History Awesome / LittleHouseOnThePrairie

* In Nancy's premiere, "The Reincarnation of Nellie," Nancy explains that the reason she's such a brat is because her abusive mother abandoned her. However, [[spoiler: this turns out to be the very definition of BlatantLies.]] Laura and the kids team up to do something about it. Naturally, Mrs. Oleson is against it at first because she wants to find some way to excuse Nancy's horrible actions. However, by the end, [[spoiler: she's in there with both feet. Special mention to her explosive, "I AM YOUR MOTHER, I LOVE YOU, AND [[Punctuated ForEmphasis'''YOU. WON'T. LIE TO ME. AGAIN!''']]

** Charlotte is a walking-talking crowning moment of awesome throughout the series as she heads across the western frontier and sets up a homestead...as an independent widow single-handily raising seven children.

* In ''These Happy Golden Years'' when Laura takes over the reins with Barnum and he suddenly decides to slow down to a walk. The quesion is who is the most stunned - Laura, Almanzo or the townspeople.

** ''Across the Puddingstone Dam'': [[CoolOldLady Auntie Rho]], an elderly aunt of Charlotte's friend, is asked by Charlotte if she likes being an OldMaid. [[IDontWantYourPity Rho congratulates Charlotte for being frank and not pitying her behind her back]]. She tells Charlotte, no she doesn't regret it and is blessed with a large, loving family just like when she was young. She tells Charlotte [[EarnYourHappyEnding that one must eat what they can get and season it however they want]]. It's an amazing attitude to have given [[StayInTheKitchen how the attitudes tow]][[BabyFactory ards women]], [[OldMaid especially]] [[MaidenAunt single]] [[ChristmasCake women]], [[YouGoGirl were in the]] [[GirlsNeedRoleModels 1820s]] [[ValuesResonance (and still are)]].

* ''The Caroline Years'':
** ''"Across the Rolling River"'': A double one for Charles and Caroline in their spelling bee as they continually one-up each other.
** ''"Little City By The Lake"'': Caroline's composition being chosen to be read out loud at the end of the term.
** Charlotte is a walking-talking crowning moment of awesome throughout the series as she heads across the western frontier and sets up a homestead...as an independent widow single-handily raising seven children.

** Later on her running over three miles to get help for a sick tenant and her parents amazement she even had time to make it there and back in that time.

** Charlotte is a walking-talking crowning moment of awesome throughout the series as she heads across the western frontier and sets up a homestead...as an independent widow raising seven children single-handily.

[[AC: Book Series]]

* Willie Olesen's transformation from mean little spoiled kid to one of Walnut Grove's finest, most responsible young men. The change happened ever so gradually, starting in Season 8 where – in the episode "Stone Soup" – he helps organize an effort to help farmers during a drought; this comes as the outgrowth of seeing a pregnant Laura collapse while working to exhaustion in tending to Almonzo's orchard, and Caroline telling the story "Stone Soup" to inspire the kids. (Clearly, Willie got the message). Willie had shed his troublemaking ways after that, but his real crowning moment comes in Season 9's "Could I Have This Dance," where he [[CallingTheOldManOut calls out his overbearing mother]], Mrs. Olesen, after she tries to coddle him again (by sending him to college and making him marry a woman he has no interest in). He says he intends to oversee the restaurant/hotel named for his sister, Nellie (who had also broken off of her mother's spoiled ways a couple of seasons earlier), and plans to marry an attractive-but-poor country girl named Rachel Brown ... and stands his ground when his mother continues her attempts to intervene. When Mrs. Olesen asks Nels what had gotten into her son, he replies, "A backbone!" But even before his changeover, there were signs that Willie was not quite as bad as Nellie at her peak – her own change from spoiled brat to hard-working and responsible is quite remarkable and awesome in and of itself – as he often sticks up for himself and his friends (more than once, he stands his ground against Nellie) and by Season 7, he's showing signs he's grown tired of his mother's constant pampering.

