Previously part of
French Louisiana and the
Louisiana Purchase, the
Territory of Arkansas was
admitted to the Union as the 25th state on June 15, 1836. Much of the Delta had been developed for cotton plantations, and landowners there largely depended on
enslaved African Americans' labor. In 1861, Arkansas seceded from the United States and joined the
Confederate States of America during the
American Civil War. On returning to the Union in 1868, Arkansas continued to suffer economically, due to its overreliance on the large-scale
plantation economy. Cotton remained the leading commodity crop, and the cotton market declined. Because farmers and businessmen did not diversify and there was little industrial investment, the state fell behind in economic opportunity. In the late 19th century, the state instituted various
Jim Crow laws to disenfranchise and segregate the African-American population.
White interests dominated Arkansas's politics, with disenfranchisement of African Americans and refusal to reapportion the legislature; only after the federal legislation passed were more African Americans able to vote. During the
civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, Arkansas and particularly Little Rock were major battlegrounds for efforts to integrate schools. Following
World War II in the 1940s, Arkansas began to diversify its economy and see prosperity. During the 1960s, the state became the base of the
Walmart corporation, the
world's largest company by revenue, headquartered in
Bentonville.
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Image 1
Fort Southerland Park in 2022
Fort Southerland, also known as Redoubt E and possibly Fort Diamond, is a
redoubt built during the
American Civil War to protect
Camden, Arkansas.
Confederate forces built it along with four other redoubts in early 1864 after a
Union victory in the
Little Rock campaign the previous year. Fort Southerland is about the size of a
city block and is roughly oval. It could hold three cannons. When Union forces captured Camden in April 1864 during the
Camden Expedition, they improved the defenses of the five redoubts, which were not sufficient for proper defense of the city. After the Confederates retook Camden later that month, they continued to improve the city's defenses.
Maya Angelou (/ˈændʒəloʊ/ⓘAN-jə-loh; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, poet, and
civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou's series of seven autobiographies focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim.
The 2nd Indiana Battery in action at Cane Hill, during the beginning of the battle.
The battle of Cane Hill was fought between
Union and
Confederate forces during the
American Civil War on November 28, 1862, in northwestern
Arkansas, near the town of
Cane Hill. Confederate
Major GeneralThomas C. Hindman had made an abortive offensive into southwestern
Missouri from Arkansas earlier in the year, but had withdrawn to Arkansas. Union troops under
Brigadier GeneralJames G. Blunt had followed Hindman into northwestern Arkansas, and the Confederate general saw an opportunity to attack Blunt while his division was separated from the rest of the Union
Army of the Frontier. Hindman then sent a force under Brigadier General
John S. Marmaduke to Cane Hill, which was also known as Boonsboro, to collect supplies. In early November, a detachment of Blunt's command led by
ColonelWilliam F. Cloud defeated a small Confederate force commanded by Colonel
Emmett MacDonald in the Cane Hill area.
After MacDonald's defeat, Marmaduke remained in the Cane Hill area with his force. Blunt moved to attack Marmaduke on November 27. The Confederates expected the Union attack to come up the
Cincinnati Road, but it instead followed the Ridge Road and then the
Fayetteville Road. Cloud's men led the Union advance and made contact with Colonel
Joseph O. Shelby's Confederate troopers on the morning of November 28. Shelby withdrew from the Cane Hill area after an artillery duel, and Marmaduke reformed his line in the
Newburg area. (Full article...)
Gragg played as a
wide receiver for
Warren High School, and converted to a tight end after his freshman season at the
University of Arkansas. In his sophomore and junior seasons for the Razorbacks, the team made appearances in
Bowl Championship Series games and defeated the
Kansas State Wildcats in the
2012 Cotton Bowl Classic. A knee injury caused Gragg to miss eight games his senior season as Arkansas finished with a losing record. Gragg participated in the
NFL Scouting Combine, an evaluative competition among prospective NFL players, and topped several statistics among the tight ends in attendance; in the following
draft, the Bills chose him with the 222nd overall selection. (Full article...)
