The Most Important Events That Changed History Forever

Abolishment of Slavery in the U.S. (1863)

On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation declared that all slaves in Confederate regions were free. Although three million Confederate slaves were freed by the decree, Black Americans, particularly in the South, were subjected to other forms of white supremacist violence and involuntary labor under the Black Codes.

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The More You Know

  • The television was invented only two years after the invention of sliced bread.
  • Sixty percent of the World’s lakes (three million total) are located in Canada.
  • The 442nd Infantry Regiment, a largely Japanese American unit that served during WWII, did so while their families were held in internment camps. Their motto was "Go for Broke" and they were the most decorated unit in U.S. military history.
  • The world's largest Barbie collection includes more than 15,000 dolls.
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