Thursday, July 12th. A romantic but controversial period of American history ended, semiofficially, on this date 125 years ago. In 1893, historian Frederick Jackson Turner delivered an academic paper in Chicago based on 1890 Census data. He noted that migration […]
One-hundred twenty years ago this month, President William McKinley signed the 1898 resolution annexing the Hawaiian Islands, then an independent republic.
The first concrete road in America was completed on this date 126 years ago in Bellefontaine, Ohio.
Sunday, July 8th. On this date in 1831, a baby was born in Knoxville, Georgia, who would grow up to invent a product that rather symbolizes America all around the world. John Stith Pemberton was a pharmacist addicted to morphine […]
Saturday, July 7th. When something is proclaimed the best thing since sliced bread, that praise doesn’t suggest as great a span of time as one might think. Sliced bread, wrapped for sale in wax paper, first appeared on store shelves […]
Friday, July 6th. 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, based on 10-year intervals. Units of 10 had an earlier […]
Friday, June 29th. On this date in 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a bill establishing the Interstate Highway System, originally of 41,000 miles. Today, it’s nearly 47,000 miles, the world’s longest single system. The original estimated cost of the interstate […]
Saturday, June 23rd. 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 […]
Wednesday, June 20th. With summer and school vacation almost here, children will be urging their parents to take them to the nearest amusement park. Among the most popular features of these parks are ever more thrilling roller coasters, which trace […]
Monday, March 5th. FM radio is 77 years old. In March 1941, the first commercial FM station went on the air — W47NV in Nashville, Tennessee. FM – standing for frequency modulation – was first proposed in a scientific paper […]
Sunday, March 4th. The first woman to serve in Congress took her seat on this date 101 years ago. Barely a month later, Jeannette Rankin, Republican from Montana, became one of the few congressional representatives to vote against […]
Thursday, March 1. This is Wome’s History Month — a time to recognize the often overlooked vision, courage and accomplishments of the nation’s women. One example is Clara Barton, who ministered to wounded soldiers in the Civil War and went […]
Wednesday, February 28. Although February is the calendar’s shortest month, it looms large in America’s history of railroad development. In 1815, the first state charter for a railroad was issued by New Jersey for a never-completed line between Trenton and […]
Tuesday, February 27th. On this date in 1872, America’s third female law student was graduated. But this third was a first. Charlotte Ray was a freeborn African-American, and the first black woman to graduate law school. With her degree from […]
Monday, February 26th. This month in 1866, Lucy Hobbs Taylor received a doctorate in dentistry from the Ohio College of Dental Surgery. She was the first American woman so credentialed, and it’s believed she was also the first in the […]
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