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The Van Buren raid occurred in
Crawford County, Arkansas, on December 28, 1862, during the
American Civil War. After defeating
Confederate forces led by Major General
Thomas C. Hindman at the
Battle of Prairie Grove on December 7, 1862, Union forces under Brigadiers General
James G. Blunt and
Francis J. Herron prepared for a raid against the Confederate positions at
Van Buren and
Fort Smith. Disease, lack of supplies, and
desertion had previously forced Hindman to begin withdrawing most of his force from the area. Setting out on December 27, the Union troops struck an outlying Confederate
cavalry unit near Drippings Spring, north of Van Buren, on the morning of December 28. The Confederate cavalry fled to Van Buren, which was then overrun by Union troops.
The Union pursued and captured three
steamboats on the
Arkansas River, and captured some Confederate troops and many supplies in Van Buren. Across the river in Fort Smith, the Confederates destroyed supplies and also burned two steamboats trapped upriver. An artillery duel took place at Van Buren, and after nightfall a minor skirmish was fought downriver at Strain's Landing. After the raid, Hindman withdrew his men to
Little Rock and the Union force returned from the raid, unable to maintain a supply line to Van Buren across the
Boston Mountains. The battle of Prairie Grove and the Van Buren raid broke Confederate strength in the region. (Full article...)
On September 6, 1863, near
Little Rock, Arkansas, a
duel was fought between
John S. Marmaduke and
Lucius M. Walker, two generals in the
Confederate States Army. Tension had risen between the two officers during the
Battle of Helena on July 4, 1863, when Marmaduke accused Walker of not supporting his force, and then retaliated by not informing Walker of a Confederate retreat. Marmaduke was later assigned to serve under Walker during a
Union advance against Little Rock. Walker did not support Marmaduke during a retreat after the
Battle of Brownsville, and Marmaduke questioned Walker's courage after the
Battle of Bayou Meto on August 27. A series of notes passed between the two generals by friends resulted in a duel, during which Marmaduke fatally wounded Walker. Marmaduke was arrested and charged with murder, but was soon released and later the charge was dropped. He survived the war and later became
Governor of Missouri. Union forces captured Little Rock later in the campaign, after the
Battle of Bayou Fourche. (Full article...)
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The Battle at St. Charles, White River, Arkansas—Explosion of the "Mound City" by Alexander Simplot
The Union ships advanced against the Confederate positions on June 17. The
46th Indiana Infantry Regiment was sent ashore to attack the fortifications on land, while two
ironclads and two
timberclads attacked the fort from the river. During the fighting, a Confederate
solid shot struck the ironclad
USS Mound City, puncturing one of the ship's
steam drums. In what has been referred to as the deadliest shot of the war,
scalding steam filled the ship, killing or wounding all but about 25 of the roughly 175 men on the vessel. The 46th Indiana overran the Confederate defenses on land and the position was taken. The supply mission was unable to make it all the way to Curtis's position, and withdrew back down the river due to low water levels. Thereafter, Curtis's army cut loose from their supply line and marched to
Helena, Arkansas. A portion of the battlefield is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places as the
St. Charles Battle Site. (Full article...)
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Hurricane Ismael off the coast of
Baja California nearing landfall
Hurricane Ismael was a weak, but deadly
Pacific hurricane that killed over one hundred people in northern
Mexico in September of the
1995 Pacific hurricane season. It developed from a persistent area of deep
convection on September 12, and steadily strengthened as it moved to the north-northwest. Ismael attained hurricane status on September 14 while located 210 miles (340 km) off the coast of Mexico. It continued to the north, and after passing a short distance east of
Baja California it made landfall on
Topolobampo in the state of
Sinaloa with winds of 80 mph (130 km/h). Ismael rapidly weakened over land, and dissipated on September 16 over northwestern Mexico. The remnants entered the
United States and extended eastward into the
Mid-Atlantic States.
