The Flashback Chronicles - Week of January 12, 2026

Welcome to The Flashback Chronicles!!

Welcome, History Enthusiasts!

Get ready to journey through history with The Flashback Chronicles! This edition is packed with thrilling stories, legendary adventures, and surprising fun facts because history is way too exciting to stay in the past! 🔍📖

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Legends & Laughter: The Story Behind the History 🎭

Katherine Johnson at the Mic: The Woman Who Helped Send Rocket Ships to the Moon and Beyond

Hello there, bright young thinkers! My name is Katherine Johnson, and I loved numbers long before the world knew my name.

I was born on August 26, 1918, in West Virginia. From the moment I could count, numbers made sense to me. They felt like a secret language, one that explained how things moved, how far they went, and where they would land. By the time I was ten years old, I was already in high school, and I knew learning was my path forward.

But my journey was not easy. In my time, schools were separated by race, and many places did not believe girls, especially black girls, belonged in science or mathematics. Still, my parents believed in me. They moved our family so I could attend a school that would challenge my mind. Their belief helped me believe in myself and gain confidence.

I went on to college and became one of the first black women to attend graduate math classes at West Virginia University. Soon after, I began working at NASA, though back then it was called NACA. My job title was “computer,” but I wasn’t a machine. I was a woman who used math to solve problems no one else could.

I worked with pencils, paper, and determination, calculating flight paths for airplanes and rockets. I loved questions like: Where will it land? How fast must it go? What happens if something changes? My math helped astronauts travel safely into space, and back home again.

When electronic computers were first introduced, people weren’t sure if they could trust them. Before one historic mission, astronaut John Glenn asked for me by name. He said, “Get the girl to check the numbers.” I carefully reviewed the calculations, and only when I said the numbers were correct, he agreed to fly.

I helped send Americans into orbit, to the Moon, and beyond. Yet for a long time, my name was not written in the history books. I worked in rooms where women were expected to stay quiet, and where doors were not always open to everyone. But I spoke up when it mattered. I asked questions. I shared my ideas. And slowly, the walls began to change.

I believed that math belongs to everyone. I believed curiosity is stronger than fear. Remember this, dear children, that numbers can take you to the stars. Your mind is powerful. And no matter who you are or where you start, you belong wherever curiosity leads you.

Max’s Museum Wonders 🔍

Max’s Museum Wonders: On Call at All Hours: A Doctor’s Pager From the 1980s

✒️ Bedtime Story Adventure

The museum waited quietly, like it always did, almost like it was holding its breath for Max.

He drifted past glass cases and there were chunky cell phones the size of bricks, cassette tapes with handwritten labels, and computers that looked more like microwaves.

Then Max saw it. A small black rectangle with a clip on the back and a tiny green screen.

It was a pager from the 1980s, and it didn’t look magical. It didn’t glow. It didn’t hum.

So of course, Max touched it. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. The sound was sharp and urgent, and the pager vibrated so hard it rattled the display case.

Then the room smelled like disinfectant and coffee that had been reheated too many times.

Max felt himself yanked forward and he landed behind a swinging door marked EMERGENCY ROOM – AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.

Sirens wailed outside. Phones rang. Machines beeped in complicated rhythms. Doctors rushed past in white coats. Nurses shouted numbers that made no sense.

Standing right in front of Max was a man jogging while reading a chart. He looked exhausted. His pager clipped to his belt suddenly went BEEP. BEEP.

“Room three!” the doctor barked.

Max hurried after him without thinking.

“Wait—who are you?” the doctor asked, dodging a rolling bed.

Another doctor glanced back. “Med student?”

“No.”

“Volunteer?”

“Also no.”

The pager went off again.

“Great,” the doctor muttered. “Of course.”

He burst into a room, checked a monitor, scribbled notes, and rushed back out.

Max trotted behind him like a very confused duckling. “Do you ever stop?” Max asked, nearly colliding with a nurse carrying towels.

“Stopping is for lunch,” the doctor said. “I haven’t had one since Tuesday.”

The pager buzzed again.

“Oh, come on!” the doctor groaned. “I just left that room!”

They raced down the hall again. Max’s legs burned.

“How does that thing know where you are?” Max asked, pointing at the pager.

“It doesn’t,” the doctor said. “That’s the problem.”

The pager buzzed again. The doctor froze mid-step. He stared at the pager like it had personally betrayed him.

“…That’s not good.”

He turned and ran the opposite direction. Max followed, weaving through chaos of rolling carts, ringing phones, and a man yelling about Jell-O.

Finally, the doctor leaned against a wall, catching his breath.

He looked down at Max.

“Okay,” he said slowly. “You’re definitely not supposed to be here.”

Before Max could answer, the pager vibrated wildly. It glowed bright white.

The hallway stretched like taffy. Max felt the familiar tug and suddenly he was back in the museum, standing perfectly still in front of the pager display.

The pager sat quietly, innocent and silent. Grandpa Leo appeared beside him.

“Max,” he said, “why do you smell like antiseptic and panic?”

Max blinked.

“Grandpa,” he said seriously, “people in the 1980s never ignored their pagers.”

The pager stayed quiet.

Max took a step back. Just in case.

Tricky Time Trivia 🤔🕰️

Which U.S. president is engraved on the penny?
👉 Answer: Abraham Lincoln

Candy Factoids 🍭🍫

🍫 Which candy was first sold as medicine to help sore throats?
👉 Answer: Lifesavers

🍭What candy is famous for the slogan “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand”?
👉Answer: M&Ms

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That’s a Wrap. Until Next Time…

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The Flashback Chronicles

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