Mary Dodge Allen
Award-Winning Author
Writing Fast-Paced Adventure with Humor and Heart
I am a blogger for the Heroes, Heroines and History website
I love history – especially learning about the intriguing and inspirational people who have made a difference in our world. My Blog appears on the 5th day of each month. My previous Blogs are listed with clickable links, below.
November 5, 2023
Clarice Cliff - Innovative Ceramic Artist: Her Rags to Riches Story
Clarice Cliff became Art Director at a prestigious British pottery company in 1930 – an era with few “career women.” How did a woman born into poverty become an internationally celebrated ceramic artist? Read her inspiring life story.
The Hunley Submarine - Its Civil War Mission, Disappearance and Discovery
September 5, 2023
The Hunley Submarine: Part One - Its Civil War Mission and Mysterious Disappearance
On February 17, 1864, the Hunley made history as the first submarine to sink an enemy ship in combat. But after its mission, it disappeared without a trace! Read about the trials and tragic errors in constructing and testing a submarine during the Civil War.
October 5, 2023
The Hunley Submarine: Part Two – Recovery, Restoration, Solving the Mystery of Its Loss
Read about the challenges of finding, raising and restoring the Hunley – and the surprising artifacts they recovered. Learn about the fate of the eight crewmen and the theories of what happened to them on that fateful night.
"Confederate Submarine, Hunley" by Conrad Wise Chapman, 1864
Clive Cussler and team who located the Hunley in 1995
August 5, 2023
Ma Barker and Sons - America's Most Wanted
Ma Barker Wanted Poster
How did a farm girl from the Missouri Ozarks become one of the most notorious criminals in America? Read about Ma Barker’s life, and how her rebellious fascination with outlaws turned her sons into vicious gangsters, with tragic consequences for them and their victims.
July 5, 2023
WWII "Operation Pastorius" - Hitler's Daring Sabotage Mission in the United States
WWII German U-Boat
Did you know that a team of eight highly-trained Nazi saboteurs arrived in the U.S. in 1942 – delivered by U-boats under the cover of darkness? Read about their sabotage plans, and the bizarre story of their capture.
The Doomed Swedish Warship "Vasa"
May 5, 2023
Part One - Its Doomed Maiden Voyage
The Vasa was one of the most spectacular Swedish warships ever built. But in August, 1628, it sank less than twenty minutes after it began its maiden voyage. Why? Read the Vasa’s compelling and tragic story.
June 5, 2023
Part Two - Raising the Vasa from the Watery Depths!
Read the amazing story of the raising of the Vasa and its reconstruction.
Painting of the Vasa by Francis Smitheman
June 15, 2023
Franklin D. Roosevelt... Norman Rockwell... and "The Four Freedoms"
Norman Rockwell
During WWII, the “Four Freedoms” were Norman Rockwell’s most popular covers on the Saturday Evening Post magazine. Click here to learn about the stirring FDR speech that inspired him.
April 5, 2023
The History of Frugal Fashion Flair using Feed and Flour Sacks
Marilyn Monroe wearing a Feed Sack
During hard times, people had to make do with what they had. Read about how clever and innovative women used flour and feed sacks to make stylish clothing.
March 5, 2023
The Strange Tradition of "Telling the Bees"
"The Bee Friend" by Hans Thoma, 1863
Are you aware of the Celtic belief that honeybees act as a link between us and the spiritual world? Beekeepers often informed bees of family marriages, births and deaths. After Queen Elizabeth’s death, her Royal Beekeeper performed a “Telling the Bees” ritual. Learn about fascinating honeybee behaviors after an owner’s death.
February 5, 2023
John Gillespie Magee, Jr. - Author of the Poem "High Flight"
WWII Supermarine Spitfire Fighter in Flight
“Oh I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth; And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings…” Written in 1941, this poem has to be memorized by cadets at the U S Air Force Academy. Read about the short and tragic life of its author, who was a WWII RAF Pilot Officer.
January 5, 2023
Benjamin Franklin and the 'Fugio" Cent Coin
Benjamin Franklin
Did you know the first U.S. circulated coin was a copper penny called the “Fugio cent” – designed by Ben Franklin? Read about the scandal involved in minting the coin.
December 5, 2022
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - Christmas Bells... The Sound of Hope
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Family
Did you know the lyrics for the carol, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” were written by Longfellow while he was in the depths of despair after a series of tragic events? Learn about how he regained his hope.
November 5, 2022
Edna Gardner Whyte - Pioneer for Women in Aviation; Close Friend of Amelia Earhart
Edna Gardner Whyte, circa 1930
When I worked at a Dallas college in 1983, I interviewed Edna, age 81, for our campus newspaper. She was still giving flying lessons, and she offered to give me a free lesson after our interview! Read about Edna Gardner Whyte’s amazing life. (A description of my lesson is at the end of the Blog.)
October 5, 2022
The Great Hinckley Fire of 1894
The Hinckley Enterprise Newspaper Headline
On the first day of September, a massive firestorm destroyed the town of Hinckley, Minnesota, and other nearby communities. This firestorm caused more deaths than the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Read about this tragic event, and the stories of heroes who saved lives that day.
September 5, 2022
Gertrude Ederle - The First Woman to Swim the English Channel
Gertrude Ederle in the mid-1920's
In 1928, nobody believed a woman could swim the treacherous and stormy English Channel. At that time, only five men had ever accomplished this feat. Read the inspiring story of Gertrude’s great determination and accomplishments.
August 5, 2022
Sybil Ludington's Revolutionary Midnight Ride
Portrait of Sybil Ludington
This sixteen-year old has been called the “female Paul Revere” because of her 40-mile ride on a stormy night in April, 1777, alerting the countryside that the British were coming. Read about her dangerous ride, and how she escaped capture.
July 5, 2022
The Lost Grave of King Richard III - Found with Supernatural Help
King Richard III, British National Portrait Gallery
A British King’s grave is lost – how can this happen? How it was found is even more mysterious! Read the fascinating story of how a writer felt a burst of supernatural intuition, as if she was walking on his grave.
June 5, 2022
Jacob DeShazer, WWII Doolittle Raider: His Amazing Story as a POW Survivor on a New Mission to Japan
Corporal Jacob "Jake" DeShazer
Read the amazing story of this tough Doolittle Raider – his flight over Japan, his capture, and how he not only survived, but found faith in God while enduring brutal treatment as a POW. Even more amazing is his new mission to Japan – based on forgiveness and love.
May 5, 2022
Powel Crosley, Jr. - An Innovative American Entrepreneur: In the Automotive Hall of Fame and the National Radio Hall of Fame
Powel Crosley, Jr. with 'Crosley Pup,' the Crosley Radio mascot
Have you ever wondered who introduced… The First Compact Car to the American public? The First Refrigerator with Shelves in the door? The First Radio Broadcast of Soap Operas? The First Night Baseball game in the Major Leagues? Learn about the interesting life of this prolific inventor.
April 5, 2022
Four Brave WWII U.S. Army Chaplains
Brave Chaplains from Diverse Religious Backgrounds
In 1942, four U.S. Army Chaplains – serving on the Army transport ship USAT Dorchester – ministered heroically to soldiers on this fast-sinking ship after it was hit by torpedoes. Read the diverse stories of their lives, their friendship and their sacrifices on that fateful night.
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