Offshore, Ismael produced waves of up to 30 feet (9.1 m) in height. Hundreds of fishermen were unprepared for the hurricane, which was expected to move more slowly, and as a result 52 ships were wrecked, killing 57 fishermen. On land, Ismael caused 59 deaths in mainland
Mexico and resulted in $26 million in damage (1995 USD$, 52 million 2024 USD). The hurricane destroyed thousands of houses, leaving 30,000 people homeless. Moisture from the storm extended into the
United States, causing heavy rainfall and localized moderate damage in southeastern
New Mexico. (Full article...)
Once the American Civil War began in 1861 and Arkansas seceded, Hindman joined the Confederate States Army, first commanding the
2nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment, then a
brigade, and then an ad-hoc
division at the
Battle of Shiloh in April 1862; he was wounded during the battle. Following Shiloh, Hindman was promoted to
major general and sent to the
Trans-Mississippi Department to command Arkansas,
Missouri, the
Indian Territory, and part of
Louisiana. As commander of the region, Hindman's policies were sometimes legally questionable and were unpopular, although they were successful in building up the district from a basically indefensible state. Public outcry led to Hindman's removal from his regional command. He was defeated at the
Battle of Prairie Grove in December. Transferred to the
Army of Tennessee in 1863, he led a division at the
Battle of Chickamauga in September, where he was again wounded. After recovering, he commanded a division during the early stages of the
Atlanta campaign although he wished to be transferred elsewhere. (Full article...)
Differing interpretations of Holmes' order to attack at daylight resulted in
Brigadier GeneralJames F. Fagan's troops attacking Battery D unsupported, and Major General
Sterling Price's attack against the Union center was made after Fagan's had largely fizzled out. To the north, Confederate
cavalry commanded by Brigadier Generals
John S. Marmaduke and
Lucius M. Walker failed to act in concert and accomplished little. The assaults failed, and Vicksburg fell the same day. Later in the year, Union troops used Helena as a staging ground for their
successful campaign to capture
Little Rock, Arkansas. (Full article...)
Image 1
Tropical Storm Matthew near peak intensity and approaching
Louisiana on October 9
Tropical Storm Matthew was a weak tropical storm in the
2004 Atlantic hurricane season that made
landfall on
Louisiana. It was the thirteenth tropical storm of the season and the ninth to affect the
United States. It formed over the western
Gulf of Mexico on October 8 and struck south-central Louisiana two days later. The combination of the storm and an upper cyclone over the southern Plains brought heavy rains to much of the
Gulf Coast, with the highest amounts reported over 15 inches (380 mm) in northern Louisiana. Damage was minimal, totaling $305,000 (2004 USD), and no casualties were reported. (Full article...)
The
Benjamin G. Humphreys Bridge, the first bridge to connect the two towns, had become functionally obsolete. Its narrow road had only two lanes with no
shoulders. Because of its location near a sharp bend in the Mississippi River, the bridge had become a hazard to river traffic;
barges and
towboats frequently collided with it. In 1994, a study concluded that a new bridge was needed and the old one should be torn down. Construction was begun in 2001 and the new bridge opened in 2010. In 2011, the process of removing the old bridge began. (Full article...)
Image 5
Bill Clinton served as the 42nd
president of the United States (1993–2001) and as the 40th and 42nd
governor of Arkansas (1979–1981; 1983–1992). A member of the
Democratic Party, Clinton first ran for a public office in 1974, competing in the congressional election for
Arkansas's 3rd congressional district. After narrowly losing to incumbent representative
John Paul Hammerschmidt, he ran for the office of
Arkansas Attorney General in 1976. He won the Democratic primary comfortably, receiving over 55% of the popular vote. Witnessing his strong support during the primaries,
Republicans did not nominate a candidate to run against him. Clinton won the general election
unopposed. His experience as the attorney general was considered a natural "stepping-stone" to the governorship.
