This Day in History May 1, 1931

I visited New York City when I was 17 years old (almost 18), and it is an experience I shall never forget. Although all my pictures were lost in a flooded basement shortly after my marriage, I still have a video of it.  I used to have a picture of this building as well as a picture that included the Twin Towers (which I don't even recall while there).  I got the chance to go to the top of today's feature.  On this date in 1931, the Empire State Building was opened to the public.  It was the tallest building at that time at 1250 feet tall.  It was build as a result of the skyscraper race sparked by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France in 1889.  It was taller than the recently-built Chrysler Building that stood a mere 1046 feet tall.  And just for good measure, they added a lightning rod to the roof which brought it to a 1454 feet tall.  At the height of its building of this structure, the workers averaged four and a half stories per day.

For more info:
http://famousdaily.com/history/empire-state-building-opens-in-new-york.html
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/wwii/jb_wwii_empire_1.html
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1930s/a/empirestatebldg.htm

This Day in History April 24, 1704

I really found this exciting and interesting, especially in light of recent Boston news.  On this date in 1704, John Campbell published the first issue of the Boston News-Letter.  This became the first continuously published newspaper in America.  In the beginning, it heavily relied on British newspaper for its features and information.  Kind of interesting that this first came out of Boston!

For more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boston_News-Letter
http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/firsts/newspaper/
http://famousdaily.com/history/first-newspaper-us-published.html

This Day in History April 22, 1864

Ever seen a two-cent piece?  I honestly didn't know there was such a thing. On this date in 1864, the first two cent piece was released with the motto "In God We Trust." This motto was new, and it was part of the U.S. Coinage Act.  But did you know that this motto was not the only one proposed?  Try "Our Trust is in God," "God Our Trust," and "God and Our Country."

For more info:
http://famousdaily.com/history/us-mints-2-cent-coin.html
http://www.essortment.com/story-american-two-cent-coin-66109.html
http://news.coinupdate.com/two-cent-piece-first-to-include-in-god-we-trust-motto-1468/
http://www.coin-collecting-guide-for-beginners.com/two-cent-coin.html

This Day in History April 18, 1775

I'm sure you're familiar with Paul Revere (if you are a U.S. history person).  After all, Geico even has an ad concerning it now.  But on this date in 1775, Paul Revere made his famous midnight ride.  The purpose of the ride was to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the British were coming to arrest them.  You might know their famous signal:  one if by land, two if by sea.  This referred to the lanterns that would be seen in the belfry.  There is much more concerning this, and Longfellow penned a famous poem about this midnight ride.

For more info:
http://www.paul-revere-heritage.com/midnight-ride.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Revere#.22Midnight_Ride.22
http://www.history.com/topics/paul-revere
http://famousdaily.com/history/two-if-by-sea-paul-revere.html

This Day in History March 29, 1848

Who doesn't find Niagara Falls beautiful and somewhat scary (especially if you're going over it in a barrel)?  Well, it just so happens that on this date in 1848, the mighty Niagara Falls were silenced.  That's right!  For 30 hours, there was an ice dam at the neck of Lake Erie and the Niagara River.  This is the only time in recorded history that the Falls stopped flowing.  There was no roar during this time, and evidently people event ventured into the gorge and found relics from the War of 1812.  Thankfully, it was returned to its normal flow by the following evening.

For more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_Falls
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/reform/jb_reform_niagra_1.html
http://www.examiner.com/article/weather-history-march-29-record-temps-storms-snow-wind-flooding-2

This Day in History March 15, 1941

I found this quote especially interesting in light of current events.  It was on this date in 1941, that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave a speech at the White House Correspondents' Association.  This was the beginning of his third term, and the threat of WWII was looming in Europe.  Nazism was rampant in Germany and elsewhere.  We had not officially entered the War in the U.S.  Here is the famous statement he made:
"They (who) seek to establish systems of government based on the regimentation of all human beings by a handful of individual rulers... call this a new order. It is not new and it is not order. "

Although it is true that Nazism is basically a thing of the past (though truly not completely), their ideals still exist all over the world.  We see prejudices, senseless killing, and totalitarian governments where people's freedoms are impinged upon.  Let us hope and pray that this horrid part of the human experience can be eradicated.  I believe one day it will be gone, but I just wish the time were sooner rather than later.

For more information:
http://famousdaily.com/march15.html
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/WorldWar2/fdr24.htm

This Day in History March 5, 1933

Things were pretty bad during the Great Depression, and on this date in 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt declared that there would be a bank holiday on the following day.  What that meant was that all bank transactions would be suspended for four days.  This was a necessary thing because only fifty percent of banks were even holding on at this point.  This was FDR's first full day in office, by the way.

For more information:
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130305/OPINION04/303050045/FDR-s-bank-holiday-set-stage-reform?nclick_check=1
http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/money_08.html

This Day in History March 3, 1931

Sorry if you don't like Destiny's Child--I'm not a massive fan of theirs, but I thought this recording was pretty good.  And I am posting this because on this date in 1931, The Star-Spangled Banner officially became our   national anthem.  Francis Scott Key wrote this during the War of 1812,   Up to that point, there had been no official national anthem for our country.  It was President Herbert Hoover who signed it into law.

