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This week we’re bringing you a throwback Historic Shuffle to continue our celebration of #pridemonth. Happy Pride Month, everyone! In the past we’ve written about Sylvia Rivera, Bayard Rustin and Stormé DeLaverie, who all had one thing in common: each was open about their sexuality in different ways, despite the fact that identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community could and did often come with a cost. We don’t know about you, but we’re busting out our white pants, slathering on sunscreen and throwing on some shades because we’re officially at the unofficial start of summer: Memorial Day weekend, baby. Richmond, Va., the capital of the Confederacy, was also home to a very sneaky sleuth named Elizabeth Van Lew who was more of a Grant fan girl than a Lee one. You might know New York as the concrete jungle where dreams are made, but do you know who made that concrete jungle? OK, maybe Robert Moses didn’t totally create NYC, but for nearly half a century he found that he was king of the hill, top of the heap. Today is Cinco de Mayo, and though that means los Americanos are hitting up their favorite local Mexican restaurant in search of tacos and margs, it doesn’t actually mean a ton to people in Mexico. Cinco de Mayo doesn’t commemorate Mexican independence - that’s sept 16 - but instead marks the day in 1862 when the Mexican army successfully pushed the French out of Puebla. It’s been a while since we posted a brand new Historic Shuffle, but please forgive us as we’ve been swamped. You know what else is swamped? The Everglades. And one lady who we have to thank for keeping the Everglades a swampy, alligator-filled beauty is one Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Some romances are steamy. Others are forbidden. And a few spur on espionage and a fight for your country’s independence, or at least that was the case for Rosa Campuzano Cornejo and her boo, General José de San Martín. No, this isn’t a Nicholas Sparks classic; it’s real Peruvian history. Remember to wear green today, or else the pinching leprechauns will get ya! 🤏🏼

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