Tidbits of History, September 4

September 4 is:

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States.

Newspaper Carrier Day
Eat an Extra Dessert Day
National Wildlife Day
National Macadamia Nut Day
Per foodimentary.com:

  • Macadamia nuts are native to Australia. They are named for John Macadam, a Scottish born physician and chemist who promoted the nuts cultivation in Australia.
  • The Macadamia Nut is one of Australia’s few contributions to the world’s food plants, and this rich, buttery nut is considered by many to be the most delicious of all nuts.
  • The Macadamia was introduced into Hawaii around 1881 and used as an ornamental. The first commercial orchards of macadamias in Hawaii were not planted until 1921.
  • Most of the world’s macadamia nuts are grown on the island of Hawaii.
  • Today Macadamias are cultivated in many areas, including Indonesia, Central America, South Africa, the West Indies, Mediterranean countries and California.

Birthday of the City of Los Angeles in 1781. A group of forty-four settlers known as “Los Pobladores” founded the pueblo called “El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula”; in English it is “The Town of Our Lady the Queen of Angels of the Porciúncula River”. Two-thirds of the settlers were mestizo or mulatto with a mixture of African, indigenous and European ancestry. The settlement remained a small ranch town for decades, but by 1820 the population had increased to about 650 residents. Today, the pueblo is commemorated in the historic district of Los Angeles Pueblo Plaza and Olvera Street, the oldest part of Los Angeles.

Birthday of Marcus Whitman (September 4, 1802), American pioneer and missionary physician who, along with his wife Narcissa Whitman, started a mission to the Cayuse in what is now southeastern Washington state in 1836. The area later developed as a trading post and stop along the Oregon Trail, and the city of Walla Walla, Washington developed near there. A measles epidemic in 1847 killed all the Cayuse children and about half of the Cayuse adults. The Indians held the Whitmans responsible and killed Marcus, Narcissa, and 12 other settlers.

Sarah Polk, born September 4Birthday of Sarah Childress Polk (September 4, 1803), wife of James Knox Polk, first lady 1845-1849. From Biography of Sarah Childress Polk:

Sarah Polk is said to have been serious, religious, a proper lady in every way except in her love of politics and gentlemanly conversation. She was known to remain behind with the men to talk, rather than retire to the parlor with the ladies. Humor was never a strong point with her (or with her husband). She… eventually took on the duties of an unpaid secretary to her husband.

From Today in Science
Box Camera
In 1888, George Eastman was issued a landmark U.S. patent No. 388,850 for his box camera. On the same date, he registered the trademark name: Kodak. The Eastman Kodak company was formed 24 Apr 1888. This design was the first Kodak mass-produced camera, and brought photography to the mass market. As described in its advertising, the operation was simple: “Pull the String, Turn the Key, Press the Button.” Now anyone could take pictures family, events, indoor and outdoor scenes, and vacations, without needing special skills. Only 22-ounces in weight, it required no tripod or table for support. It used a fixed-focus lens which was still fast enough to take practically instantaneously exposures. Its roll film was enough to take 100 pictures, each 2½ inches diameter.

From Today in Science
In 1906, U.S. patent No. 830,115 was issued to Robert Eugene Turner of Norfolk, Virginia, for his invention of a “Type Writing Machine,”(typewriter) with a carriage powered by a motor to “return automatically when the end of the writing-line is reached, also to return same by pressing a key-lever on the keyboard to return the carriage at any point of its stroke.” Also, line spacing was provided by manual or automatic means. A low-powered motor was adapted to feed the carriage in the printing direction, a high-powered motor for returning the carriage in the reverse direction, and the necessary mechanism to control their action. A buffering mechanism was included to reduce the impact of the returning carriage at the end of its reverse stroke.

From Today in Science
Transcontinental Television
In 1951, President Harry Truman inaugurated transcontinental television service in the U.S. when AT&T carried his address to the opening session of the Japanese Peace Convention in San Francisco. The conference would formalize the end of hostilities with Japan, opening the door for Japan’s economic recovery. The largest single television audience to date, estimated at over 30 million people, viewed President Harry Truman, some as far away as New England. Eighty-seven stations all over the U.S. received and broadcast Truman’s speech, the result of a $40 million infrastructure investment by AT&T. Microwave radio technology transmitted the television signal from San Francisco to Chicago. From there, it was carried on existing coaxial cables to the East Coast.

