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Current Topic: Juneteenth

Commemorative plaque at intersection of Strand Street and 22nd Street in Galveston, Texas.

Juneteenth (a portmanteau of June and nineteenth) – is a holiday celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. Originating in Galveston, Texas, it commemorates the anniversary date of the June 19, 1865 announcement of General Order No. 3 by Union Army general Gordon Granger, proclaiming freedom from slavery in Texas. The day is now celebrated annually on June 19 throughout the United States, with increasing official recognition. The holiday is considered the longest-running African-American holiday.

Featured Article: Katharine Graham

Katherine Graham, Washington DC, 2000

Katharine Meyer Graham (June 16, 1917 – July 17, 2001) was an American publisher. She led her family's newspaper, The Washington Post, for more than two decades, overseeing its most famous period, the Watergate scandal coverage that eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. She has been widely described as one of the most powerful American women of the twentieth century.

Popular Article: Mexican War of Independence

Clockwise from top left: Miguel Hidalgo, José María Morelos, Trigarante Army in Mexico City, Mural of independence by O'Gorman, Embrace of Acatempan between Iturbide and Guerrero

Mexican War of Independence (1810-1821), was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and Spanish colonial authorities, which started on September 16, 1810. The Mexican War of Independence movement was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos, Zambos and Amerindians who sought independence from Spain. It started as an idealistic peasants' rebellion against their colonial masters, but finally ended as an unlikely alliance between "liberales" (liberals), and "conservadores" (conservatives).

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About 80 percent of Greenland is covered by ice, the world's second largest ice sheet (source: Greenland)

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