July 2 Africans on the Cuban schooner Amistad rise up against their captors, kill two crew members, and seize control of the ship, which had been transporting them to a life of slavery on a sugar plantation in Puerto Principe, Cuba. – 1839. U.S. president James A. Garfield, who had
We share some prophecy from the Hopi Nation: Hopis’ ancient knowledge and prophecies are warning through many signs, that we have entered a dangerous period in our lives. Mankind must return to peaceful ways, and halt the destruction of Mother Earth, or we are going to destroy ourselves. Joseph White
The year was 1787 when the idea for the presidency was born at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Taking notes was James Madison which then thrust the room full of delegates into a sudden silence. All knew it was a moment of fateful significance. After days of heated argument and
June 25 Native American forces, led by Chiefs Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, defeat the U.S. Army troops of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer in a bloody battle near southern Montana’s Little Bighorn River. – 1876. Fair Labor Standards Act passes Congress which bans child labor and sets the 40-hour
“Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Jesus to Mary Magdalene at his empty tomb. (John 20:15) The cave, east of Aix-en-Provence, is called Sainte-Baume. According to Roman Catholic tradition, Mary Magdalene spent the last 30 years of her life there. The surrounding forest leads to a small
Bernard Cigrand moved to the Fox Valley in 1913. He was 47 at the time, a prominent dentist who relocated his successful practice to Aurora in 1920 from Batavia. Dr. Cigrand died in 1932, before figuratively returning to the Fox Valley area 70 years later, the Fox Valley Park District’s
June 18 The War of 1812 begins in response to the British economic blockade of France, the induction of American seamen into the British Royal Navy against their will, and the British support of hostile Indian tribes along the Great Lakes frontier. – 1812. At Waterloo in Belgium, Napoleon Bonaparte
“May the breezes of Summer that breathe of perfume, waft their balmiest dews to so hallowed a shrine.” — Shelley Beulah O’Brien was a 24-year old bank cashier at the Metropolitan Trust in New York City. The year was 1939. Beulah was fond of wearing the latest fashions, her brown
Quite a turn life has taken since my last column. Poor Mr. George Floyd was murdered by police, which set off worldwide protests, COVID-19 deaths continue to mount, and our favorite cat ran off but was fortunately found by a nice family a half-mile away the next day. But to
June 11 The Continental Congress selects Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, and Robert R. Livingston of New York to draft a declaration of independence. – 1776. Five days after the D-Day landing, the five Allied landing groups, made up
Queen Victoria came to the English throne in 1837. The River Thames was the wide meandering river then, just as it had been for centuries. Twice a day the River ebbed and flowed as far up as Teddington. The Victorian age saw many improvements, including the umbrella, flushing toilets, letter
June 4 The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to guarantee women the right to vote, is passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. – 1919. Japanese Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, commander of the fleet that attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, launches a raid on Midway Island with almost
May 28 A 22-year-old lieutenant colonel of the Virginia militia named George Washington successfully defeats a party of French and Indian scouts in southwest Pennsylvania when Virginia attempts to lay claim to the territory for its settlers. The action snowballed into the Seven Years’ War and began the military career
What did you miss the most during March and April when you were home-bound? The hugs from loved ones? The ability to come and go as you pleased? Meeting friends for lunch at a favorite restaurant? Tickets to a concert or event that you had purchased? Visiting loved ones in
May 21 In Washington, D.C., humanitarians Clara Barton and Adolphus Solomons found the American National Red Cross, an organization established to provide humanitarian aid to victims of wars and natural disasters. – 1881. Connecticut becomes the first state to pass a law regulating motor vehicles by limiting their speed to
The Tang Dynasty (618AD to 907AD) began panda diplomacy. According to a Japanese royal yearbook, the Chinese emperor sent the Japanese ruler two white bears and 70 pieces of their fur in 685. They were two giant pandas. The panda is a bear, native to south central China and part
The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly has made its way all over the globe and into every corner of our lives. Its far-reaching reverberations have drawn comparisons to major historical episodes, such as the 1918 Spanish Influenza and the Great Depression. It is clear that we are living through an historic event
May 14 One year after the United States doubled its territory with the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark Expedition leaves St. Louis, Mo., on a mission to explore the Northwest from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. – 1804. In Tel Aviv, Jewish Agency chairman David Ben-Gurion proclaims
May 7 Martinique’s Mount Pele, near the city of Saint Pierre, begins the deadliest volcanic eruption of the 20th Century. The city of Saint Pierre was buried within minutes and virtually everyone died instantly. – 1902. The German High Command, in the person of General Alfred Jodl, signs the unconditional
April 30 Representatives of the United States and Napoleonic France conclude negotiations for the Louisiana Purchase, a massive land sale that doubles the size of the young American republic. What was known as Louisiana Territory comprised most of modern-day United States between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains, with the