Tidbits of History, September 3

September 3 is:

National Tailgating Day
U. S. Bowling League Day

pork ribsNational Baby Back Ribs Day Baby back ribs (also back ribs or loin ribs) are taken from the top of the rib cage between the spine and the spare ribs, below the loin muscle. They have meat between the bones and on top of the bones, and are shorter, curved, and sometimes meatier than spare ribs. Spare ribs, also called “spareribs” or “side ribs”, are taken from the belly side of the rib cage, below the section of back ribs and above the sternum (breast bone). St. Louis style ribs (or St. Louis cut spare ribs) have had the sternum bone, cartilage, and rib tips removed.

National Welsh Rarebit Day (originally called Welsh Rabbit) – a savory cheese sauce served over crusty toasted bread. Despite its name, the dish contains no rabbit meat.
Per foodimentary.com:

  • Welsh rarebit or Welsh rabbit is a dish made with a savoury sauce of melted cheese and various other ingredients and served hot, after being poured over slices (or other pieces) of toasted bread, or the hot cheese sauce may be served in a bowl accompanied by sliced, toasted bread.
  • Welsh rarebit is typically made with Cheddar cheese, in contrast to the Continental European fondue which classically depends on Swiss cheeses.
  • “Eighteenth-century English cookbooks reveal that it was then considered to be a luscious supper or tavern dish, based on the fine cheddar-type cheeses and the wheat breads. Surprisingly, it seems there was not only a Welsh Rabbit, but also an English Rabbit, an Irish and a Scotch Rabbit, but nary a rarebit.”
    • To make a Scotch rabbit, toast the bread very nicely on both sides, butter it, cut a slice of cheese about as big as the bread, toast it on both sides, and lay it on the bread.
    • To make a Welsh rabbit, toast the bread on both sides, then toast the cheese on one side, lay it on the toast, and with a hot iron brown the other side. You may rub it over with mustard.
    • To make an English rabbit, toast the bread brown on both sides, lay it in a plate before the fire, pour a glass of red wine over it, and let it soak the wine up. Then cut some cheese very thin and lay it very thick over the bread, put it in a tin oven before the fire, and it will be toasted and browned presently. Serve it always hot.
    • Buck rarebit (Welsh rarebit with an egg). Served with an egg on top, it makes a “buck rabbit” or a “golden buc”.
    • Welsh rarebit blended with tomato (or tomato soup) makes a “blushing bunny”.

National Skyscraper Day
After Labor Day, you can honor the construction workers and engineers who built the world’s modern architectural wonders. One European real estate data company defines a skyscraper as at least 330 feet, while in the United States a building starts to qualify around 500 feet.

King William’s War in America ended with the Treaty of Ryswick on September 3, 1697.

Cooch’s Bridge – Skirmish of American Revolutionary war in New Castle County, Delaware where the Flag of the United States was flown in battle for the first time on September 3, 1777.

Treaty of Paris Day, the anniversary of the signing in 1783 of the treaty between the United States and England, ending the Revolutionary War.

September 3
Sept 3, 1855: In Nebraska, 700 soldiers under American General William S. Harney avenge the Grattan Massacre by attacking a Sioux village, killing 100 men, women, and children.

Birthday of Louis Henri Sullivan (September 3, 1856), American architect who established the principle that form should follow function.

September 3, 1939, the United Kingdom and France declared war on Germany, following Germany’s invasion of Poland.

Road traffic in Sweden is moved from the left to the right. Dagen H (H day), today mostly called “Högertrafikomläggningen” (“The right-hand traffic diversion”), was the day, 3 September 1967, on which traffic in Sweden switched from driving on the left-hand side of the road to the right. The “H” stands for “Högertrafik”, the Swedish word for “right-hand traffic”. See article for more details.