After serving as attorney general, Clinton ran for governor of Arkansas in 1978. He defeated the Republican nominee to win the election. At age 32, became the nation's youngest governor in January 1979. He lost re-election to the Republican nominee
Frank D. White in 1980. After leaving office in January 1981, Clinton self-deprecatingly referred to himself as "the youngest former governor in the history of the country". In 1982, he ran again in the
gubernatorial election, defeating Governor White. He contested and won the 1984, 1986, and 1990 gubernatorial elections. (Full article...)
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Jermain Taylor (born August 11, 1978) is an American former
professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2014. He remains the most recent
undisputedmiddleweight champion, having won the
WBA (Undisputed),
WBC,
IBF,
WBO, and
The Ring middleweight titles in 2005 by beating
Bernard Hopkins, and in doing so ending Hopkins' ten-year reign as middleweight champion. This made Taylor the first, and to date, only male boxer in history to claim each title from all four major boxing sanctioning organizations in a single fight. He once again defeated Hopkins six months later, making him the only fighter to have defeated Hopkins twice. He retired as a world champion in the months that followed his capture of the IBF middleweight title for a second time, after making a substantial recovery from a brain injury sustained earlier in his career.
Taylor made his professional debut in 2001 and won his first 25 bouts, which included victories over former champions
Raúl Márquez and
William Joppy. Taylor, who began boxing officially at age 13, earned numerous accolades throughout his
amateur career, starting with his achievement of the 1996 Under-19 Championship. He went on to win a pair of
Police Athletic League (PAL) Championships and
National Golden Gloves titles and he finished second and third at the 1997 and 1998 United States Championships, respectively. In 1998, Taylor won a bronze medal at the
Goodwill Games. Then, in 2000, he earned a spot on the
U.S. Olympic boxing team, becoming the first ever boxer from Arkansas to compete in the Olympic Games. At the
2000 Olympics, Taylor won a bronze medal in the
light middleweight division. (Full article...)
An
Arkansas resident most of his life, Pierce made his directorial debut with Boggy Creek, a
faux documentary-style film inspired by the legend of the
Bigfoot-like
Fouke Monster. Pierce followed that with several inexpensive, regional films set in the southern United States, including The Town That Dreaded Sundown, based on the true story of the
Phantom Killer murders in
Texarkana. (Full article...)
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Robinson in 1959
Brooks Calbert Robinson Jr. (May 18, 1937 – September 26, 2023) was an American
baseball player who played his entire 23 seasons in
Major League Baseball as
third baseman for the
Baltimore Orioles from 1955 to 1977. Nicknamed "Mr. Hoover" and "the Human Vacuum Cleaner", he is generally considered to have been the greatest defensive third baseman in major league history. An 18-time
All-Star, he won 16 consecutive
Gold Glove Awards, the most by a position player, and tied with
Jim Kaat for the second-most of all time, behind
Greg Maddux. His 2,870 career games at third base not only exceeded the closest player by nearly 700 games when he retired, but also remain the most games by any player in major league history at a single position. His 23 seasons spent with a single team set a
major league record since matched only by
Carl Yastrzemski.
Joining the Orioles as a teenager in 1955, Robinson became the centerpiece of the team as they posted the best record in the major leagues between 1965 and 1974, capturing four
American League (AL) pennants and two
World Series titles. Beloved in Baltimore, Robinson was known as "Mr. Oriole" by the team's fans. He was named the AL
Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1964 after posting career highs with a .317
batting average, 28
home runs, and 118
runs batted in (RBIs), leading the AL in the last category. In 1966, he finished second in the MVP voting behind teammate
Frank Robinson after again posting 100 RBIs as the Orioles won the pennant,
before sweeping the
Los Angeles Dodgers for the team's first Series title. (Full article...)
