Category Archives: Presidential History

National Licorice Day
National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day
Big Wind Day

Russian Cosmonaut Day, marking the day of Yuri Gagarin’s space flight in 1961. He was the first human to journey into outer space.

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

King Charles VII, who was assassinated in 1167, was the first Swedish king with the name of Charles. No one knows why he was called VII when there was no I, II, III, etc. Almost 300 years passed before there was a Charles VIII (1448-57)
He was born c 1130; died 12 April 1167.

In the United Kingdom, King Charles I was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Following his death the monarchy was abolished and the Commonwealth of England was established as a republic. The monarchy was restored to Charles’s son Charles II in 1660.
King Charles II, byname The Merry Monarch, king of Great Britain and Ireland, was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.

King Charles III is the current monarch of the United Kingdom. He was coronated May 6, 2023.

1606 – The Union Flag was adopted as the flag of English and Scottish ships.

Birthday of Henry Clay (1777), American statesman known as the “Great Compromiser”. Henry Clay served in Congress and as Secretary of State under President John Quincy Adams.

Texan envoys signed Treaty of Annexation with the United States on April 12, 1844.

Fort Sumter Day is the anniversary of the bombardment of Fort Sumter in 1861 which started the American Civil War

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945; Vice-President Harry Truman was sworn in as the 33rd President. FDR died at Warm Springs, Georgia at age 63 of a massive cerebral hemorrhage (stroke).

On this day in 1955, the polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, was declared safe and effective.

1961 – The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into outer space and perform the first manned orbital flight, in Vostok 3KA-2 (Vostok 1).

April 11 is the 102nd day of the year.

National Cheese Fondue Day
Eight Track Tape Day
Barbershop Quartet Day
National Submarine Day

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

William of Orange faced an insoluble legal dilemma when he sought the crown of England in 1689 after the flight of James II.
Only Parliament could declare William king but only the king could summon Parliament.
A hurriedly gathered convention got around the dilemma by simultaneously offering William the crown and declaring itself a Parliament.
William was crowned April 11, 1689 along with Mary, his wife.

April 11, 1814 – Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to the island of Elba.

President McKinley asked for Spanish-American War declaration on April 11, 1898.

In 1921 Iowa became the first state to impose a cigarette tax.

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing.

Apollo 13 was launched on April 11, 1970. Its three man crew were James A. Lovell, Jr., John L. Swigert, Jr., and Fred W. Haise, Jr. It was the seventh manned Moon mission in the Apollo program. The lunar landing was aborted after an oxygen tank in the service module (SM) failed two days into the mission. The crew instead looped around the Moon, and returned safely to Earth on April 17.

The Apple I was created on April 11, 1976. The Apple I went on sale in July 1976 at a price of US$666.66. As of 2013, sixty-three Apple I computers have been confirmed to exist. Only six have been verified to be in working condition.

1985 – Scientists in Hawaii measured the distance between the earth and moon within one inch.

1986 – Kellogg’s stopped giving tours of its breakfast-food plant. The reason for the end of the 80-year tradition was said to be that company secrets were at risk due to spies from other cereal companies.

April 8 is All is Ours Day May be viewed as a time to appreciate the beauty of nature that we can all enjoy or to count the blessings in your own life.

Buddha’s birthday is celebrated in Hawaii, Japan, and Korea.——what year? Somewhere between 563 BC to 483 BC.

Born Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal. Siddhārtha lived in luxury; his father kept trouble and hard work far from him. A seer predicted that if Siddhārtha stayed inside his palace his whole life, then he would become a great king. However, if he left the palace, then he would become a great religious leader. The king did not want his son to become a religious leader. He kept Siddhartha in the palace for his whole childhood.

When he was older, his father found a woman for Siddhārtha to marry at the age of 16. He married the woman named Yashodhara, and they had a son, Rahula. Although Gautama had everything he could want, he still was not happy. He wanted to learn the meaning of his existence.

He got out of the castle against his father’s orders. He saw the “Four Passing Sights”: an old crippled man, a sick man, a dead man, and a holy man with no home. Right then, Gautama knew that nothing can stop people from being born, becoming old, getting sick, and dying. He decided to give up his worldly life. He would not keep his wives, his children, his wealth, or his palace. He would become a holy man with no home. He would look for the answer to the problem of birth, old age, sickness, and death. He left his home in the middle of a dark and stormy night.

On this day in 1093, the new Winchester Cathedral was dedicated by Walkelin, the first Norman bishop of Winchester. It is the burial site of various early kings of England, bishops, and other notables including (in 1817) author, Jane Austen.