Qatar became independent. Following Ottoman rule it became a British protectorate until gaining independence in 1971

Tidbits of History, September 2

September 2 is:

National Blueberry Popsicle Day
National Grits for Breakfast Day
From: Foodimentary.com

  • Grits (also sometimes called sofkee or sofkey from the Muskogee word) are a food of Native American origin common in the Southern United States and mainly eaten at breakfast.
  • They consist of coarsely ground corn, or sometimes alkali-treated corn (hominy).
  • Grits are similar to other thick maize-based porridges from around the world, such as polenta, or the thinner farina.
  • Grits are usually prepared by adding one part grits to two-to-three parts boiling water, sometimes seasoned with salt or sugar.
  • They are usually cooked for 5–10 minutes for “quick” grits or 20 or more minutes for whole kernel grits, or until the water is absorbed and the grits become a porridge-like consistency.

Anniversary of the historic Great London fire of 1666 which left four-fifths of London in ashes. The fire of began in the shop of the King’s baker. After burning for four days, more than 13,000 buildings had been destroyed.

From Today in Science
Julian Calendar
In 1752, today was the last day of the Julian calendar in Great Britain, Ireland and the British colonies, including those on the East coast of America. Eleven days were skipped to adopt the Gregorian calendar, designed to realign the calendar with equinoxes. Hence the following day was 14 Sep. For more than a century and a half before, following the decree by Pope Gregory XIII, Italy, and three other Catholic countries (Spain, Portugal and Poland) used the Julian calendar for the last time on 4 Oct 1582. France followed, ending Julian calendar use on 9 Dec 1582. Russia did not change until the early 20th century: 31 Jan 1918 was the last Julian date, followed the next day by 14 Feb 1918. Parts of China changed in 1912, but the Communist revolution, 1949, established Gregorian calendar use in all China.

Birthday of Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Wewehi Kamakaʻeha, (September 2, 1838), last Queen of the Hawaiian Islands, overthrown in 1893. Remembered as the author of several songs including “Aloha Oe” (Farewell to Thee).

Birthday of Eugene Field (September 2, 1850), American jounalist; author of children’s verses such as “Little Boy Blue” and “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod”.

Little Boy Blue

The little toy dog is covered with dust,
But sturdy and stanch he stands;
And the little toy soldier is red with rust,
And his musket molds in his hands.
Time was when the little toy dog was new
And the soldier was passing fair,
And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue
Kissed them and put them there.

“Now, don’t you go till I come,” he said,
“And don’t you make any noise!”
So toddling off to his trundle-bed
He dreamed of the pretty toys.
And as he was dreaming, an angel song
Awakened our Little Boy Blue,–
Oh, the years are many, the years are long,
But the little toy friends are true.

Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand,
Each in the same old place,
Awaiting the touch of a little hand,
The smile of a little face.
And they wonder, as waiting these long years through,
In the dust of that little chair,
What has become of our Little Boy Blue
Since he kissed them and put them there.

Comment: I don’t know why but this was one of my mother’s favorite poems and probably the first one I ever learned.

G.H.W.Bush Sept 2, 19441944 Future US President George H. W. Bush bailed from a burning plane during a mission in the Pacific.

September 2, 1945: Vietnam became independent, with Ho Chi Minh as leader.

The first automatic teller machine in the United States was installed on September 2, 1969 in Rockville Center, New York.

Tidbits of History, September 1

September 1 is:

Emma and Stella NuttEmma M. Nutt Day, the first woman telephone operator. In January 1878, the Boston Telephone Dispatch Company had started hiring boys as telephone operators, starting with George Willard Croy. Boys (reportedly including Nutt’s husband had been very successful as telegraphy operators, but their attitude (lack of patience) and behavior (pranks and cursing) were unacceptable for live phone contact, so the company began hiring women operators instead. A few hours after Nutt started working, her sister Stella became the world’s second female telephone operator, also making the pair the first two sister telephone operators in history.

National Gyro Day A gyro is a dish of meat roasted on a vertical spit. It is usually served as a sandwich, also called a gyros, with tomato, onion, and tzatziki sauce, wrapped in pita bread.

September 1, 1715: The reign of Louis XIV (the Sun King) of France ended with his death after 72 years on the throne, the longest recorded of any monarch of a sovereign country in European history.

The Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was founded by Father Junípero Serra in San Luis Obispo, California on September 1, 1772. Serra had established a mission in Monterey. Due to food shortages, he sent a hunting expedition to San Luis Obispo to help feed the Spanish and neophytes (natives that converted to Christianity) in Monterey. The huge success of the hunting expedition caused Junípero Serra to consider building a mission in that area. Upon further investigation, he was convinced that San Luis Obispo would be a perfect site for a mission, based on its surplus of natural resources, good weather and the Chumash, a local, friendly Native American tribe who could help provide labor. The mission became the fifth in the mission chain founded by Father Junípero Serra. San Luis Obispo is located 190 miles north of Los Angeles and 230 miles south of San Francisco.

The Boston subway, green line, opened in 1897, becoming the first underground rapid transit system in North America.

Alberta and Saskatchewan joined the Canadian Confederation on September 1, 1905.

In 1914, St. Petersburg, Russia, changes its name to Petrograd. St. Petersburg, which is Russia’s second largest urban area, was founded in 1703 by the czar Peter the Great. In 1914, the German sounding name was changed to Petrograd. Then, after the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924, the Soviet Union changed the city’s name to Leningrad. Leningrad became St. Petersburg again 67 years later when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

passenger pigeonMartha, the last Passenger Pigeon , died on September 1, 1914, making her species extinct. Its common name is derived from the French word passager, meaning “passing by”, due to the migratory habits of the species.

September 1, 1939: Nazi Germany invaded Poland, starting World War II.

Also on this day in 1939, Adolf Hitler signed an order to begin the systematic euthanasia of mentally ill and disabled people. In October 1939 Hitler empowered his personal physician and the chief of the Chancellery of the Führer to kill people considered unsuited to live. He backdated his order to September 1, 1939, the day World War II began, to give it the appearance of a wartime measure. The Nazis referred to the program’s victims as “burdensome lives” and “useless eaters.”

1952 – The Old Man and the Sea, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Ernest Hemingway, was first published.

Muammar al-Gaddafi took power in Libya, in a coup in 1969.

UzbekistanUzbekistan became independent from the Soviet Union on this date in 1991.

1997 – In France, the prosecutor’s office announced that the driver of the car, in which Britain’s Princess Diana was killed, was over the legal alcohol limit.

1998 – The movie “Titanic” went on sale across North America.

1998 – Mark McGwire (St. Louis Cardinals) hit his 56th and 57th homeruns to set a new National League record. He would eventually reach a total of 70 for the season on September 27.

1998 – J.K. Rowling’s book “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” was released in the U.S. This was the first book in the Harry Potter series.

Tidbits of History, The Month of September

September, the ninth month in our calendar, received its name from the Latin numeral septem, meaning “seventh” because it was the seventh month in the old Roman calendar. It became the ninth month when Julius Caesar changed the calendar to make January the first month. The middle of September brings autumn to the northern hemisphere and the beginning of spring to the southern hemisphere.

In Ancient Greece, September was called Boedromion. The Anglo-Saxons called it Gerstmonath, meaning “Barley month”, referring to the harvest. In other countries, it is referred to as Autumn Month; in Finland: (Syyskuu) and in German-speaking parts of Switzerland :(Herbstmonat).

It’s an important month in military history since it marks the official end of World War II, the signing of the unconditional surrender papers by Japan on September 2, 1945.

This is also a special month for veterans because The American Legion was chartered on September 16, 1919.

In late September the mothers who lost their sons and daughters in military service are honored with a day called “Gold Star Mother’s Day”

Since 2001, the month is remembered for the events of 9-11 and the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York City by Islamic terrorists.

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

The flowers for this month are the morning glory and the aster, and the birthstone is the sapphire.
MorningGlories-month of SeptemberAster, Month of September

Sapphire, month of September

September is also celebrated as the::

  • Baby Safety Month
  • Better Breakfast Month
  • Chicken Month
  • Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
  • Classical Music Month
  • Fall Hat Month
  • Hispanic Heritage Month
  • Honey Month
  • International Square Dancing Month
  • Little League Month
  • National Blueberry Popsicle Month
  • National Courtesy Month
  • National Mushroom Month
  • National Papaya Month
  • National Piano Month
  • National Potato Month
  • National Preparedness Month
  • National Rice Month
  • National School Success Month
  • National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
  • Self Improvement Month

September 9 is the day on which California became a state in 1850.