* Willie Olesen's transformation from mean little spoiled kid to one of Walnut Grove's finest, most responsible young men. The change happened ever so gradually, starting in Season 8 where – in the episode "Stone Soup" – he helps organize an effort to help farmers during a drought; this comes as the outgrowth of seeing a pregnant Laura collapse while working to exhaustion in tending to Almonzo's orchard, and Caroline telling the story "Stone Soup" to inspire the kids. (Clearly, Willie got the message). Willie had shed his troublemaking ways after that, but his real crowning moment comes in Season 9's "Could I Have This Dance," where he [[CallingTheOldManOut calls out his overbearing mother]], Mrs. Olesen, after she tries to coddle him again (by sending him to college and making him marry a woman he has no interest in). He says he intends to oversee the restaurant/hotel named for his sister, Nellie (who had also broken off of her mother's spoiled ways a couple of seasons earlier), and plans to marry an attractive-but-poor country girl named Rachel Brown ... and stands his ground when his mother continues her attempts to intervene. When Mrs. Olesen asks Nels what had gotten into her son, he replies, "A backbone!"

* During sheep-shearing season on the Wilders' farm, the adult shearers tease Almanzo that he'll never catch up, because they'll finish shearing their sheep before Almanzo can finish hauling the fleeces up to the barn loft. But when the shearers lay down their clippers at the end of the day and turn to gloat, a loud 'Baaaaa!' is heard from the loft -- where Almanzo's has managed to hide one last unshorn sheep.

* During sheep-shearing season on the Wilders' farm, the adult shearers tease Almanzo that he'll never catch up, because they'll finish shearing their sheep before Almanzo can finish hauling the fleeces up to the barn loft. But when the shearers lay down their clippers at the end of the day and turn to gloat, a loud 'Baaaaa!' is heard from the loft -- where Almanzo's conspired to hide one last unshorn sheep.

{AC: TV Series]]

* In "Little House and the Big Woods", the scene in which Ma and Laura go out milking one winter evening and Ma impatiently slaps ''a huge bear'' that she thinks is the family cow blocking the door to the paddock.

* During sheep-shearing season on the Wilders' farm, the adult shearers tease Almanzo that he'll never catch up, because they'll finish shearing their sheep before Almanzo can finish hauling the fleeces up to the barn loft. But when the shearers lay down their clippers at the end of the day and turn to gloat, a loud 'Baaaaa!' is heard from the loft -- where Almanzo's contrived to hide one last unshorn sheep.

* The adult shearers tease Almanzo that he'll never catch up, because they'll finish shearing their sheep before Almanzo can finish hauling the fleeces up to the barn loft. But when the shearers lay down their clippers at the end of the day and turn to gloat, a loud 'Baaaaa!' is heard from the loft -- where Almanzo's contrived to hide one last unshorn sheep.

* Some sheep shearers of the Wilders teased Almanzo that they will finish shearing their sheeps before Almanzo does. Almanzo manages to sneak one of their sheeps in a hidden place...

* Pa comes to visit Royal and Almanzo Wilder during the Long Winter. He's thin, gaunt, and hungry, even though his wife and four daughters are doing their best to save him as much food as possible, since he has the hardest workload. Royal and Almanzo, who are living alone with plenty of provisions from Father's farm, are gracious hosts and immediately offer to share their dinner with him, but he takes a bucket and unplugs a knothole in the far wall, where the seed grain Almanzo hid and specifically made Royal promise not to sell comes pouring out. Both Royal and Almanzo are surprised and ask him how he figured it out. Pa answers that [[AwesomenessByAnalysis the dimensions of the room don't match the dimensions of the building, and what else can you hide in such a small space that requires a plug]]? Pa, an experienced carpenter, tells Almanzo point-blank to sell him the grain, and insists on paying for it when Almanzo tries to relent. It's the realization that there are families like the Ingalls, five people quickly running out of supplies, that sends Almanzo on the course of trying to find the grain that some homesteader brought from back east.

