On this day in 1607 Jamestown, Virginia, was settled.
In 1787 Captain Arthur Phillip left Britain for Australia, where he successfully landed eleven ships full of convicts on January 18, 1788, at Botany Bay. The group then moved north and settled at Port Jackson.
In 1846 the U.S. declared that war already existed with Mexico.
In 1865 the last land engagement of the American Civil War was fought at the Battle of Palmito Ranch in far south Texas.
In 1867 Confederate President Jefferson Davis was freed from prison after spending two years there for his role in the American Civil War.
In 1918 the first airmail postage stamps were issued with airplanes on them.
In 1967 Mickey Mantle hit his 500th home run. Yankee manager Joe Girardi got his 500th win as the skipper of the Yankees this weekend too. Just thought I’d mention it, in case you hadn’t heard. 🙂
In 1981 Pope John Paul II was shot and seriously wounded in St. Peter’s Square.
And in 1985 a confrontation between Philadelphia authorities and the radical group MOVE ended as police dropped an explosive onto the group’s headquarters. 11 people died.
On this day in 1816 the American Bible Society was formed in New York City.
In 1858 Minnesota was admitted as the 32nd U.S. state.
In 1889 Major Joseph Washington Wham took charge of $28,000 in gold and silver to pay troops at various points in the Arizona Territory. The money was then stolen in a train robbery.
In 1947 the creation of the tubeless tire was announced by the B.F. Goodrich Company.
And in 1960 Israeli soldiers captured Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires.
“But look what happens when the government gives you rights. When the government gives you rights, unlike when God gives you rights, the government can take them away. When government gives you rights, the government can tell you how to exercise those rights.”
On this day in 1671 Thomas “Captain” Blood stole the crown jewels from the Tower of London.
In 1825 the Chatham Theatre opened in New York City. It was the first gas-lit theater in America.
In 1930 a starting gate was used to start a Triple Crown race for the first time ever.
In 1961 Jim Gentile of the Baltimore Orioles set a major league baseball record when he hit a grand slam home run in two consecutive innings. The game was against the Minnesota Twins.
And in 1974 the House Judiciary Committee began formal hearings on the Nixon impeachment.
On this day in 1794 Antoine Lavoisier was executed by guillotine. He was the French chemist that discovered oxygen. Good thing too, otherwise what would we breathe? 🙂
The United States Post Office was established on that same day as well.
In 1847 the rubber tire was patented by Robert W. Thompson.
In 1886 Pharmacist Dr. John Styth Pemberton invented what would later be called “Coca-Cola.”
In 1914 the U.S. Congress passed a Joint Resolution that designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. 🙂
In 1958 U.S. President Eisenhower ordered the National Guard out of Little Rock as Ernest Green became the first black to graduate from an Arkansas public school.
In 1967 Muhammad Ali was indicted for refusing induction in U.S. Army.
In 1978 David R. Berkowitz, known as the “Son of Sam,” pled guilty to six murder charges.
And in 1985, “New Coke” was released. And as I recall, it tasted awful. 😦
I regret to inform you that it is Monday again. It seems to happen every 7 days, and there is no known cure. Sorry, but let’s at least try to make the best of it. 🙂
On this day in 1529 Babur defeated the Afghan Chiefs in the Battle of Ghagra, India.
In 1840 the first adhesive postage stamps went on sale in Great Britain.
In 1851 the mechanical refrigerator was patented by Dr. John Gorrie.
In 1915 Babe Ruth hit his first major league home run while playing for the Boston Red Sox. I still can’t believe they ever traded him. And to the Yankees no less. 🙂
In 1937 the German airship Hindenburg crashed and burned in Lakehurst, NJ.
In 1941 Bob Hope gave his first USO show at California’s March Field.
In 1946 the New York Yankees became the first major league baseball team to travel by plane.
In 1962 the first nuclear warhead was fired from the Polaris submarine.
And in 1994 former Arkansas state worker Paula Jones filed a sexual harassment suit against U.S. President Clinton.
I always liked Bob Hope, and what he did with the USO for 49 years earned him the title of first honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces. A fitting honor. Though not a soldier, he did his part in numerous wars. So he get’s the…….
Quote of the Day
“I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful.”
The weekend has arrived, and it’s supposed to be a nice one here in our neck of the woods. 🙂
On this day in 1626 a Dutch explorer named Peter Minuit landed on Manhattan Island.
In 1776 Rhode Island declared its freedom from England two months before the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
In 1930 Mahatma Gandhi was arrested by the British.
In 1942 the Battle of the Coral Sea commenced between American and Japanese forces. It was also the day the U.S. began food rationing.
In 1970 Ohio National Guardsmen fired on students during an anti-war protest at Kent State University. Four students were killed, nine others were wounded.
In 1979 Margaret Thatcher became Britain’s first woman prime minister.
And in 1989 Oliver North was convicted of shredding documents and two other crimes. He was acquitted of nine other charges in the Iran-Contra affair. The convictions were later vacated and dismissed.
“It’s that wonderful old-fashioned idea that others come first and you come second. This was the whole ethic by which I was brought up. Others matter more than you do, so don’t fuss, dear; get on with it.”
Wandering Views 