December 31 Nearly 60,000 unemployed workers rally at a Pittsburgh stadium. – 1931. The United States, in accordance with the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, officially hands over control of the Panama Canal, to put the strategic waterway into Panamanian hands for the first time. Crowds of Panamanians celebrated the transfer of the
Presence Fox Knoll/Ascension Living retirement community, 421 N. Lake Street in Aurora, celebrate staff members with a Heroes Work Here sign on the front lawn.
The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University asked me to do some noodling about the future of Illinois. I have mentioned it to several friends. The responses: A roll of the eyes; a belly laugh; a retort that it is too late to do anything about Illinois.
December 24 The Treaty of Peace and Amity between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America is signed by British and American representatives at Ghent, Belgium to end the War of 1812. By terms of the treaty, all conquered territory was to be returned, and commissions were planned
I have a copy of “O.Henry’s New York” on my bookshelves and when I want a smile or two, I re-read it. His witty narration can be read and read again with enjoyment. So let us look this week at his short life of 47 years. William Sidney Porter was
In the previous essay, we examined the biblical character of Jesus of Nazareth as a mythical one. Now, let us suppose that he was an historical figure. Most biblical scholars agree that Jesus, Yeshua/Joshua in Hebrew, was most likely a member of the Essene sect. The Essenes were a splinter
December 17 Near Kitty Hawk, N.C., Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright make the first successful flight in history of a self-propelled, heavier-than-air aircraft. Orville piloted the gasoline-powered, propeller-driven biplane, which stayed aloft for 12 seconds and covered 120 feet on its inaugural flight. – 1903. December 18 The British ship
December 10 The first Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace. – 1901. International Human Rights Day, commemorating the signing at the United Nations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states, in part: “Everyone has the right to
December 3 An explosion at a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India leads to the worst industrial accident in history. More than 2,000 persons die and another 200,000 were injured when toxic gas enveloped the city. – 1984. December 4 Heavy smog begins to hover over London, England. It
November 26 Six young women burn to death and 19 more die when they leap from the fourth-story windows of a blazing factory in Newark, N.J.. The floors and stairs were wooden; the only door from which the women could flee was locked. – 1910. Franklin D. Roosevelt. president of
November 19 The Nation’s first automatic toll collection machine is used at the Union Toll Plaza on New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway. – 1954. At the dedication of a military cemetery at Gettysburg, Pa., during the American Civil War, president Abraham Lincoln delivers one of the most memorable speeches in
In a 2013 copy of “This England” magazine, I read about the Women’s Land Army (WLA) of World War II. It was a British civilian organization to bring women to the farms and fields to help the war efforts while their men were with the military service. The government wanted
November 12 Ellis Island in New York City closes after providing the gateway for 12 Million immigrants from 1892 to 1924. From 1924 to 1954 it was mostly used as a detention and deportation center for undocumented immigrants. – 1954. November 13 An immense tidal wave and storm surge, caused
November 5 More than 300 Santee Sioux are found guilty of raping and murdering Anglo settlers and are sentenced to hang. All but 38 were granted a reprieve, and the 38 were hanged simultaneously December 26 in a bizarre mass execution witnessed by a large crowd of approving Minnesotans. –
Halloween tradition began with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. The costumes included saints, angels, and devils. The Celts believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth on this day. The Celts, who lived 2,000 years
October 29 Black Tuesday hits Wall Street when investors trade 16,410,030 shares on the New York Stock Exchange in a single day. Billions of dollars were lost, to wipe out thousands of investors, and stock tickers ran hours behind because the machinery could not handle the tremendous volume of trading.
It was time to visit Indianapolis and enjoy the libraries. “Patsy the Panda” was ready for her new homes there. It is a reasonable drive time at less than four hours. So off we went! Traffic was busy and crazy with cars zooming past me at unbelievable speeds. Saw no
October 22 In a televised speech of extraordinary gravity, U.S. president John F. Kennedy announces that U.S. spy planes have discovered Soviet missile bases in Cuba. These missile sites, under construction, but nearing completion, housed medium-range missiles capable of striking a number of major cities in the United States, including
The year was 2002 and I was meeting with Merritt King in Geneva for research on my history of Geneva book with Arcadia Publishing. He invited me to his beautiful Geneva home and was gracious and a gentleman. Merritt King (1918-2012) had an illustrious career as a Geneva alderman for
October 15 President Woodrow Wilson signs the Clayton Antitrust Act, often referred to as “Labor’s Magna Carta,” which established that unions are not conspiracies under the law. It, for the first time freed unions to strike, picket, and boycott employers. In the years that followed, however, numerous state measures and
