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February 2025 on KnowItAll.org

February 2025 on KnowItAll.org

FEBRUARY 2025 ON KNOWITALL.ORG

CURIOSITY TREK SERIES - Explore the Series!

Lt. George Dixon and the gold coin that saved his life!

This episode of Curiosity Trek! dives into the history behind the legendary “Life Preserver” of Lieutenant George Dixon – a gold $20 coin which saved his life at the Battle of Shiloh in the American Civil War. He carried this coin with him everywhere he went - even during the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley’s fateful run in February 1864. This tale was originally thought to be legend, but myth became fact when the coin was discovered among Dixon’s remains inside the Hunley.  

Expert Mike Scafuri of the Warren-Lasch Conservation Center in Charleston joins host Andrew Davis to elaborate on this fascinating artifact! 

 

HISTORY IN A NUTSHELL SERIES - Have you experienced these yet? Try them out!

History In A Nutshell Shorts - Take a moment to view these!

The Hunley

Did you know that a Black sailor once served on the ill-fated Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley?

Shortly after the Hunley's arrival in Charleston, South Carolina, Lieutenant John Payne of the Confederate Navy was chosen to command the Hunley's first crew. Payne needed strong, able-bodied volunteers to man the submarine. Whether it was out of boredom or curiosity for this “fish-boat”, Absolum Williams – a sailor from the ironclad C.S.S. Palmetto State was one of the men who stepped forward. A diving accident on August 29, 1863, claimed the lives of 5 crewmembers, including Williams. The bodies of this first crew were discovered buried underneath The Citadel’s Johnson-Hagood football stadium in 1999, and later reinterred at Charleston’s Magnolia Cemetery to rest alongside the other Hunley crews.

No photographs of Absolum Williams are known to exist.

Lieutenant George E. Dixon

Was it coincidence or destiny that Lieutenant George E. Dixon commanded the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley on its fateful run? During the American Civil War at the Battle of Shiloh, Dixon suffered a bullet wound to his left leg, but a gold $20 coin given to him by his sweetheart Queenie Bennett absorbed the brunt of the damage, miraculously saving both his leg and his life.

Following that battle, Dixon's regiment returned to Mobile, Alabama. While stationed in Mobile, Dixon developed a curiosity for the “fish boat” being built by engineers Horace Lawson Hunley, James McClintock and Baxter Watson. The Confederacy did not have the money or resources to challenge the Union blockade head-on, so Confederate think-tanks had to devise alternative means of combatting Union warships—the H.L. Hunley "torpedo boat" submarine being one of these.  After several unfortunate training accidents in Charleston Harbor (the second of which claimed Hunley's life), Dixon assumed command of the submarine. Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard remarked that the Hunley was "more dangerous to those who use it than to the enemy", but Dixon believed in this machine, and was able to convince the reluctant Gen. Beauregard to put the Hunley back into active duty. 

On that cold moonlit night of February 17, 1864, Dixon and his crew successfully carried out the historic attack on the Union's heavily armed sloop-of-war U.S.S. Housatonic. The Hunley made history, being the first submarine to ever sink an enemy vessel in combat but vanished under mysterious circumstances, never returning to its port on Sullivan's Island.

For well over a century, the story of Lt. Dixon's gold coin was considered a legend. To the astonishment of many, legend became fact when a bent $20 piece was found buried in the sediment alongside Dixon's remains by Clemson University chief archaeologist Maria Jacobsen. Inscribed on the coin reads as follows: 

"Shiloh
April 6th 1862
My life Preserver
G. E. D."

 

THE WORLD OF CECIL SERIES

Learn more through glimpses of major events and people, illuminated by Cecil Williams' photographs! 

The World of Cecil Shorts

When the Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina hit its stride, Cecil Williams was there with his camera creating a visual record through marches, meetings, sit-ins, demonstrations and riots. A child of the movement, himself, Williams was both an active participant and a passionate observer and preserver of its history. It is a role he prepared for, from childhood; a role he embraces, yet today.

Williams is outspoken in his belief that the Civil Rights Movement had its beginning in Clarendon County, South Carolina, and that South Carolina—especially his hometown of Orangeburg—played a critical and pivotal role on the national civil rights front, although its primacy and impact are little known and accorded scant recognition. Through publications, sharing his photographs, telling the stories—and most recently, creating a South Carolina Civil Rights Museum, Williams hopes to correct this oversight. 

The documentary, The World of Cecil tells his story through glimpses of major events and people, illuminated by Cecil’s photographs. Along the way, we learn of the myriad talents and accomplishments of Cecil J. Williams, the man, who set out to help make the world a better place.

FIND THE CONTENT YOU NEED ON AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY - ALL IN ONE PLACE

KnowItAll Collections make it easy to find what you need! 

Our African American History and Martin Luther King Collections contain numerous resources for African American History Month - and some you may not have imagined would be available here on KnowItAll.org! 

View details below!

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY COLLECTION

Historian Carter G. Woodson hoped to raise awareness of African American's contributions to civilization by establishing Negro History Week. The event was first celebrated during a week in February 1926 that included both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass' birthdays. The week was later expanded to a month in 1976 during the United States bicentennial.

You’ll be amazed at the variety of resources found in the Collection! Take a look!

