The Gilded Age
Mark Twain coined the term "The Gilded Age" to describe conditions in the late 1800s, when a new class of very rich people reveled in ostentatious displays of wealth while downtrodden workers organized for fair wages and safe factory conditions. The American south languished in the racist Jim Crow period, and the urban poor were chronicled by writers such as journalist Jacob Riis.
The Johnstown Flood Shocked America and the World in 1889
Heavy rainfall caused water to rise in the streets of Johnstown, Pennsylvania in late May 1889. But nothing could prepare the townspeople for what was about to happen.
Heavy rainfall caused water to rise in the streets of Johnstown, Pennsylvania in late May 1889. But nothing could prepare the townspeople for what was about to happen.
A dam on a hill 14 miles away burst. A wall of water sped toward the town, slamming into it like a gigantic bulldozer.
Johnstown was caught by surprise. Many citizens were drowned, crushed by debris, or simply swept away.