On April 8, 1820 – The Venus de Milo was discovered on the Aegean island of Melos. It is currently on permanent display at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

1869- American Museum of Natural History opens in New York City. It is the largest museum dedicated to Natural History in the world.

1904 – Longacre Square in Midtown Manhattan, New York, is renamed Times Square after The New York Times.

1913 – The 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution, requiring direct election of Senators, became law.

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the state legislatures.

When vacancies happen in the representation of any state in the Senate, the executive authority of such state shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, that the legislature of any state may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.

This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.

Birthday of Elizabeth Ann “Betty” Ford (1918), wife of Gerald Ford; first lady 1974-1977. Born Elizabeth Ann Bloomer in Chicago, Betty married Gerald Ford in 1948. They had four children: Michael Gerald Ford (born 1950), John Gardner Ford (nicknamed Jack; born 1952), Steven Meigs Ford (born 1956), and Susan Elizabeth Ford (born 1957). Betty Ford died of natural causes on July 8, 2011, three months after her 93rd birthday.

On April 8, 1943, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt , in an attempt to check inflation, froze wages and prices, prohibited workers from changing jobs unless the war effort would be aided thereby, and barred rate increases by common carriers and public utilities.

On April 8, 1952,U.S. President Harry Truman called for the seizure of all domestic steel mills to prevent a nationwide strike.

1959 One of the first modern programming languages was created – The Common Business-Oriented Language or COBOL was primarily designed by a woman, Grace Hopper. Also known as Amazing Grace, she is regarded as one of the pioneers in the field.

1974 Hammerin’ Hank Aaron hits 715th HR, breaking Babe Ruth’s record in Atlanta, Georgia.

April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 269 days remaining until the end of the year.

National Caramel Popcorn Day

Plan Your Epitaph Day

Sorry Charlie Day – It’s actually a day to reflect upon the rejections you have experienced in life and realize the world kept spinning despite them.

1199 – English King Richard I was killed by an arrow at the siege of the castle of Chaluz in France.

Scotland’s independence was confirmed with the Declaration of Arbroath on April 6, 1320. A letter in Latinwas submitted to Pope John XXII, dated 6 April 1320, intended to confirm Scotland’s status as an independent, sovereign state and defending Scotland’s right to use military action when unjustly attacked.

Birthday of Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino) (April 6, 1483), Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. Also anniversary of his death in 1520, on his 37th birthday. A sample of his work can be seen at Raphael Paintings.org

1606 – The Virginia Company of London was established by royal charter by James I of England with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America.

April 6, 1808 – John Jacob Astor incorporated the American Fur Company.

Anniversary of the founding of the Latter Day Saint movement by Joseph Smith in 1830.

Birthday of Joseph Lincoln Steffens (April 6, 1866), American journalist, foremost figure among the muckrakers who exposed political and business corruption in the U.S. He preferred revolution over reforms and supported the Soviet Union.

On this date in 1893, cornerstone of the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah was laid.

In 1896, President Benjamin Harrison (In office 1889-1893) at age 62 married Mary Scott Lord Dimmick, the widowed 37-year-old niece and former secretary of his deceased wife at St Thomas Protestant Episcopal Church in New York City. Harrison’s two adult children, Russell, 41 years old at the time, and Mary (Mamie) McKee, 38, disapproved of the marriage and did not attend the wedding. Benjamin and Mary had one child together, Elizabeth (February 21, 1897 – December 26, 1955).

Anniversary of the formal opening of the first of the Modern Olympic games at Athens, Greece on April 6, 1896. 14 nations and 241 athletes competed in 43 events.

On April 6, 1909, the North Pole was reached by Americans Robert Peary and Matthew Henson.

New Beers Eve – In 1933, the Cullen-Harrison Act allowed production of beer to resume in the United States, with the caveat beer remain no more than 3.2% alcohol by weight. On April 7, the act became law, and beer production began – thus marking the imminent end of Prohibition. Upon signing the legislation, F. D. Roosevelt made his famous remark, “I think this would be a good time for a beer.”

April 5 is:
Easter Sunday in 2026.

Caramel Day As early as the seventeenth century, American women were using caramelized sugar and water to make candies. It was a rather economical candy to produce. Around the year 1850, someone discovered that by adding milk and a fat product to the cooked sugar mixture that a soft, chewy candy would be produced. This candy very quickly became popular.

In Virginia, Native American Pocahontas married English colonist John Rolfe on April 5, 1614.

