Wednesday, November 9 — At 5:16 pm Eastern time on this date 51 years ago, about 30 minutes after sundown, a fast-moving ripple of deeper darkness spread over much of the northeastern United States and a part of Canada. A mis-set […]
Tuesday, November 8 — This day in 1892 was, like today, an election day. Winning his first Federal office then as a Representative was Charles Curtis of Kansas. Curtis, who spent much of his youth on his mother’s reservation, was possibly […]
Monday, November 7 — Tomorrow marks the anniversary of the opening in 1837 of the first American college for women — Mount Holyoke Seminary in South Hadley, Massachusetts. The new institution began instruction with 80 students, who paid annual tuition and […]
Sunday, November 6 — This week in 1966, Edward Brooke, a Republican, became the nation’s first African-American to win election to the U.S. Senate by popular vote, and only the third to serve in that chamber. During Reconstruction in the […]
Friday, November 4 — This is American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, conceived almost a century ago but made official by a congressional resolution signed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. The American Community Survey finds about 5.4 million American […]
Thursday, November 3 — Today is Cliché Day — any way you slice it, the occasion is small potatoes. While the ostensible purpose is to encourage our verbal banalities, it might also extend to stereotypes. Such as the cliché that men […]
Wednesday, November 2 — Even with all of our electronic diversions, many of us listen to radio at some point every day. The wide variety of formats means we can choose our favorite type of music, and radio keeps us up […]
Tuesday, November 1 — On this date in 1848, the first medical school for women opened in Boston. At the time, it had a faculty of two and 12 students. By 1873, the school had graduated almost 100 doctors. That […]
Monday, October 31 — There’s an excellent chance that today is an occasion deeply revered by young children and the nation’s candy makers. According to ancient Celtic tradition, Halloween — the evening before All Saints Day — is a time of […]
Sunday, October 30 — A technological breakthrough that has led to remarkable changes in American and global society occurred 47 years ago today … or yesterday, depending on your point of reference. While Americans in the Eastern and Central time zones […]
Saturday, October 29 — “Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this.” That anonymous quotation overlooks the condition of plenty of Americans, who still venerate cats. For such folks, and also the former deities, today […]
Friday, October 28 — One of the nation’s enduring symbols, the Statue of Liberty, was dedicated on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor on this date in 1886. A gift from France, the statue’s full name is “Liberty Enlightening the World,” […]
Thursday, October 27 — One of the nation’s most successful brand names went on sale for the first time this month in 1913 — Camel cigarettes, the first pre-blended, packaged cigarettes. While machine-rolled cigarettes had been around since 1881, Camel was […]
On this date in 1858, Hamilton Smith patented a rotary washing machine. The first electric washer came along in 1908.
October is National Crime Prevention Month, with special awareness and education events planned across the country.
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