Students Walk Out
Wednesday, March 14 was the one-month anniversary of the school massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that claimed the lives of fourteen students and three teachers. In response–and inspired by the Parkland survivors who have come forward to demand improved gun safety laws–thousands of students nationwide chose to walk out of […]
Tragedy Strikes Florida
On Valentine’s Day, 17 people were killed and another 14 seriously injured during a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. What Happened? The suspected gunman, nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was a former student. Cruz entered the school just after 2:00pm on Wednesday. He pulled fire alarms all over the school to […]
Women’s March, Revisited
Just over one year ago, the largest single-day protest in U.S. history took place. Last weekend, on the anniversary of that protest, marches and rallies were organized across the country–and beyond. Here, btw takes a look at some of these events. What Was the Women’s March on Washington? On January 21, 2017–the day after Donald […]
Terrorist Truck Attack in New York City
On Halloween (October 31), a man named Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov drove a rented pickup truck into pedestrians and bicyclists on the Hudson River Park bike path in Lower Manhattan, killing eight people and injuring twelve others. It was the worst attack in New York City since the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers on September […]
Kennedy Assassination Files Released
Last Thursday, the federal government conducted a scheduled release of 2,800 secret documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. While the new documents don’t answer the question of who killed the former president, they do reveal a lot of interesting information. Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Harvey Oswald is the […]
California Battles Deadly Wildfires
Firefighters are still struggling to contain wildfires that are raging across Northern California. So far, nearly 6,000 homes and businesses have been destroyed, and 41 people killed, in what is being called the deadliest wildfire outbreak in the state’s history. How It Started The fires began over a week ago, on the night of Sunday, […]
Las Vegas Tragedy
Last Sunday night, a lone gunman opened fire during a country music concert on the Las Vegas strip, causing the most deadly mass shooting in modern American history. At least 59 people were killed and more than 527 injured (as of Monday evening). Festival Turns Deadly About 22,000 people had gathered on the strip for […]
Hurricane Irma Makes Landfall
As Houston and south Texas struggled to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey just two weeks ago, a second and more powerful hurricane, Irma, crashed into the Caribbean on Thursday on its way to South Florida and the Florida Keys. Irma, one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic, left behind […]
Conflict in Charlottesville
Last weekend, in Charlottesville, Virginia, a protest rally turned deadly. Here, btw takes a look at the events that unfolded, what caused the violence, and the aftermath–including how President Trump responded to the turmoil. “Unite the Right” When the town of Charlottesville decided to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, a group […]
Happy 150th Birthday Canada!
Last weekend, our neighbor to the north turned 150, celebrating with huge parades and festivals all over the country. Here, btw takes a brief look at the history of Canada. Origins Like the United States, Canada was once populated by tribes of Aboriginal people who were eventually displaced by European explorers. In 1534, French explorer […]