Pocahontas was the daughter of Powhatan, the leader of an alliance of Algonquian-speaking people living in the Tidewater region of Virginia at the time English settlers landed at Jamestown in 1607. She was captured and held for ransom by the Colonists during hostilities in 1613. During her captivity, she was encouraged to convert to Christianity and was baptized under the name Rebecca. She married tobacco planter John Rolfe in April 1614 at age 17, and she bore their son Thomas Rolfe in January 1615. In 1616, the Rolfes traveled to London where Pocahontas was presented to English society as an example of the “civilized savage” in hopes of stimulating investment in the Jamestown settlement. She became something of a celebrity, was elegantly feted, and attended a masque at Whitehall Palace. In 1617, the Rolfes set sail for Virginia, but Pocahontas died at Gravesend in Kent, England, of unknown causes, aged 20 or 21.

On this day in 1621, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, Massachusetts on a return trip to England. The Mayflower made excellent time on her voyage back to England. The westerly winds that had buffeted her coming out pushed her along going home, and she arrived at the home port of Rotherhithe in London on May 6, 1621, less than half the time that it had taken her to sail to America.

April 5, 1722 – Jacob Roggeveen became the first European to land on Easter Island, landing there on Easter Sunday.

In 1792, U.S. President George Washington exercised his authority to veto a bill, the first time this power was used in the United States. The bill introduced a new plan for dividing seats in the House of Representatives that would have increased the amount of seats for northern states. Jefferson convinced Washington that the bill was unconstitutional. Washington exercised his veto power only one other time during his two terms in office. He vetoed an act that would have reduced the number of Cavalry units in the army.

Birthday of Joseph Lister (April 5, 1827), English physician, founder of aseptic surgery.

April 5, 1933 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed two executive orders: 6101 to establish the Civilian Conservation Corps, and 6102 “forbidding the Hoarding of Gold Coin, Gold Bullion, and Gold Certificates” by U.S. citizens.

1936 Tupelo, Mississippi virtually annihilated by a tornado, 216 Tupelo residents died. According to Wikipedia: The 1936 Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak was an outbreak of at least 12 tornadoes that struck the Southeastern United States from April 5–6, 1936. Approximately 454 people were killed by these tornadoes—419 by two tornadoes alone. This outbreak is the second deadliest ever recorded in US history. Notably, among the survivors were one-year-old Elvis Presley and his parents.

1972 The regular MLB season fails to open due to a player strike for the first time in history; 86 games were lost before the labor dispute settled.

National Cordon Bleu Day a dish of meat wrapped around cheese, then breaded and pan-fried or deep-fried.
School Librarian Day

1581 – Francis Drake was knighted for completing a circumnavigation of the world.

In 1660, English King Charles II sent “Declaration of Breda” granting toleration of religion in areas where it did not disturb the peace of the kingdom.

Robert Walpole became the first Prime Minister of Great Britain on April 4, 1721.

Publication of Federalist Paper #77: The Appointing Power Continued and Other Powers of the Executive Considered written by Alexander Hamilton in 1788.
“This paper brings to a close a series of papers defending the powers granted to the executive branch and the limits placed on that power. The key principle here is a balance between the need for a powerful and energetic executive, something lacking in the Articles of Confederation, with the imperative of ensuring that the executive does not have enough power to threaten American liberty.”
From www.gradesaver.com

April 4, 1818 – The United States Congress adopted the Flag of the United States with 13 red and white stripes and one star for each state (then 20).

April 4, 1841 – William Henry Harrison died. He was the ninth President of the United States for 31 days, the shortest-ever time in office for a US President. He died of pneumonia at age 68. His inaugural address took two hours and the ceremony was on a cold and wet day. He then rode through the streets of Washington in a parade and attended three inaugural balls. Three weeks after the event he developed a cold, pneumonia, and pleurisy. Doctors gave the cause of death as pneumonia, jaundice and septicemia. He was the first U. S. president to die in office. His death sparked a brief constitutional crisis regarding succession to the presidency, because the Constitution was unclear as to whether Vice President John Tyler should assume the office of president or merely execute the duties of the vacant office. Tyler claimed a constitutional mandate to become the new president and took the presidential oath of office, setting an important precedent for an orderly transfer of the presidency and its full powers when the previous president fails to complete the elected term.

Los Angeles, California was incorporated as a city in 1850.

1865 – American Civil War: A day after Union forces capture Richmond, Virginia, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln visited the Confederate capital.

1949 – Twelve nations signed the North Atlantic Treaty creating the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It now is comprised of 29 member nations.

April 4, 1968 – Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr in Memphis, Tennessee.

1973 – The World Trade Center in New York was officially dedicated. Stood for 28 years.

Microsoft was founded as a partnership between Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1975. Microsoft’s Net Worth is approximately $69.96 Billion.

National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day

1638 – Swedish colonists establish the first European settlement in Delaware, naming it New Sweden.