* Pa comes to visit Royal and Almanzo Wilder during the Long Winter. He's thin, gaunt, and hungry, even though his wife and four daughters are doing their best to save him as much food as possible, since he has the hardest workload. Royal and Almanzo, who are living alone with plenty of provisions from Father's farm, are gracious hosts and immediately offer to share their dinner with him, but he takes a bucket and unplugs a knothole in the far wall, where the seed grain Almanzo hid and specifically made Royal promise not to sell comes pouring out. Both Royal and Almanzo are surprised and ask him how he figured it out. Pa answers that [[AwesomenessByAnalysis the dimensions of the room don't match the dimensions of the building, and what else can you hide in such a small space that requires a plug]]? Pa tells Almanzo point-blank to sell him the grain, and insists on paying for it when Almanzo tries to relent. It's the realization that there are families like the Ingalls, five people quickly running out of supplies, that sends Almanzo on the course of trying to find the grain that some homesteader brought from back east.

* Pa comes to visit Royal and Almanzo Wilder during the Long Winter. He's thin, gaunt, and hungry, even though his wife and four daughters are doing their best to save him as much food as possible, since he has the hardest workload. Royal and Almanzo, who are living alone with plenty of provisions from Father's farm, are gracious hosts and immediately offer to share their dinner with him, but he takes a bucket and unplugs a knothole in the far wall, where the seed grain Almanzo hid and specifically made Royal promise not to sell comes pouring out. Both Royal and Almanzo are surprised and ask him how he figured it out. Pa answers that [[AwesomenessByAnalysis the dimensions of the room don't match the dimensions of the building, and what else can you hide in such a small space that requires a plug]]? Pa tells Almanzo point-blank to sell him the grain, and insists on paying for it when Almanzo tries to relent. It's the realization that there are families like the Ingalls, five people quickly running out of supplies, that sends Almanzo on the course of trying to find the grain that some homesteader brought from back east.

** Another nice moment is when Almanzo discovers one of the townspeople concealing seed grain behind a false wall and... 'strongly insists' that he 'share' it with the starving citizens.

-->"THUMP, '''THUMP!''' THUMP, '''THUMP!'''" No one could study now.

* There's also the scene in ''Farmer Boy'' in which the slight, soft-spoken teacher menaced by bullies turns out to have a freaking ''bullwhip''(given to him by Almanzo's father) hidden in his desk. After forcing them out, the other kids are so shocked and amazed by this that they can't remember their lessons or lunch.

* There's also the scene in ''Farmer Boy'' in which the slight, soft-spoken teacher menaced by bullies turns out to have a bullwhip hidden in his desk.

* Laura finally having enough of Eliza Jane Wilder's picking on Carrie at school. The last straw comes when EJ commands Carrie and her seatmate to put away their books and continue rocking their loosely-bolted desk as punishment for unconsciously (and non-disruptively) rocking it while studying; when Carrie's seatmate gives in to embarrassment and moves to a different seat, EJ ignores her and continues to single out Carrie, who is not strong enough to rock the whole desk on her own. This is the last straw for Laura, who announces that if EJ wants the desk rocked, ''she'll'' rock it; EJ jumps on the offer, with the following result:

** What about Almanzo's own reply to Thompson's first offer: "Keep your nickel, I can't change it"? If the real nine-year-old Almanzo said that, it was a CrowningMomentOfFunny as well.

* Many never-say-die moments in ''The Long Winter'', especially the sequence -- drawn directly from life -- in which rumours of one last supply of grain prompt Almanzo and Cap Garland make a long, dangerous journey to save their starving town. There's also the scene in ''Farmer Boy'' in which the slight, soft-spoken teacher menaced by bullies turns out to have a bullwhip hidden in his desk.
* In the same book, Mr. Paddock the wheelwright also gets one when he defends Almanzo from skinflint Thompson's insults... by forcing Thompson to hand over $200 of the lost $1500 Almanzo's just returned to him, instead of a nickel.
* What about Almanzo's own reply to Thompson's first offer: "Keep your nickel, I can't change it"? If the real nine-year-old Almanzo said that, it was a CrowningMomentOfFunny as well.