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National History
National History
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Who Knew? Nixon Had a Sensitive Romantic Side
Richard Nixon's love letters to Patricia Ryan -- who he later married -- showed he was a hopelessly romantic young man. Written in 1938, the letters reveal Nixon -- a man known for hardball, down and dirty politics -- had an idealistic and even poetic side.
The letters show that long before Nixon became the most powerful man in the world -- only to be forced to resign in disgrace -- he was just another ordinary young guy head over heels in love.
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Survivors Mark Anniversary of USS Houston Sinking
Today, March 1st, is the 70th anniversary of the sinking of the Navy cruiser USS Houston off the coast of Java during World War II.
Some of the handful of survivors are in Houston this week to remember their comrades who didn't make it, and tell the remarkable story of what happened to them as prisoners of war.
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This Day in History for January 31 – Truman Announces H-Bomb Plans and More
Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history:
1606 – Guy Fawkes, a chief conspirator in a plot to blow up the British Parliament building, jumps to his death moments before his execution for treason (More info)
1747 – The first venereal disease clinic opens at London Lock Hospital (More info)
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5 Things You Didn’t Know About Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Giving a day of commemoration to one of the world's most instrumental civil rights leaders whose peaceful words and deeds contributed to a whole new understanding of equality and brotherhood seems like a no-brainer. Martin Luther King Day's history, however, was fraught with controversy and took years just to get on the federal government's official calendars.
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Lucas: H’wood Wouldn’t Back All-Black War Movie
Star Wars creator George Lucas says Hollywood studios refused to back his new film Red Tails - about World War II's Tuskegee Airmen - because the cast was all black.
Lucas made this remarkable and revealing statement to a stunned Jon Stewart on Comedy Central's Daily Show Monday night.
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Doomsday Clock Ticks Closer to Midnight
Those who keep track of these things say the world is closer to apocalypse than most people know.
The Doomsday Clock, a figurative timepiece used as a barometer of humankind’s fate, was moved one minute closer to midnight on Tuesday, the first time it has been nudged forward since 2007.
It is now 11:55, five minutes before Doomsday.
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Thank You, Cavemen, For Teaching Us How to Yawn — Health Check
The mystery of why yawning is contagious may finally have been solved: an Italian study says it’s linked to empathy.