Birthday of John Tyler (March 29, 1790), tenth president of the U.S.

Points of Interest about John Tyler:

• Tyler was the first vice-president to become President due to the death of a president, (William Henry Harrison)
• Tyler was the first president to have impeachment proceedings begun against him.
• Tyler was the first president to have Congress override his veto.
• Tyler was the first president whose wife died while he was in office. (Letitia)
• Tyler was the first president to marry while in office. (Julia)
• Tyler was the only president to hold office in the Confederacy.
• Five years after leaving office, Tyler was so poor he was unable to pay a bill for $1.25 until he had sold his corn crop.
• The tradition of playing “Hail to the Chief” whenever a president appears at state functions was started by Tyler’s second wife, Julia.
• He was nicknamed “His Accidency” due to the way in which he assumed office.
• According to the Census of 1840, the U. S. population was at 17 million people, including 14 million whites and 2.8 million blacks, free and slave
• Tyler fathered 15 children, 8 with Letitia and 7 more with Julia.

1806 – Construction was authorized of the Great National Pike, better known as the Cumberland Road, becoming the first United States federal highway.

Queen Victoria gave Royal Assent to the British North America Act which established the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867.

Dr. John Pemberton brewed the first batch of Coca-Cola in a backyard in Atlanta, Georgia on March 29, 1886.

1936 – In Germany, Adolf Hitler received 99% of the votes in a referendum to ratify Germany’s illegal reoccupation of the Rhineland, receiving 44.5 million votes out of 45.5 million registered voters.

On 7 March 1936, in violation of the Treaty of Versailles, German troops marched into the Rhineland and other regions along the Rhine. This was the first of the aggressive military actions of Nazi Germany that contributed to the outbreak of World War II.

1961 – The Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, allowing residents of Washington, D.C., to vote in presidential elections.

Section 1. The District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as the Congress may direct:

A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a State, but in no event more than the least populous State; they shall be in addition to those appointed by the States, but they shall be considered, for the purposes of the election of President and Vice President, to be electors District and perform such other duties as prescribed in the twelfth article of amendment.

Vietnam Veterans’ Day; the anniversary of the withdrawal of American forces from Vietnam in 1973

March 28 is National Black Forest Cake Day

From Wikipedia:
Typically, Black Forest cake (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte) consists of several layers of chocolate cake, with whipped cream and cherries between each layer. Then the cake is decorated with additional whipped cream, maraschino cherries, and chocolate shavings. In some European traditions sour cherries are used both between the layers and for decorating the top. Traditionally, kirsch (a clear liquor distilled from tart cherries) is added to the cake, although other liquors are also used (such as rum, which is common in Austrian recipes). In North America, Black Forest cake is generally prepared without alcohol. German statutory interpretation states Kirschwasser as a mandatory ingredient, otherwise the cake is legally not allowed to be marketed as Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. True Black Forest cakes are decorated with black cherries.

193 – Roman Emperor Pertinax was assassinated by Praetorian Guards, who then sold the throne in an auction to Didius Julianus. This lead to the Roman Civil War of 193-197. Didius Julianus was ousted nine weeks later and sentenced to death by his successor, Septimius Severus.

1774 – Britain passed Coercive Acts against Massachusetts. They included The Boston Port Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, The Quartering Act, and the Quebec Act.

1776 – Juan Bautista de Anza found the site for the Presidio of San Francisco. From National Park Service

For 218 years, the Presidio served as an army post for three nations. World and local events, from military campaigns to the rise of aviation, from World Fairs to earthquakes, left their mark. Come enjoy the history and beauty of the Presidio. Explore centuries of architecture. Reflect in a national cemetery. Walk through an historic airfield, forests, or to beaches, and admire spectacular vistas.

1834 – Senate censure of President Jackson for refusing to turn over classified documents regarding his veto of legislation to renew the charter of the Bank of America. When Jackson refused to release the documents, Henry Clay retaliated by introducing a resolution to censure the president. Jackson was the first president to suffer this formal disapproval from Congress. When Jackson retired from the presidency, the only regret he expressed was not being able to shoot Henry Clay.

Greatest Show On Earth was formed by PT Barnum and James A Bailey on March 28, 1881.

Constantinople changed its name to Istanbul and Angora changes its name to Ankara in 1930.

March 28, 1969: Death of Dwight D Eisenhower , thirty-fourth President of the United States. He died in Walter Reed General Hospital at Washington, D. C. at age 78 of congestive heart failure.

1979 – A coolant leak at the Three Mile Island’s Unit 2 nuclear reactor outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania led to the core overheating and a partial melt down.