Pearl S. Buck On June 26, 1892, American author Pearl S. Buck was born in Hillsboro, West Virginia. She spent much of her life in China and her fiction often focused on Chinese families wrestling with love, adversity, and loss. Her best-selling work, The Good Earth, won the 1938 Nobel Prize in Literature. 📖📚🏅 Did […]

On this day in 1859, Mildred J. Hill, the composer of “Happy Birthday to You” was born in Louisville, Kentucky. An innovator in education, she wrote: “Good Morning to All” with her sister, Patty. Published in the 1890s, the song was intended for use by teachers to greet their pupils at the beginning of the […]

On June 28, 1870, Congress established the first federal holidays. There were only four initially - New Year’s Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. 🎉🇺🇸🦃🎄Today, there are eleven federal holidays - the most recently established is Juneteenth. The “federal” holiday designation is quite literal – though many businesses follow the federal calendar for days off, […]

On this day in 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act, officially creating the U.S. Interstate Highway System. The new system of highways (41,000 miles in total) greatly improved infrastructure and increased the efficiency of nationwide travel.⁠ ⁠ The project is considered one of the most important achievements of Eisenhower’s presidency. ⁠ […]

On June 29, 1906, Mesa Verde National Park was established in southwestern Colorado to protect a large grouping of ancient cliff dwellings. The dwellings, built by the Ancestral Pueblo, are estimated to be over 700 years old! Aside from being a national park, Mesa Verde is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of […]

On June 30, 1768, First Lady Elizabeth Monroe was born in New York, New York. While her husband served as minister to France during the French Revolution, Monroe played a critical role in saving the Marquis de Lafayette’s wife from imprisonment. The couple was very popular in France, where Elizabeth was affectionately referred to as […]

On this day in 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg began in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. In the bloodiest engagement of the Civil War, tens of thousands of men were killed in battle. The battle, won by Union forces, marked a turning point in the war as the Confederacy was prevented from invading farther north. The victory also […]

On July 3, 1890, Idaho was admitted into the Union as our 43rd state. A largely rural state with lots of wilderness area, Idaho is known for its potato crop as well as an abundance of gemstones. 72 different types of precious and semi-precious stones are found in the state. Did you know? Western Idaho […]

On this day in 1872, 30th president Calvin Coolidge was born in Plymouth, Vermont. He is the only U.S. president to share a birthday with the country he served. 🎂 🇺🇸 🎂⁠ ⁠ After President Harding’s death in 1923, Vice President Coolidge took office, markedly cleaning up corruption from the previous administration and retaining the […]

On this day in 1747, Revolutionary War naval captain John Paul Jones was born in Arbigland, Scotland. He is remembered as the “Father of the United States Navy” for his prominent role as captain, as well as for his tenacity and courage in battle. Bringing the Revolution to the enemy’s home waters, Jones led several […]

On July 7, 1768, America’s first patriotic song, “Liberty Song,” was published in the Pennsylvania Gazette and Pennsylvania Journal in Philadelphia. Written by founding father John Dickinson, it served as a response to the Townshend Acts of 1767, the most recent in a series of taxes imposed on the colonies by Great Britain. “Liberty Song” […]

On July 9, 1819, Elias Howe Jr., the inventor of the modern sewing machine, was born in Spencer, Massachusetts. His patent for the first lockstitch sewing machine contributed much to mass clothing production. 🧵🪡👔👚 Though machine production did not prove profitable for Howe, he became wealthy as other companies utilized his technology, collecting royalties and […]

On this day in 1767, 6th president John Quincy Adams was born in Braintree, Massachusetts. He was the first U.S. president to be the son of another U.S. president. The younger Adams’ time in the White House was marked by the contentious presidential election of 1824 against Andrew Jackson, improvements in infrastructure, and the formation […]

On July 12, 1817, American writer and philosopher Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts. One of the leading transcendentalists, Thoreau ruminated on nature, justice, and self-perception. His oft-assigned Walden discusses nature and self-reliance while “Civil Disobedience” (in part a response to Thoreau’s disgust with the Mexican-American War) has inspired such leading civil rights […]

On this day in 1787, Congress adopted the Northwest Ordinance, which established formal procedures for transitioning American territories into states, encouraged public education, and, perhaps most importantly, banned slavery in the Northwest Territory. Did you know? The Northwest Territory consisted of the current states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and parts of Minnesota. Almost […]

On July 14, 1943, the George Washington Carver National Monument was established near Carver’s birthplace of Diamond, Missouri. It was the first national monument dedicated to an African American and non-president and honors Carver’s life and work as an agricultural scientist and inventor. 🥜🥜🥜 Born into slavery near the end of the Civil War, Carver […]

On this day in 1913, 38th president Gerald Ford was born in Omaha, Nebraska. During his administration, the United States exited the Vietnam War and faced a domestic energy crisis. Ford is remembered as the successor to Richard Nixon, who resigned amidst the Watergate Scandal – Ford controversially pardoned the former president. Did you know? […]

On July 16, 1790, our national capital, Washington, D.C., was founded on the Potomac River as George Washington signed the Residence Act into law. The president was tasked with choosing the exact location and a new district was formed from land donated by both Maryland and Virginia. 🏛🇺🇸⛲️ Ironically enough, Washington was the only U.S. […]

On this day in 1862, civil rights and women’s rights activist Ida B. Wells was born in Holly Springs, Missouri. An investigative journalist, she reported on and exposed the violence of lynchings in the South and spoke out against segregation. During this time, Wells received threats to her life and work but did not waver […]

