Tag: History »

Timehop is an interesting idea. It goes through your social history, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Foursquare, and even the photos on your phone and looks for events. It will then show you what you were doing on this date a year ago, or more. It's your own personal "This day in history" app.

Planning a vacation or day trip and want to learn some great historical facts along the way? Give HISTORY Here a try.

The app comes courtesy of the History Channel and offers an interactive guide to thousands of historic locations across the USA. Users have the option to choose any location they wish, or they can let the GPS functionality do its magic and give places of local interest.

It's possible to search for various historic points of interest for inspiration, as well as view everything as part of a zoomable map. Features like this should prove ideal when planning ahead.

Images for each place are included, along with an overview of the venue and any relevant details such as contact phone numbers. Even if you think you know an area well, you're bound to be surprised by something from this app.

HISTORY Here is out now and free to download.

Though you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who's still alive from the day the Titanic sank, the public's fascination with the doomed ocean liner has only grown over the years. The Titanic has been the subject of countless books, movies, TV specials and documentaries, and now you can add a new iOS game to the mix. National Geographic and PlayWay have officially announced Titanic: Unsolved Mystery, which will provide the most interactive experience with the famed ship yet.

The game is divided between present and past as heroine Lillian explores the wreckage of the Titanic, which is now an underwater museum. Lillian's quest is a bit of a tragic one, as her great-grandmother died when the boat sank and she would like to know more about the woman she never knew. The hidden-object gameplay is set in historically accurate recreations of the ship's interior just as it appeared 100 years ago.

Titanic: Unsolved Mystery is slated to launch sometime in the second quarter of 2012.

Most of us already know that February is Black History Month, but how many of us truly understand the history and culture of African Americans in our own communities? More Than a Mapp (MTAM) seeks to change all that by showing users significant contributions to black history right in their own neighborhoods. MTAM uses the iPhone's GPS to pinpoint your location and showcase locations of historical significance all around you. Furthermore, the app's crowdsourcing features allow users to upload their own points on the map, complete with photos and descriptions.

MTAM is part of PBS's More Than a Month initiative, which is reminding the populace that African American history is not confined to the month of February and the contributions of African Americans should be remembered and celebrated year-round. Regardless of your ethnic background this free app gives you an opportunity to learn history lessons you probably didn't previously know, right in your own backyard.

February is Black History Month in the US. It's a time to reflect on the past of a people who have journeyed from slavery to the Oval Office and look at the heroes, sung and unsung, who made the transformative journey possible. It is also a time to look forward, for people of all races and ideologies, and to continue the quest for true racial equality in America. Apps are great educational tools so we've collected our favorite four that look backwards and forwards at this epic struggle to show by word and deed that all men - and women - are indeed created equal. If we missed an essential please let us know in the comments.

Then and Now Series: Black History

A look at the lives of 100 historically important Black people in a simple easy-to-use app, Then and Now Series: Black History focuses on the people behind the struggles and successes. Seek out more information on the names you'd expect to find or browse to discover lesser known, but equally important, figures from Black History. The app also allows users to print or share their discoveries with anyone who also wants to learn more.

Black History In An Hour

While Black History In An Hour is long overdue for an update it still allows those who want to learn more without investing too much time to get the most important facts on the most salient topics. This app goes beyond the US to the rest of the West and into Africa, but it focuses mostly on key events in the history of African Americans particularly during slavery. It's not meant to be a comprehensive eBook, just a starting point for discussion or further study.

Black History Facts

Another basic guide, Black History Facts does not focus on the struggle for racial equality in the US alone, but rather explores Black History from around the world. The app offers over 530 snippets of information including 15 that were added as recently as january of this year. The app's stated purpose is to foster deeper inquiry and provoke discussion.

The Root for iPad

Brought to iPad by The Washington Post and The Root, The Root for iPad looks not at black history as recorded in the annals, but black history in the making. This app aggregates relevant web news as well as curated commentary from highly respected African American writers. The app tackles the current implications of race in American society and myriad related issues. It even has podcasts on hot topics. The newest of the apps on this list, it's optimized for iOS 5 and incorporates a host of sharing features to spread the best stories around the web via social media to open debate... and minds.

Whether it's simply out of curiosity or due to an urgent employment or family need, it can be immensely useful to be able to run a background check on someone. Numerous firms offer such a service for a price but a new app by the name of Background Check offers a free way of checking up on someone.

Background Check is a free app but one with limitations. One free check is supplied each month with extra checks costing $0.99 for each extra use. Once a check is conducted, users can then consult details such as current and past addresses, relatives that live in the same house, property details and the all important ability to check past criminal records.

All the data is collated from BeenVerified and it appears to be quite accurate in the checks I conducted. It's worth noting the app only supports US checks though. Users can search for a specific name or they can search through their contacts.

An email address search also allows users to find someone's photos, videos, social networking information, blogs and pretty much everything else possible online. It's a pretty powerful tool indeed.

Background Check is available now for all iOS devices and it's a free app with in-app purchases available.