Sunday, August 20 — The nation’s first radio station licensed by the federal government began broadcasting in Detroit on this date in 1920 — station 8MK, now operating as WWJ. The station was owned by the Detroit News, and operated […]
Friday, August 4 — In this first week of August 103 years ago, American motorists got the green light to safely proceed through increasingly traveled crossroads. A traffic light system, credited with being the first in the U.S., flashed red […]
Sunday, July 30 — The federal government’s broad involvement in individual health insurance goes back to this date 52 years ago. That’s when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Social Security Amendments, which established Medicare and Medicaid. The legislation was introduced […]
Tuesday, July 11 — The distant reaches of planet Earth came into electronic proximity for the average American on this date in 1962. The occasion was the successful relay of a transatlantic TV signal by Telstar, the first privately owned […]
This week in 1898, the United States. began absorbing an island paradise en route to making it a treasured part of the nation. President William McKinley signed a resolution annexing the Hawaiian Islands, then an independent republic. A short time […]
Sunday, July 9 — The first concrete road in America was completed on this date 125 years ago in Bellefontaine, Ohio — just as America entered the age of the automobile. The concrete road in 1892 followed by 22 years […]
Friday, July 7 — When something is proclaimed the best thing since sliced bread, that praise doesn’t encompass as much time as one might think. Sliced bread, wrapped for sale in wax paper, first appeared on store shelves on this […]
Thursday, July 6 — The Constitution of the United States, ratified in 1788, made this nation the first in the world to conduct a census of population on a regular basis. Every 10 years, in fact. Divisibility by tens had […]
July 4th — Today is the signature American holiday, celebrating the date in 1776 when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. Ours was the first successful colonial independence movement against a European power. From sea to […]
America’s first commercial oil refinery was put in operation this month in 1860. It was built in Titusville, Pennsylvania, on the banks of Oil Creek. That town was the site of the country’s first productive oil well in 1859, and […]
Saturday, July 1 — On this date 46 years ago, the sun set on our old concept of coming of age. The 26th amendment to the Constitution became law effective July 1, lowering the age requirement for voting in […]
Thursday, June 29 — The first electric power company in America, and perhaps the world, was formed this week in 1879 in San Francisco. This was nearly four months before Thomas Edison successfully tested his practical incandescent light bulb. The power […]
Tuesday, June 27 — Consumers’ options for managing their finances were greatly broadened this week in 1934, after President Roosevelt signed the Federal Credit Union Act the day before, promoting the nationwide formation of credit unions. Credit unions differ from […]
Friday, June 23 — Through the centuries of coffee’s popularity, if someone ordered the beverage, there was no question about what kind. Today, many Americans prefer their coffee decaffeinated. That option dates to early in the last century, thanks to Ludwig […]
Thursday, June 22 — America’s first public phone booth was installed this month in 1880 in New Haven, Connecticut, just four years after the telephone was invented. These first public telephones were supervised by attendants, while those operated by coins came […]
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