Tidbits of History, August 31

August 31 is:

National Trail Mix Day

Trail mix is a combination of dried fruit, grains, nuts, and sometimes chocolate, developed as a snack food to be taken along on outdoor hikes.
Trail mix is considered an ideal snack food for hikes, because it is tasty, lightweight, easy to store, and nutritious, providing a quick boost from the carbohydrates in the dried fruit and/or granola, and sustained energy from the mono- and polyunsaturated fats in nuts.
Many claim that trail mix was first invented in 1968 by two California surfers who blended peanuts and raisins together for an energy snack.
However, trail mix is also mentioned in Jack Kerouac’s 1958 novel The Dharma Bums as the two main characters describe their planned meals in their preparation for a hiking trip.
The recipe for trail mix is most likely European in origin, where it has been known as a snack under various names in various countries since the 17th century.

From 2201 Fascinating Facts by David Louis, published by Greenwich House, New York, 1983

Birthday of the Roman Emperor, Commodos (Aug 31, 161). He collected all the dwarfs, cripples, and freaks he could find in the city of Rome and had them brought to the Colosseum where they were ordered to fight each other to the death with meat cleavers.

Anniversary of the death of John Bunyan (August 31, 1688), English preacher renowned for “Pilgrim’s Progress”

From Today in Science
In 1909, Benjamin Shibe recieved a U.S. patent on the cork center baseball (No. 932,911). In 1909, when a baseball stadium, Shibe Park in Philadelphia was built for the Philadelphia Athletics, it was named after him as their principal owner. Later, the stadium became Connie Mack Stadium, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies until 1971. A partner in the A.J. Reach sporting goods company, Shibe invented the machinery that made possible the manufacture of standard baseballs.

1950 – Gil Hodges of the Brooklyn Dodgers hit four home runs in a single game off of four different pitchers.

Diana died August 31August 31, 1997: Diana, Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash in Paris.  Diana’s death was met with extraordinary public expressions of grief, and her funeral at Westminster Abbey on 6 September drew an estimated 3 million mourners and onlookers in London, and worldwide television coverage watched by 2.5 billion people.

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Tidbits of History, August 30

August 30 is:
Toasting Marshmallow Day: S’mores Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • Chocolate candy bar
  • Honey Graham Crackers
  • Marshmallows

Instructions:

  • Break off a square of Graham cracker
  • Add a piece of Chocolate.
  • Toast a big marshmallow over the campfire.
  • Add the hot marshmallow.
  • Top it with another graham Cracker.
  • Eat, savor and enjoy!

Note: You can make S’mores in the microwave. Just put them together and pop them into the microwave on high for 15 to 20 seconds.

The marshmallow is a confection that, in its modern form, typically consists of sugar, corn syrup, water, gelatin that has been softened in hot water, dextrose, vanilla flavorings, and sometimes coloring, whipped to a spongy consistency.
The marshmallow probably first came into being as a medicinal substance, since the mucilaginous extracts comes from the root of the marshmallow plant, Althaea officinalis, which were used as a remedy for sore throats.

Frankenstein Day, to honor the birthday of Mary Wollenstone Shelley (August 30, 1797), author of Frankenstein or, The Modern Prometheus in 1818.

Melbourne, Australia was founded on August 30, 1835.

Houston, Texas was founded by Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen in 1836. Named after former General Sam Houston, former president of the Republic of Texas. Houston is the most populous city in Texas and the fourth most populous city in the United States.

Birthday of Huey Pierce Long (August 30, 1893), Louisiana politician and lawyer.  He was the 40th Governor of Louisiana and a member of the U. S. Senate from 1932 until his assassination in 1935.

Ponchartrain August 30The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway opened on August 30th, 1956.  It is listed by Guinness World Records as the longest bridge over water (continuous).

Thurgood Marshall was confirmed as the first African American Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States in 1967.

Carter1979 President Jimmy Carter was attacked by a rabbit while on a canoe trip in Georgia. He beat it away with a paddle.

