Posts Tagged ‘history’
New pictorial histories of Loveland and Mead
Images of America series hits the bull’s-eye By Claudia Young Arcadia Publishing bills the books in this series as “pictorial history” but that doesn’t begin to describe the very real historical service they provide to the communities that find themselves to be the fortunate subjects of this series. Two books published by Arcadia in the “Images of America” series recently came to our attention: “Loveland” and “Highlandlake and Mead.” What began as a light ... Full Story
On This Day, December 29, 1890
U.S. Army massacres Indians at Wounded Knee On this day in 1890, in the final chapter of America's long Indian wars, the U.S. Cavalry kills 146 Sioux at Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota. Throughout 1890, the U.S. government worried about the increasing influence at Pine Ridge of the Ghost Dance spiritual movement, which taught that Indians had been defeated and confined to reservations because they had angered the gods by abandoning their traditional ... Full Story
On This Day: December 27, 1941
Office of Price Administration begins to ration automobile tires On this day in 1941, the federal Office of Price Administration initiates its first rationing program in support of the American effort in World War II: It mandates that from that day on, no driver will be permitted to own more than five automobile tires. President Roosevelt established the Office of Price Administration and Civilian Supply in April 1941 to "stabilize prices and rents and prevent unwarranted increases in them; to ... Full Story
On This Day: December 26, 1610
Bathory's torturous escapades are exposed On this day in 1609 or 1610 (sources are not conclusive), Count Gyorgy Thurzo makes an investigative visit to Csejthe Castle in Hungary on orders from King Matthias and discovers Countess Elizabeth Bathory directing a torture session of young girls. Bathory was already infamous in the area for her torture and murder of servants and peasants, but her title and high-ranking relatives had, until this point, made her untouchable. Her bloodthirsty ... Full Story
On This Day, December 25, 1776
Washington crosses the Delaware During the American Revolution, Patriot General George Washington crosses the Delaware River with 5,400 troops, hoping to surprise a Hessian force celebrating Christmas at their winter quarters in Trenton, New Jersey. The unconventional attack came after several months of substantial defeats for Washington's army that had resulted in the loss of New York City and other strategic points in the region. At about 11 p.m. on Christmas, Washington's army commenced its ... Full Story
On This Day, December 23, 1982
Road contamination prompts evacuation of Times Beach On this day in 1982, the Missouri Department of Health and the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) inform residents of Times Beach, Missouri that their town was contaminated when the chemical dioxin was sprayed on its unpaved roads, and that the town will have to be evacuated and demolished. By February, the federal and state governments had spent $36 million to buy every house in town except one (its owners, lifelong residents of ... Full Story
On This Day, December 22, 1775
Continental Congress creates a Continental Navy On Friday, December 22, 1775, the Continental Congress creates a Continental Navy, naming Esek Hopkins, Esq., as commander in chief of the fleet. Congress also named four captains to the new service: Dudley Saltonstall, Abraham Whipple, Nicholas Biddle and John Burrows Hopkins. Their respective vessels, the Alfred, Columbus, Andrew Doria and Cabot, became the first ships of the Navy's fleet. Five first lieutenants, including future American ... Full Story
On This Day, December 20, 1957
Elvis Presley is drafted On this day in 1957, while spending the Christmas holidays at Graceland, his newly purchased Tennessee mansion, rock-and-roll star Elvis Presley receives his draft notice for the United States Army. With a suggestive style--one writer called him "Elvis the Pelvis"--a hit movie, Love Me Tender, and a string of gold records including "Heartbreak Hotel," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel," Presley had become a national icon, and the world's first bona ... Full Story
On This Day: December 19, 1776
Thomas Paine publishes American Crisis These are the times that try men's souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. When these phrases appeared in the pages of the Pennsylvania Journal for the ... Full Story
On This Day: December 18, 1620
Mayflower docks at Plymouth Harbor On December 18, 1620, the British ship Mayflower docked at modern-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, and its passengers prepared to begin their new settlement, Plymouth Colony. The famous Mayflower story began in 1606, when a group of reform-minded Puritans in Nottinghamshire, England, founded their own church, separate from the state-sanctioned Church of England. Accused of treason, they were forced to leave the country and settle in the more tolerant ... Full Story