TOPICS

Briggs v. Elliott

The Briggs v. Elliott case began as a simple request to provide bus transportation. In addition to having separate and very inferior facilities, black children had to walk to school, sometimes many miles.

Cecil Williams

When the Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina hit its stride, Cecil Williams was there with his camera creating a visual record through marches, meetings, sit-ins, demonstrations and riots. A child of the movement, himself, Williams was both an active participant and a passionate observer and preserver of its history. It is a role he prepared for from childhood; a role he embraces, yet today.

Friendship Nine

The Friendship Nine consisted of a group of nine African American young men who were sent to jail after staging a sit-in at a segregated McCrory's lunch counter in Rock Hill, South Carolina in 1961.

NAACP

The vision of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race. Meet members of the NAACP who were instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina.

Noted African Americans

Learn about noted African Americans, many born in South Carolina, with local and national accomplishments.

Orangeburg Massacre

Approximately 150 protesters had demonstrated against racial segregation at the All-Star Bowling Alley on several occasions prior to the Orangeburg Massacre. On the evening of February 8, 1968, South Carolina State University (SCSU) students started a bonfire on the front of campus, which is located in Orangeburg, South Carolina. As police and firefighters attempted to put out the fire, officer David Shealy was injured by a thrown object. South Carolina Highway Patrol officers fired shots at the protestors.

Three of the protestors, African American males, were killed and twenty-eight other protesters were injured. The three men killed included two SCSU students Samuel Hammond (18), Henry Smith (18), and Delano Middleton (17), a student at the local Wilkinson High School. 

At a press conference the following day, Governor Robert E. McNair said the event was "...one of the saddest days in the history of South Carolina."

Penn Center

Several generations of the St. Helena community attended the historic Penn School, established as one of the first schools for freed slaves. In the 1950s and 1960s, the site served as a safe retreat for those involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other activists used the quiet refuge to plan the March on Washington, an event that helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Penn Center now serves as a resource center for those studying and protecting Sea Island communities.

Slavery in South Carolina

Learn about the economics and hardships of slavery in South Carolina.

 

RELATED SERIES 


MARTIN LUTHER KING COLLECTION

This Collection honors the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and relays much of the history of the Civil Rights era.

RELATED SERIES

Penn Center: A Legacy of Change

African American History Month | Periscope

Road Trip! Through South Carolina's Civil Rights History

 

VIDEOS

 

LESSONS

View the full Martin Luther King Collection – just one click away!

 

CELEBRATE CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION MONTH BY EXPLORING CAREERS!

Visit our CAREER EXPLORATIONS! Collection

Career Explorations!

View resources in these areas:

Also, be sure to find out about programs available at your local Career and Technology Center!

Career Aisle: Career and Technology Centers & Videos

SC Career and Technology Centers are located in these areas and school districts. Ask your guidance counselor for more information.

 

Please contact us if you are aware that the websites for these career and technology centers have changed. Thank you! 

 

Additional Resources for February Include: 

National Freedom Day

This day celebrates freedom from slavery. View resources about slavery on KnowItAll here. 

Space Shuttle Columbia 

On February 1, 2003, sixteen minutes before it was scheduled to land, the space shuttle Columbia (STS-107) broke apart over the skies of Texas. All seven crew members perished in the accident. Columbia is the second space shuttle lost in flight, the other being the shuttle Challenger. 

In this program, Dr. LeConte Cathey, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of South Carolina, talks about the risks involved with space travel. ETV sent a crew to interview people in the streets of Columbia, South Carolina to get their thoughts and reflections on the 'Challenger' disaster. More on the "Challenger" disaster is available here. 

National Job Shadow Day 

Choose from an abundance of videos on a wide array of professions right here on KnowItAll.org! Videos are organized by Career Cluster. Visit our Career Explorations Collection!

World Read Aloud Day

Find resources to encourage reading in our Libraries, Literature & Learning Collection!

International Day of Women and Girls in Science 

Visit our Women in Leadership Collection, which includes these topics and others!

World Day of Social Justice

An international day recognizing the need to promote social justice, which includes efforts to tackle issues such as poverty, exclusion, gender equality, unemployment, human rights, and social protections. View the collection!

National Polar Bear Day - View our resources on polar bears!

Visit our Factoids to see all of the resources that are relevant to each month's observances and dates to remember! Our February Factoids are here and our KnowItAll Factoids for the full year are here! 

 

TO GET THE MOST OUT OF KNOWITALL, EXPLORE THESE AREAS!

If we were able to spark your curiosity with the resources listed above, please visit these additional areas on KnowItAll.org!

Knowitall.org features over 9,000 mobile-friendly videos, worksheets, and interactives for preK-12. Now you can drill down to the specific Topics and Subtopics you’re interested in.

Find topical content and lessons grouped together for your convenience. These are available all year long for your planning purposes.

Lesson plans for teachers that meet South Carolina standards.

Be sure to review our KnowItAll blogs! They provide links to recommended resources each month. You may be surprised by all the topics you'll find!

From the top of the home page, click on the magnifying glass, and when the search box opens, click on the magnifying glass again, and the results will come up, showing all of the assets available on KnowItAll.org. The newest content will appear at the top of the results. Just scroll down to view all of the content that is new to you! Visit often, so you won’t miss a thing!

We welcome your questions and comments! We would love to hear from you!

 

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