History

Carl Ludwig “Luz” Long — Won the Silver Medal in Long Jump at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

02/08/2017

Updated on 10/18/2022

German athlete Luz Long is quite possibly the ultimate Silver Medalist. He is the athlete who finished second to American Jesse Owens in the long jump competition at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, but more than that, he made sports history with a gesture that stunned many who witnessed it. After their competition, Long, a white man, enthusiastically embraced Owens, a black…read more

Jules André Peugeot — Second Person Killed in WWI

01/24/2017

Updated on 09/06/2022

French Corporal Jules André Peugeot was 21 years old when he was shot and killed by a German patrol. Although he was the first soldier to get shot in WWI, he ended up being the second person to die from his wounds. The person who shot Peugeot, German Lieutenant Albert Mayer, was the first person to actually die in WWI,…read more

U.S. Presidents Who Won Their Elections but Finished Second in the Popular Vote

01/20/2017

Updated on 10/08/2018

As most of us all know, in American politics, it is the Electoral College and not the popular vote that determines the winner in a presidential election. This odd fact of government has long been a burr in the butt of those unfortunate candidates who’ve found themselves with a majority popular vote but on the losing end of an electoral vote….read more

Helium (He) — the Second-Most Abundant Element in the Universe

12/02/2016

Updated on 10/08/2018

Helium is almost like magic with the things it can do—it keeps blimps and balloons aloft, makes our voices sound funny1 when we huff it, and it makes all sorts of industrial processes possible. Helium is just plain fun. And for its place among the silver medalists, helium is the second-most abundant element in the universe and the number 2…read more

College of William & Mary — Second-Oldest College in the U.S.

The College of William & Mary

10/24/2016

Updated on 09/19/2022

The College of William & Mary, chartered in 1693, is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States—second only to Harvard University (http://www.harvard.edu), which was established in 1636. Although it’s the second-oldest college in the U.S., William & Mary isn’t without its own firsts: it was the first to receive a Royal Charter; the first U.S. college to become a university; the first law school in the U.S.