Monday, October 20th, 2014
• On Oct. 26, 1776, a month after being named a diplomatic agent, Benjamin Franklin sets sail from Philadelphia for France, where he was to negotiate and secure a formal alliance and treaty. While Franklin’s personal achievements...
Monday, October 13th, 2014
• On Oct. 13, 1792, the cornerstone is laid for a presidential residence in the capital city of Washington. In 1800, President John Adams became the first president to reside in the executive mansion, which soon became...
Monday, October 6th, 2014
• On Oct. 11, 1809, explorer Meriwether Lewis dies under mysterious circumstances at Grinder’s Tavern in Tennessee. Most historians have concluded that Lewis’ death was a suicide brought on by depression over financial worries, but some believe...
Monday, September 29th, 2014
• On Oct. 4, 1937, legendary blues singer Bessie Smith is buried near Philadelphia. Smith was killed a few days earlier when the old Packard she was driving hit a parked truck near Coahoma, Mississippi. In 1923,...
Monday, September 22nd, 2014
• On Sept. 28, 1542, Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sails into present-day San Diego Bay during his explorations on behalf of Spain. Despite his reports of the appealing California coastline, the first Spanish settlement was not...
Monday, September 15th, 2014
• On Sept. 17, 1884, Judge Allen disposes of 13 criminal cases on his docket in only six minutes. A defendant in Oakland, California’s criminal court did not stand much of a chance of gaining an acquittal....
Monday, September 8th, 2014
• On Sept. 10, 1813, in the first unqualified defeat of a British naval squadron in history, U.S. naval commander Oliver Hazard Perry leads a fleet of nine American ships to victory over a squadron of six...
Monday, September 1st, 2014
• On Sept. 2, 31 B.C., at the Battle of Actium, Roman leader Octavian wins a decisive victory against the forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, queen of Egypt. Antony and Cleopatra broke though the enemy lines...
Monday, August 25th, 2014
• On Aug. 31, 1888, Mary Ann Nichols, the first victim of London serial killer “Jack the Ripper,” is found murdered. The police were at a complete loss for suspects. However, two letters alluded to facts known...
Monday, August 18th, 2014
• On Aug. 19, 1812, the U.S. Navy frigate Constitution defeats the British frigate Guerrière in an engagement off the coast of Nova Scotia. The British shot merely bounced off the Constitution’s sides, as if the ship...