June 21 New Hampshire becomes the ninth and last necessary state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, thereby making the document the law of the land. – 1788. In Neshoba County in central Mississippi, three civil rights field workers disappear after investigating the burning of an African American
Flag Day continues to lose its importance each decade. It is only a symbol. Sometimes symbols are revered and can be overlooked as unimportant. They are only as significant as we make them. Flag Day should have a special place for the Fox Valley/west suburban area, especially Batavia and Aurora.
While reading an O. Henry short story recently, I came upon the word cordwainer and it delighted me. What was this word and what was its meaning? And what better was a follow-up to my previous article about socks, than shoes? Let’s go on today’s adventure! The term cordwainer entered
June 14 During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress adopts a resolution stating that “the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate stripes red and white” and that “the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.” – 1777. Residents in Paris, France are
Paul and Bill Rudigier, father and son, pose for a photo in the early 1970s in front of Paul and Bill’s Service Station in Aurora. The station moved to 300 Galena Boulevard in 1971. Bill Rudigier took over management when his father died many years ago. Bill retired June 1
June 7 Hudson Stuck, an Alaskan missionary, leads the first successful ascent of Mt. McKinley, Alaska, the highest point on the American continent at 20,320 feet. – 1913. June 8 During the Six-Day War, Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats attack the USS Liberty in international waters off of Egypt’s Gaza
Pallbearers carry the casket from the Healy Chapel in Aurora following a prayer service for Walter Backman Monday, Memorial Day, to a hearse. Backman, of the U.S. Navy, died December 7, 1941 in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His remains recently were identified and flown to Illinois for burial
The Aurora Historical Society will have many events during the Summer months at the Pierce Art and History Center, 20 E. Downer Place, and at the Tanner House Museum, 304 Oak Avenue, corner of Oak and Cedar Streets. Pierce Art and History Center: • Wednesdays-Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m., through
May 31 The famous tower clock known as Big Ben, at the top of the 320-foot-high St. Stephen’s Tower, rings out over the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London, England. – 1859. The South Fork Dam collapses and causes a flood in Johnstown, Pa., that kills more than 2,200 residents.
Aurora Police Department Police Week Memorial, Saturday, at A.P.D. Headquarters, 1200 E Indian Trail, included an annual memorial service dedicated to the memories of Alfred Olin (badge 105) and Thompson Richardson (badge 113), the only two Aurora Police officers killed in the line of duty. Memorialized were the six retired
June 5 will mark a half-century since Robert Kennedy’s assassination, in the midst of his presidential campaign and a tumultuous 1968 that claimed the life of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. just two months earlier. University of Illinois communication professor John Murphy has written about both Robert Kennedy
Princess Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anghalt-Zerbst Dornburg, later known as Catherine the Great, was born in the Kingdom of Prussia in Stettin, Pomerania April 21, 1729. Her father was a Prussian general. Two of her first cousins were Kings of Sweden, Gustav III, and Charles XIII. She was not Russian
May 24 After 14 years of construction and the deaths of 27 workers, the Brooklyn Bridge over New York’s East River opens. Newspapers call it “the eighth wonder of the world.” – 1883. A referee’s call disallowed an apparent goal for Peru in a soccer match between Peru and Argentina,
Aurora Downtown will hold an inaugural Aurora Museum Week this year June 17-23. Brian Failing made the announcement at the Aurora Regional Fire Museum during the inaugural Fox River Arts Ramble April 21. Failing, executive director of the Aurora Regional Fire Museum, debuted the event poster created by artist and
The National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. has 100 statues donated by individual states to honor notable leaders in their state’s history. Even before the completion of the present House wing in 1857, the idea of a National Statuary Hall was considered. Representative Justin S.
By Anthony Stanford – Aurora’s First Fridays event May 4 brought the largest food truck festival in the city’s history to its burgeoning downtown. The event offered an array of entertainment, including art, music, and pop-up events. At the Santori Public Library, the event had special significance because not only
There will be a short prayer service for Pearl Harbor casualty Walter H. Backman at Healy Chapel, 332 W. Downer Place in Aurora at 1 p.m. Memorial Day, Monday, May 28. Click here for more information. At 1:30 p.m. a memorial procession will leave Healy Chapel go west on Downer
Three students from East Aurora High School recently qualified to compete in the 2018 Illinois History Day competition May 3 in Springfield. State History Day qualifiers include Sam Stade and Sebastian Valerio, whose documentary on the Haymarket Riot qualified for the competition. The third state qualifier is sophomore Sama Kreidi,
May 17 U.S. Supreme Court outlaws segregation in public schools. – 1954. May 18 A crowd of more than one million protesters marches through the streets of Beijing, which was later known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre. – 1989. Mount St. Helens in Washington erupts, and kills 57. Ash from
April 30, 2018 Dear editor; I was pleased to find I am in the company of great thinkers, such as Nietzsche, who need to get away to contemplate or write because of a mind full of thoughts. A lot of times I think about our government and our participation as
