Elkader, Iowa, is named for Emir Abdelkader, an Algerian religious and military leader who fought against French colonialism.

13th-century women who wanted to devote themselves to chastity, prayer, and good works without taking vows could join religious orders called beguines.

Abraham Lincoln pardoned Joe Biden’s great-great-grandfather Moses Robinette, a civilian veterinary surgeon involved in a scuffle in a Union mess tent. Robinette was charged with the attempted murder of John Alexander by using a pocketknife.