Marmaduke's men defended a forward position, while Walker's remained to the rear in some woods; the plan was for Marmaduke to draw Union troops into an ambush. However, Walker did not come to Marmaduke's aid when a Union
brigade commanded by Geiger advanced. Geiger's men drove the outnumbered Confederates from their first position. Reforming, Marmaduke attempted to form another line further to the west, but retreated again after delaying the Union advance. Union troops pursued until nightfall. The campaign against Little Rock continued, and the city was taken on September 10. (Full article...)
Confederate cavalry commanded by
John S. Marmaduke and
Samuel B. Maxey attacked the foraging party. Marmaduke's men formed a roadblock east along the way back to Camden, while Maxey's men attacked from south of the road. The first two Confederate attacks were unsuccessful, but the third broke the Union line. Williams's command was routed, losing its wagon train and four cannons. African-American soldiers from the
1st Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment were massacred and mutilated during and after the battle. The defeat at Poison Spring and another defeat at the
Battle of Marks' Mills a week later led Steele to retreat to Little Rock. In the April 30
Battle of Jenkins' Ferry, men from the
2nd Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment murdered Confederate soldiers in revenge of the massacre at Poison Spring. Poison Spring has been referred to as the worst massacre in the history of Arkansas.
Poison Springs Battleground State Park, which is part of the
Camden Expedition Sites National Historic Landmark, preserves a portion of the site of the battle. (Full article...)
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An adult in New York City
The northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a
mockingbird commonly found in North America, of the family
Mimidae. The species is also found in some parts of the
Caribbean, as well as on the
Hawaiian Islands, and has rarely been observed in Europe. It is typically a permanent
resident across much of its range, but northern mockingbirds may move further south during inclement weather or prior to the onset of winter. The northern mockingbird has gray to brown upper feathers and a paler belly. Its tail and wings have white patches which are visible in flight.
The species is known for its ability to mimic bird calls and other types of sound, including artificial and electronic noises. Studies have shown its ability to identify individual humans and treat them differently based on learned threat assessments. It is an
omnivore and consumes fruit, invertebrates, and small vertebrates. It is often found in open areas, open woodlands and forest edges, and is quite common in urbanized areas. The species breeds from southeastern Canada throughout the United States to the
Greater Antilles. It is listed as a species of
least concern by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature. (Full article...)
Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo (/ˈniːjoʊ/NEE-yoh), is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. Regarded as a leading figure of
2000s R&B music, he is the recipient of numerous accolades, including three
Grammy Awards. He gained recognition for his songwriting abilities following the success of his first major credit,
Mario's 2004 single "
Let Me Love You". Its release prompted a meeting between Ne-Yo and
Def Jam's then-president
Jay-Z, resulting in a contract in which he released four successful studio albums and numerous
hit songs for the label.
It is situated on 17 acres (69,000 m2) of land located next to the
Arkansas River and
Interstate 30 and was designed by architectural firm
Polshek Partnership, LLP with exhibition design by
Ralph Appelbaum Associates.
Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects also contributed. The main building
cantilevers over the Arkansas River, echoing Clinton's campaign promise of "building a bridge to the 21st century". With a 68,698-square-foot (6,382.3 m2) floor plan, the library itself is the largest presidential library in terms of physical area, although the
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library has the greatest space overall, due to its addition of the 90,000 square feet (8,400 m2) Air Force One Pavilion in 2005. The archives are the largest as well, containing 2 million photographs, 80 million pages of documents, 21 million
e-mail messages, and 79,000 artifacts from the Clinton presidency. The Clinton Library is also the most expensive, with all funding coming from 112,000 private donations. (Full article...)
... that American football
linebackerSegun Olubi grew up in New Jersey, Minnesota, Arizona, England, and California, and attended four different colleges in Idaho, California, and Arkansas?
... that an Arkansas TV station apologized for not being on the air by sending local media a drawing of ducks?
... that in the 1980s, "Sherman Bonner, The Human Thermometer" presented the weather on an Arkansas TV station?
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