Tidbits of History, August 29

August 29 is:

More Herbs, Less Salt Day
National Chop Suey Day
Chop suey is a Chinese American dish originating in the mid to late 19th century for Chinese immigrants in San Francisco.
Chop suey consists of small pieces of meat, chicken or shrimp stir-fried with celery, onions, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, mushrooms and/or other vegetables, and served over rice, usually with soy sauce.

Difference between Chop Suey and Chow Main:
What is chop suey?

While it has roots in southern China, chop suey is one of the most popular kind of dishes in Americanized Chinese food. While its specific definition can vary from chef to chef, chop suey almost always includes some kind of meat (beef, chicken, pork, or seafood) paired with vegetables and sometimes an egg. After that, there are a few other distinguishing features:

The Base: It’s typically served with rice as its base. You might occasionally see it with steamed noodles.
The Sauce: It’s topped with a thick, starch-based gravy.
The Variations: There are too many to count—basically, chop suey is a kind of dish, with little differences at every Chinese restaurant you go to.

Ok, then, what is chow mein?

Chow mein does share some similarities with chop suey: notably, it’s made with meat (chicken, beef, pork, seafood, or tofu), vegetables, and a sauce. Both are Chinese-American staples, but there are a few distinct differences. Here’s how to tell if what you’re eating is chow mein:

The Base: It’s crispy stir-fried noodles. In fact, this is the easiest way to spot the difference between chow mein and chop suey. If there’s rice, it’s chop suey. If there are noodles, it’s probably chow mein.
The Sauce: Soy sauce, never thickened.
The Variations: Sometimes, you’ll see this same dish, but with steamed noodles. This is often called lo mein.

Birthday of John Locke (August 29, 1632), English philosopher who wrote “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding”. His arguments concerning liberty and the social contract later influenced the written works of Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and other Founding Fathers of the United States. In fact, one passage from the Second Treatise is reproduced verbatim in the Declaration of Independence, the reference to a “long train of abuses.” Such was Locke’s influence that Thomas Jefferson wrote: “Bacon, Locke and Newton… I consider them as the three greatest men that have ever lived, without any exception, and as having laid the foundation of those superstructures which have been raised in the Physical and Moral sciences”.

1786 – Shays’ Rebellion, an armed uprising of Massachusetts farmers, began in response to high debt and tax burdens.

Birthday of Oliver Wendell Holmes (August 29, 1809), American poet, essayist, and novelist.

From Asimov, Isaac. Isaac Asimov’s Book of Facts. New York, Bell Publishing Company, published in 1981:

Birthday of Charles F. Kettering, (August 29, 1876), American inventor, engineer and holder of 186 patents. He was a founder of Delco and head of research at General Motors. Among his most widely used automotive inventions were the electric starting motor and leaded gasoline. The electric automobile self-starter which was perfected in 1911 made it possible for women to drive without a male companion to crank the engine.

United States Air Force Academy opened in Colorado Springs, Colorado on this date in 1958.

Saddam HusseinAugust 29, 1990, Saddam Hussein declared that America couldn’t beat Iraq

August 29, 2005: Hurricane Katrina wreaks devastation in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. New Orleans is flooded. Responsible for the killing of an estimated 1,836 people and causing over $108 billion in damage.

Tidbits of History, August 28

August 28 is:

Race Your Mouse Day aka “Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day”.

National Cherry Turnovers Day
Darker cherries have higher antioxidant and vitamin levels than lighter ones.
On average, commercially grown cherry trees produce about 7,000 cherries annually.
Over 75% of the cherries sold in the U.S. come from Michigan.

Feast day of Saint Augustine of Hippo, patron saint of students for the priesthood. Famous for praying “Make me pure…but not yet.”

von Goethe birthday August 28, 1749Birthday of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (August 28, 1749), German poet and novelist, author of “Faust”

1830 – The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s new Tom Thumb steam locomotive raced a horse-drawn car, presaging steam’s role in U.S. railroads.

