A Brief History Ragged Dick; or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks is a Bildungsroman by Horatio Alger Jr., which was serialized in Student and Schoolmate in 1867 and expanded for publication as a full-length novel in May 1868 by the publisher A. K. Loring. It was the first volume in the six-volume Ragged Dick Series and became Alger’s best-selling work. The tale follows a poor bootblack’s rise to middle-class respectability in 19th-century New York City. It had a favorable reception. Student and Schoolmate reported their readers were delighted with the first installment, and Putnam’s Magazine thought boys would love the novel. One modern scholar considers the story a “puerile fantasy” about class…

A Brief History On October 24, 1957, the US Air Force combined the proposals of three companies to develop a rocket powered spaceplane that was to perform multiple military roles, including bombing, reconnaissance, and research.  Plans included a timeline of planning until 1963, first flights conducted as glide tests with powered test flights to follow in 1964.  The plan was for an unmanned glide missile to be fielded in 1968 and a fully operational manned system by 1974. Digging Deeper Intended to be sent into space atop a rocket and return to Earth on a glide and land like an…

A Brief History On October 23, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln, defender of the Union of the United States, illegally suspended the rule of Habeas Corpus, the Constitutional protection of Americans against being held in confinement without charges and due process.  Lincoln has been made into an American legend and icon, an idol mostly deserving of high praise, but he was not necessarily what people think he was, or what schools teach children about him.  Here we list 10 things either contrary to the Lincoln myth, or interesting facts that you might not be aware of. Digging Deeper 1. Suspension of Habeas…

A Brief History On October 22, 1943, 569 bombers of the Royal Air Force dropped firebombs on the German city of Kassel, population around 240,000, killing 10,000 and making another 150,000 homeless.  The firestorm that resulted from the bombing destroyed the city center and burned for 7 days.  Important military targets were virtually untouched.  American and British (Allied) bombing of cities, especially bombing raids with incendiary devices meant to cause massive “firestorms” have become a topic of contention as a military tactic, and is sometimes referred to as “terror bombing.”  So what is firebombing cities?  A legitimate military tactic or…

A Brief History On October 21, 2017 (and October 22), Heritage Gun Shows, LLC will be hosting a gun show at the Richland County fairgrounds in Mansfield, Ohio.  The subject of gun shows has become a topic of heated debate politically within the past couple years, and a common phrase thrown around in this debate is “the gun show loophole.”  Today, we aim (pun alert!) to set you all straight, with some straight shootin’ information! Digging Deeper Gun shows are held all over the United States, to the tune of about 5000 shows per year.  At the typical gun show,…