"My private key with 6 BTC in it."
– Significant_Mirror19
"I didn't lose one, but I'll check my room for yours just in case."
– Smodphan
Finding Purpose
"The reason I walked into the room."
– Lloyd_lyle
Lost Opportunity
"That one girl i spoke to on omegle lol"
– h-amishh
If only we get to reunite with those we've lost.
The Loved Family Member
"My grandpa."
– Splatty_boi_420
Grieving Parent
"My daughter. She’ll be in my brother’s arms. So I’ll find both things I care to look for."
– SeeTheFence
Missing Mom
"My mom. She died of cancer in 2017. She never got to meet my daughter. I miss the hell out of her and wish she was still part of my family’s life."
– X-Arkturis-X
The Animals That Come Into Our Lives
"My pets that have passed: especially my horse, Blue. It's been 4 years, but it feels like just yesterday."
– Baciandrio
While many of these scenarios are unlikely, the thread gave people an opportunity to reflect on the things that made a strong impression on their lives.
Sometimes, the memories of the things we've lost–whether they are random objects or sources of love–is all we have.
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What's worse than returning home from a night out or a workday and discovering your home was broken into? Being home when the break-in happens.
Home invasions are a common trope portrayed in horror films like The Strangers and Funny Games, and they're absolutely terrifying because they are based on real-life incidents.
Redditor silentagent47 asked strangers to consider this horrifying hypothetical.
"You have 5 minutes to prepare before a guy breaks into your house with the intention to kill you. You can not exit your house. What is your strategy to survive?"
The hunter becomes the hunted, inspired by TV and movies.
Duplicating A Scene
"There was an episode of Burn Notice where Michael puts aerosol cans in the microwave with kitchen utensils and hits popcorn button. I really want to know if this works or not."
– JohnSterlingSanchez
Epic Burglar Trap
"Speed-watch Home Alone."
– pluribusduim
It's about the choice of weapon.
Jump Scare
"I get the vacuum cleaner ready in a certain room, I turn it on as hes about to enter to create a distraction, then I jump out when he's inspecting the noise and bonk the f'ker on the head with the piece of 2 inch steel tube I keep as a weapon."
– BustedBastard
Beware of Dog
"Unleash the Hounds"
– myassonreddit
Make A Weapon
"Duct tape a bunch of knives to the end of one of those tall lamps to make a spear of blinding and then proceed to go sicko mode."
– DubTheeBustocles
Preparing For A Thwack
"Turn shower on, for some reason I have a shovel behind my wardrobe?? So grab that. Wait for him to check shower, whack with shovel. Boom."
– hypersp00p
It's Just A Game
"Corner camp with a shotgun."
– Arrow3619
A Warm Welcome
"Hairspray and a lighter to his face."
– WorkingClassSheep
The effectiveness of these tactics are questionable, but points for creativity are warranted.
Stand Still
"Put a lamp shade on my head and stand in the corner of the room."
– Cannabis_Sir
Make It Erotic
"I turn on all the lights, take off all my clothes, rub butter all over myself, and start a fake conversation on the phone. As soon as he breaks in I say into the phone: 'I’ve gotta go, my next appointment is finally here…”
– FrankieTheAlchemist
Forget The Stairs
"Go to the LIVING ROOM."
– on-oath-never-again
Removing The Element Of Fun
"Draw an X on my forehead and grab a beer."
– Candycoatedmuffin3
And that's why I would opt for living in a commune or apartment complex.
People who own houses are just asking for forced entry.
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