For more info:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/national-anthem-things-star-spangled-banner/story?id=18610802&.tsrc=samsungwn/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star-Spangled_Banner
http://famousdaily.com/history/star-spangled-banner-official-anthem.html

This Day in History February 17, 1801

I thought this would be a rather timely feature since President's Day is tomorrow.  Th election of 1800 featured Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr.  There was no majority winner between the two.  Therefore it was up to the House of Representatives to pick a winner.  The House was dominated by the Federalists, and  they didn't like either candidate.  There was some heated debate for about a week, and scandal was possible if a president was not chosen soon.  After all, the electoral process was still in its infancy (as was our country).  It was finally determined that Jefferson was the lesser of two evils, and so on this date in 1801, Thomas Jefferson was chosen as our third president.  Aaron Burr became his vice-president (that was how things were decided back then--most votes=president; runner-up=vice-president).

For more information:
http://americanhistory.about.com/od/thomasjefferson/a/ff_t_jefferson.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson
http://famousdaily.com/history/thomas-jefferson-became-the-3rd.html

This Day in History February 12, 1809

I had no idea about today!  On this date in 1809, our sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln, was born.  I will tell you right now that he is my favorite president.  I am not naive enough to think that he was perfect, but I greatly respect him.  I am looking forward to seeing O'Reilly's Killin g Lincoln this Sunday on the National Geographic channel.  My mom read the book--I haven't had a chance yet.  And I didn't get to see the film  when it was in theaters, but I plan to see it when it comes out on DVD.

For more information on this amazing man, please check out:
http://www.biography.com/people/abraham-lincoln-9382540
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln
http://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/abraham-lincoln.html

This Day in History January 24, 1656

As you probably know (if you are familiar with U.S. history), it was not the normal thing for Jews to come to this country in it early days.  Puritans, Pilgrims, and other religious groups were the ones who came here, and most were extremely narrow-minded when it came to welcoming others from different walks of life.  Jacob Lumbrozo was born in Portugal, and on this date in 1656, he established himself in Maryland.  He was a doctor, and this doesn't really seem like something all that extraordinary.  Except that he was a Jew.  While it is pretty certain that Jews were in this country since even before this time, this was the first Jew to be officially documented in his religion.  For at least a decade, he had a lucrative business that was important in the culture of the community.  He did run into some issues in 1658 in regards to his beliefs, and he was put into jail and possibly could have been convicted.  However, he was pardoned, and he went on to live a well-respected life.

For more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Lumbrozo
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/10184-lumbrozo-jacob
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Lumbrozo.html

This Day in History January 22, 1779

I knew nothing of this character until this morning.  Tory outlaw Claudius Smith was born in 1736 in New York.  His nickname was "Cowboy of the Ramapos" due to his use of guerilla tactics against patriots.  It was no secret that his loyalties were with the Tory party, and it does appear that he terrorized many citizens in New York during the Revolutionary War.  His four sons and Mohawk Indian chief Joseph Brant were also on his side.

It does appear that he did not ever kill anyone, but one of his men reportedly did--Major Nathaniel Strong.  New York Governor George Clinton posted a reward of $1200 for his capture.  He was hanged on this date in 1779.  What's the reason for the Robin Hood silhouette?  Many saw him as being kind to the poor and attacking the rich. The legend goes that his skull was filled with mortar and included in the edifice of the Goshen Court House.

For more information:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~frederick/docs/CSmithfact&fiction.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudius_Smith
http://echoesfromthepast.wordpress.com/2013/01/22/january-22-this-day-in-history/

This Day in History January 11, 1759

It was on this date in 1759, Philadelphia's oldest corporation came into existence.  The Presbyterian Synods of New York and Philadelphia started a company called “Presbyterian Ministers Fund for Life Insurance."  They wanted to help Presbyterian women who has lost their husbands.   It was not the first insurance company in the country--Benjamin Franklin started that seven years before to insure houses.

For more information:
http://famousdaily.com/history/first-american-life-insurance-company.html

This Day in History December 20, 1790

Indeed an important day in history for the U.S.  It was on this date in 1790, that the first cotton mill opened.   The mill was located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and it had water-powered machinery so that the cotton could be carded and spun.  In other words, the cotton was combed and untangled.  Then it was spun into yarn so that it could be made into ,material.  Before the Civil War, this was the most important industry in the U.S., and this particular mill was based on a British design.

For more information:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/dec20.html
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/nation/jb_nation_cotton_1.html

This Day in History December 11, 1816

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It was on this date in 1816, that Indiana became the eighteenth state admitted into the Union.  Its name means "Indian Land," and it was incorporated in 1800.  It is estimated that the earliest peoples that lived there were around 800 B.C.--the Paleo Indians.  The Indians were removed from this area during the 1830's due to the Indian Removal Act.  The Indy500 is probably what Indiana is best known for.

For more information:
http://famousdaily.com/history/indiana-19th-state.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/indiana/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana

This Day in History November 2, 1889

By Jarke [CC-BY-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

On this date in 1889, something happened that only happened this one time in our history.  Both North and South Dakota were admitted to the Union on the same day.  They decided to divide the territory in half due to population of Dakota Territory.  Kind of interesting since I don't think either of these are terribly populated today.

For more information, please check out:
http://famousdaily.com/history/north-south-dakota-39th-40th-states.html
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/gilded/jb_gilded_dakotas_1.html