On July 17, 1955, Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California. Predating Disney World by 16 years, Disneyland has remained an iconic American theme park and has welcomed over 700 million visitors since its opening. 🥳🏰🎡⛲️🎢 Did you know? The opening itself was considered a disaster by staff, who referred to the day as “Black Sunday.” Counterfeit […]

On July 19, 1848, the Seneca Falls Convention began in Seneca Falls, New York. The two-day convention for women’s rights is traditionally considered the beginning of the organized women’s rights movement in the United States. Figureheads Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott were inspired to organize the convention after being denied as delegates at the […]

On this day in 1848, the Seneca Falls Convention began in Seneca Falls, New York. The two-day convention for women’s rights is traditionally considered the beginning of the organized women’s rights movement in the United States. Figureheads Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott were inspired to organize the convention after being denied as delegates at […]

On this day in 1969, Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11) became the first men to walk on the moon. In this first successful moon landing, the men spent 2 ½ hours on the surface of the moon, collecting samples, taking pictures, and planting an American flag. The event was (and is!) significant […]

On July 21, 1864, First Lady Frances Cleveland was born in Buffalo, New York. A very popular and social First Lady, she held two public White House receptions each week – the one on Saturday afternoon was specifically scheduled with women who worked during the week in mind. She was so popular, in fact, that the […]

On this day in 1861, the first major battle of the Civil War, the First Battle of Bull Run, took place just north of Manassas, Virginia. Though the Civil War had officially begun months earlier at Fort Sumter, Bull Run set the tone for the war, illuminating the reality of just how long and bloody […]

Sweating today? ☀️🔥☀️🔥 Americans in 1936 could relate. In July 1936, the United States experienced a devastating heatwave with highs that went into the 120s(!). It was the hottest recorded month in U.S. history and 25% of U.S. daily heat records were set that summer. Middle America was hit especially hard, already suffering from the […]

On this day in 1897, American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart was born in Atchison, Kansas. She’s credited with many records and notable accomplishments, including being the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She was also the first woman to make a transatlantic flight, though she didn’t see it as a major […]

On July 25, 1775, First Lady Anna Harrison was born in Morristown, New Jersey. She spent only one month as First Lady, as her husband, William Henry Harrison, died shortly after taking office. She did not attend the inauguration and never even entered the White House. Though she grew up in the East, even attending […]

On July 26, 1788, New York ratified the Constitution, making it our 11th state. It contains the nation’s most populous city (New York City) which once served as our nation’s capital (Washington was sworn in there in 1789). It has also produced the most vice presidents. Did you know? Buffalo wings, beloved both nationally and […]

On this day in 1866, Lavinia (“Vinnie”) Ream became the first female artist to receive a commission from the U.S. government. Her project? A full-body statue of the recently deceased Abraham Lincoln. The piece still stands in the Capitol Rotunda today. A child prodigy, Ream was only 18 at the time of the commission, making […]

Happy National Cheesecake Day! Cheesecake dates back to the ancient Greeks, who made a type of cheesecake with fresh cheese and honey. 🧀🍮🍯 Though this beloved dessert didn’t originate in the United States, its composition was revolutionized by the American invention of cream cheese in 1872, which was then used for cheesecake in the 1930s. […]

On this day in 1790, the first U.S. patent was issued to Samuel Hopkins for an apparatus used to make pearlash and potash (types of ash used for soap, leavening, fertilizer, and industry). The patent was signed by both President George Washington and future president Thomas Jefferson. The U.S. Patent Office had been created earlier […]

On August 1, 1876, Colorado was admitted to the Union as our 38th state. The date is reflected in its nickname, “The Centennial State,” which refers to the 100th anniversary of American independence. With a beautiful landscape dominated by the Rocky Mountains, Colorado is home to 75% (!) of all U.S. land 10,000+ feet above […]

On this day in 1819, American novelist Herman Melville was born in New York, New York. He’s best-known for his feat of American literature, Moby-Dick. Melville had a colorful life. As a child, he experienced both lavish wealth and money troubles – though part of a prominent family, his merchant father went into bankruptcy, dying […]

On this day in 1790, the first United States Census began, fulfilling the Constitution’s requirement of a population count. The census was (and still is) important in determining representation. The first census asked only six questions and didn't record any names aside from the head of household. Did you know? In every census from 1790-to […]

On August 2, 1776, members of the Second Continental Congress began signing the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though the document had been approved earlier (on July 4th as we all know), only president of Congress John Hancock’s name was printed on copies distributed that month. Did you know? The delegates were not ecstatic […]

On this day in 1901, musician Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. A stupendous trumpeter and vocalist, he is considered one of the most influential figures in the history of jazz music. 🎺🎶🎷🎶🎺 Born in one of the poorest neighborhoods of New Orleans to a single mother, Armstrong’s beginnings were not privileged. As […]

On this day in 1735, newspaper publisher John Peter Zenger was acquitted of seditious libel for publishing critical pieces on the royal governor of New York. The ruling laid the groundwork for freedom of the press in America. 🇺🇸 🗞 🔏 🗞 🇺🇸 At the time, under English common law, seditious libel was defined as […]

On August 6, 1861, First Lady Edith Roosevelt was born in Norwich, Connecticut. Wife to the inimitable Theodore Roosevelt, Edith’s marriage was preceded by a long friendship with Theodore and his family that dated back to infancy. 👶🧒 With her husband often away, Roosevelt proved strong and capable, often running a household of six children […]