From Today in Science
In 1845, the first issue of the Scientific American was published by Rufus Porter (1792-1884), a versatile if eccentric Yankee, who was by turns a portrait-painter, schoolmaster, inventor and editor. While the paper was still a small weekly journal with a circulation less than 300, he offered it for sale. It was bought for $800 in July 1846 by 20-year-old Alfred Ely Beach (1826-1896) as editor, and Orson Desaix Munn (1824-1907). Together, they built it over the years into a great and unique periodical. Their circulation reached 10,000 by 1848, 20,000 by 1852, and 30,000 by 1853.

mlkAugust 28 – 1963: The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place; this is  where Martin Luther King, Jr. made his “I Have a Dream” speech for Civil Rights in the United States.

From Today in Science
In 1837, pharmacists John Lea and William Perrins of Worcester, England began the manufacture of Worcester Sauce. Its origin was accidental. The two Worcestershire chemists (pharmacists) whose names are on the bottle were asked to make a sauce using a recipe Lord Marcus Sandys, governor of Bengal, had brought from India. The result had a harsh, unpalatable taste. The batch was stored in their cellar, forgotten for a year. At that time, after an aging process, a chance tasting for the sauce was now tasty. Upon selling the new savory sauce, they found a sustained demand, and by 1843 they sold 14,500 per year. The exact ingredients remain a trade secret, but are known to include molasses, tamarins, onions, cloves, chillies and shallots from various countries around the world.

U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond, (D) from South Carolina, began a filibuster to prevent the Senate from voting on Civil Rights Act of 1957; he stopped speaking 24 hours and 18 minutes later, the longest filibuster ever conducted by a single Senator. He changed political parties to become a Republican in 1964 because of his opposition to the Civil Rights Act and his support of Barry Goldwater.

1968 Police and anti-war demonstrators clashed in the streets of Chicago, Illinois, as the Democratic National Convention nominated Hubert H. Humphrey for president.

Tidbits of History, August 27

August 27 is:

Global Forgiveness Day, sometimes celebrated July 7th.
National Pots de Creme Day
Pot de crème is a loose French dessert custard dating to the 17th century.
The name means “pot of custard” or “pot of creme”, which also refers to the porcelain cups in which the dessert is served.

Just Because Day – Finally, you have a chance to do something without a rhyme or reason. Most often in life, we do things because we have to, or it’s expected of us. None of those reasons apply today.

320px-Tizian_041Anniversary of the death of Titian (August 27, 1576), Italian painter famous for “The Assumption of the Virgin”. For more samples of Titian’s works, see Wikiart.

1776 – Battle of Long Island: in what is now Brooklyn, New York, British forces under General William Howe defeated Americans under General George Washington.

1859 – Petroleum was discovered in Titusville, Pennsylvania, leading to the world’s first commercially successful oil well. The first oil millionaire was Jonathan Watson, a resident of Titusville. He owned the land where Col. Edwin L. Drake’s (of Seneca Oil Company) well was drilled. He had been a partner in a lumber business prior to the success of the Drake well. At one time it was said that Titusville had more millionaires per 1,000 population than anywhere else in the world.

LBJ born August 27Birthday of Lyndon B Johnson (August 27, 1908), 36th President of the United States. According to FunFacts.com:

  1. Johnson was the only president to take Oath of Office on an airplane from a woman.
  2. Almost every family member’s name was initialed LBJ-Lyndon Baines,Lady Bird,Lynda Bird,and Luci Baines.
  3. LBJ was the youngest senate majority leader.
  4. Johnson had loved the soda Fresca that a fountain was installed in the Oval Office that would dispense it.
  5. He was named after W.C. Linden,a lawyer and a family friend.
  6. His favorite foods were canned green peas and tapioca.
  7. LBJ died one mile from the house he was born in.
  8. He rejected his portrait,saying that it was “the ugliest thing he ever saw.”
  9. He and his wife were married with a $2.50 wedding ring bought at Sears.
  10. During the 1964 election LBJ had lead with the most electoral votes(486) until Ronald Reagan(525).

The Kellogg–Briand Pact outlawing war was signed by the first 15 nations to do so in 1928. Ultimately sixty-one nations would sign it.

1964 – The Walt Disney musical film Mary Poppins was released.

August 27, 2008, Barack Obama became the first African-American to be nominated by a major political party for President of the United States.

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