After the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor that launched the United States into World War II, thousands of people of Japanese descent were forced to move from their homes on the West Coast to internment camps. From 1790 to 1952, American immigration law did not allow Japanese alien residents in the United States to become citizens. However the 14th Amendment, adopted in 1868, provided that all people born in the United States, including those of Japanese descent, were American citizens.

Internment camps were established in 1942; 10 camps would be created that year, and would remain after World War II ended in 1945. Take a closer look at the timeline of the internment program.

Virtually every account about the Tuskegee Airmen — the only black fighter group during World War II — notes just eight Purple Hearts. Over the years, that number has been cited in innumerable accounts and books. But with more than 450 black pilots serving in Europe, and dozens of airmen missing and killed in action, that low number doesn’t seem to make sense.

After reviewing a government database, military records and other sources, the Post-Dispatch has found more than 50 Tuskegee Airmen who earned a Purple Heart during World War II, including three airmen from St. Louis: James McCullin, Christopher Newman and Norvell Stoudmire.

We have created site dedicated to providing an accurate account of those who were awarded a Purple Heart:

• Learn more about each man who was awarded a Purple Heart.
• Explore interactive timelines for each squadron.
• See photos of the airmen training at Tuskegee Army Air Field, Ala., and in combat in…

One hundred and fifty years ago, Henry Shaw, an Englishman with a keen sense of business and a passion for plants, transformed those fields, far from St. Louis’ bustling core, into what is now the oldest botanical gardens in the United States. At 79 acres, it is not the biggest; the New York Botanical Garden has 250 acres, the Chicago Botanic Garden 385.

But the Missouri Botanical Garden conducts more research here and abroad and boasts more volunteers and members than almost all of its peers.

Here we look at some milestones in the garden’s history.

— Diane Toroian Keaggy | St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Explore 3d photo panoramas of the Missouri Botanical garden.

When Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn in as President in 1932 he launched an aggressive 100-day campaign of reforms and initiatives. Since then, the first 100 days have been used as an indicator to measure how successful a new president is. An executive order is a directive from the president that does not have to be agreed to by Congress, but can be overturned by the Supreme Court. Click on a date to see what executive orders were issued.

Many Americans believe Abraham Lincoln is the most important person in the nation’s history. On the bicentennial of his Feb. 12, 1809, birth, admirers and students will revisit the key points in his life and see how Lincoln evolved from a poor farm boy to a great thinker, orator and leader, the man who kept the United States together.

Charles Darwin, born in England on the same day Abraham Lincoln was born in a Kentucky log cabin, never met the future president. His passion, from the time he was a boy, was in observing nature and wondering why animals and plants seemed to have changed over time. His conclusions, still controversial today, put him on many people’s lists of the most important people in the history of mankind.

Programmed and designed by Brian Williamson

Easily compare weekly Dow Jones industrial averages from 1999-2008 on this sliding timeline, selecting any specific time frame you want.

Dow Jones chart

The Budweiser Clydesdales were introduced to the nation in 1933, the end of Prohibition. They delivered a case of Budweiser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House in Washington, D.C. In 1967, they appeared in a TV ad for the “King of Beers.” Take a look at the history of the Budweiser Clydesdales, including videos of their most well-known Super Bowl commercials.

Timeline by Erica Smith