Category Archives: State History

Tidbits of History, March 4

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March 4 is National Poundcake Day

Holy Experiment Day is March 4th. The “Holy Experiment” was an attempt by the Religious Society of Friends or Quakers to establish a community for themselves in Pennsylvania. They hoped it would show to the world how well they could function on their own without any persecution or dissension.

Charter Day in Pennsylvania in commemoration of the granting by Charles II of a charter in 1681 to William Penn, founder of the colony.

Birthday of Count Casimir Pulaski (1745), Polish soldier, hero of the American Revolution, called “the father of the American cavalry”.

United States Constitution Day declared in 1789; celebrated as the anniversary of the first meeting of Congress under the Constitution

Vermont Header, admitted March 4, 1791Vermont Admission Day 1791 as the fourteenth state

  • Capital: Montpelier
  • Nickname: Green Mountain State
  • Bird: Hermit thrush
  • Flower: Red clover
  • Tree: Sugar maple
  • Motto: Freedom and unity

our page for the state of Vermont for more interesting facts and trivia about Vermont.

1794 – The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed by the U.S. Congress.

The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or Equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State.

Flag_of_the_Confederate_States_of_America_(1861-1863).svg
1861 – The Confederate States of America adopted the “Stars and Bars” flag.

Birthday of Knute Kenneth Rockne (March 4, 1888), American football coach.

March 4, 1924, “Happy Birthday To You” published by Claydon Sunny.

FDR elected March 4, 19331933 – Franklin Delano Roosevelt inaugurated as 32nd President, pledged to pull U.S. out of Depression and said “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”

Tidbits of History, March 3

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March 3 is National Cold Cuts Day

John Pickering1803 The impeachment trial of a U.S. Judge, John Pickering. He was the first federal official to have been removed from office upon conviction by impeachment on charges of drunkenness and unlawful rulings. Pickering’s behavior on the bench was often marked with “ravings, cursings, and crazed incoherences” brought on by drink and growing mental instability. President Jefferson suggested to Congress that Pickering’s bizarre behavior amounted to an impeachable offense. There was no other way to remove a federal judge who was no longer fit to serve but who refused to resign. In March 1803 the House of Representatives voted 45-8 to impeach Judge Pickering. The Senate convicted Pickering one year later, removing him from office. This was no small matter. The Constitution limited this power to the impeachable offenses of “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” Pickering may have been wholly unfit to serve on the bench, but he had not committed an impeachable offense. Some feared that if he could be removed for raving and cursing, then Congress would impeach other judges for political offenses.

Fourteen federal judges have been impeached in more than 200 years, seven of which were acquitted by the Senate and seven removed from office.

I found it interesting that the last two impeachment trials were Samuel B. Kent, Judge, U.S. district court for the Southern district of Texas who was impeached June 19, 2009, on charges of sexual assault, obstructing and impeding an official proceeding, and making false and misleading statements; and G. Thomas Porteous, Jr., Judge, U.S. district court, Eastern district of Louisiana, impeached March 11, 2010 on charges of accepting bribes and making false statements under penalty of perjury. Kent resigned and Porteous was removed from office. In both cases one of the Democratic impeachment managers was Adam Schiff of California.

In 1805 the Louisiana-Missouri Territory forms.

In 1817 the Mississippi Territory was divided into Alabama Territory & Mississippi.

The U.S. Congress passed the Missouri Compromise March 3, 1820, allowing slavery in Missouri

March 3, 1836 – the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence, officially separating from Mexico, and creating the Republic of Texas.

1837 – US President Andrew Jackson and Congress recognize Republic of Texas

Florida Everglades HeaderFlorida Admission day in 1845, becoming the 27th state

  • Capital: Tallahassee
  • Nickname: Sunshine State/Peninsula State
  • Bird: Mockingbird
  • Flower: Orange Blossom
  • Tree: Serbal palm
  • Motto: In God we trust

See our page for the state of Florida for more interesting facts and trivia about Florida.

Birthday of Alexander Graham Bell (March 3, 1847), inventor of the telephone.

Territory of Minnesota organized in 1849.

Idaho Territory formed in 1863.

1875 – Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen premiered at the Opéra-Comique in Paris where (Wikipedia) “its breaking of conventions shocked and scandalized its first audiences.”

“Carmen has since become one of the most popular and frequently performed operas… the “Habanera” from act 1 and the “Toreador Song” from act 2 are among the best known of all operatic arias.”

1921 – Toronto’s Dr Banting and Dr Best announce discovery of insulin.

1923 – TIME magazine was published for the first time.

Mount RushmoreMarch 3, 1925 – Mount Rushmore National Memorial is centered on a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills in Keystone, South Dakota. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum created the sculpture’s design and oversaw the project’s execution from 1927 to 1941 with the help of his son, Lincoln Borglum. The project received Congressional approval on March 3, 1925.

Anniversary of the adoption by Congress in 1931 of The Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key as the national anthem of the United States.

Tidbits of History, March 1

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March 1 is:

National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day

Whuppity Scoorie Day, a festival in Lanark, Scotland, carrying on an ancient custom of noisemaking to drive away the evil spirits and thus protect the crops of the new season. Not to be confused with Whuppity Stoorie, a Scottish fairy tale similar to Rumpelstiltskin.

The city of Rio de Janeiro was founded on March 1, 1565.

Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba, a slave, were brought before local magistrates in Salem Village, Massachusetts, beginning what would become known as the Salem witch trials in 1692.

1781 – The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation.

President James Madison, born March 16, 1751Publication of Federalist Paper #63: is the last one written by James Madison and the second about the Senate. Madison thought that a term of six years would be long enough to give stability to the federal government and short enough to prevent abuse of power.

Anniversary of the first United States census, begun in 1790

1792 – US Presidential Succession Act passed; it was revised in 1886 and 1947 and has been modified many times.

Birthday of Frédéric Chopin (March 1, 1810 ), Polish pianist and composer.

Ohio header Ohio (The Buckeye State) Admission Day (1803) entered the Union as the seventeenth state

  • Capital: Columbus
  • Nickname: Buckeye State
  • Bird: Cardinal
  • Flower: Scarlet Carnation
  • Tree: Buckeye
  • Motto: With God All things are possible

See our page for the state of Ohio for more interesting facts and trivia about Ohio.

1815 – Napoleon returned to France from his banishment on Elba.

A convention of delegates from 57 Texas communities convened in Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas, to deliberate independence from Mexico in 1836.
Washington on the Brazos Historic Site is located approximately 1-1/2 hours northwest of Houston, and less than two hours from Austin.

1845 – President John Tyler signed a bill authorizing the United States to annex the Republic of Texas.

Nebraska header Nebraska Admission Day (1867) as the thirty-seventh state

  • Capital: Lincoln
  • Nickname: Cornhusker State
  • Bird: Western meadowlark
  • Flower: Goldenrod
  • Tree: Cottonwood
  • Motto: Equality before the law

See our page for the state of Nebraska for more interesting facts and trivia about Nebraska.

March 1, 1872 – Yellowstone National Park became the world’s first national park.

1913 – Federal income tax took effect (16th amendment)

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

In 1913, the top tax rate was 7% on incomes above $500,000. A total of $28.3 million was collected.

1932 – The 20-month-old son of Charles Lindbergh, Charles Augustus Lindbergh III, was kidnapped. His body was found May 12th. Public outrage led the U.S. Congress to pass the Federal Kidnapping Act (known as the Lindbergh Law) on June 22, 1932—the day that would have been Charles’s second birthday. The Lindbergh Law made kidnapping across state lines a federal crime and stipulated that such an offense could be punished by death. On October 8, 1934, Bruno Hauptmann was indicted for the kidnapping and murder. After more than five weeks of testimony and 11 hours of deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict on February 13, 1935, and Hauptmann was sentenced to death. A series of appeals, ultimately reaching the Supreme Court in December 1935, were unsuccessful, and a clemency bid was rejected on March 30, 1936. Hauptmann, denying until the end any involvement in the crime, was executed by electric chair on April 3, 1936.

March 1, 1936 – The Hoover Dam was completed.

1953 – Joseph Stalin died March 1, 1953Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin suffered a stroke and collapsed; he died four days later. It is believed that Stalin’s regime was responsible for 9 million deaths, with 6 million of these being deliberate killings.

The Peace Corps was established in 1961 by President John Kennedy.

1962 – K-Mart opened. The company was incorporated in 1899 as S. S. Kresge Corporation and renamed Kmart Corporation in 1977. The first store with the Kmart name opened in 1962 in Garden City, Michigan. At its peak in 1994, Kmart operated 2,486 stores globally, including 2,323 discount stores and Super Kmart Center locations in the United States. As of April 16, 2022, that number was down to nine, including just three in the continental United States.

Tidbits of History, February 14

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February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar.

Quote from Ayn Rand:

Love is the expression of one’s values, the greatest reward you can earn for the moral qualities you have achieved in your character and person, the emotional price paid by one man for the joy he receives from the virtues of another.

Read more at brainyquote.com

 

National Cream-Filled Chocolates Day
Feast Day of Saint Valentine, patron saint of lovers; invoked against epilepsy, plague, and fainting diseases

Language of Flowers

Many flowers express love in some way or other. They are popular for Valentine’s Day, but may be better for your budget than a dozen roses. Here is a partial list:

State flower of New York: RoseRoses: The red rose is the universal symbol of romantic love.

State Flower of Alaska: Alpine forget-me-notForget-Me-Not – These perennial flowers are a song of love or friendship. Pretty blue flowers are irresistible.

love in a mistLove-In-A-Mist – When you are in love, you’re on Cloud Nine.

cyclamensCyclamen – This popular Valentine’s Day gift has heart-shaped leaves. The most popular are varieties are those with red flowers.

February 14, 1779 – James Cook was killed by local people in the Hawaiian Islands.

1849 – In New York City, James Knox Polk became the first serving President of the United States to have his photograph taken.

Oregon Crater LakeOregon Statehood Day, on February 14, 1859 Oregon became the thirty-third state

  • Capital: Salem
  • Nickname: Beaver State
  • Bird: Western Meadowlark
  • Flower: Oregon Grape
  • Tree: Douglas Fir
  • Motto: The Union

See our page on Oregon for more interesting facts and trivia about Oregon

On this day in 1876, Alexander Graham Bell applied for a patent for the telephone, as does Elisha Gray.

Arizona Grand CanyonAdmission Day in Arizona , the forty-eighth state; admitted in 1912

  • Capital: Phoenix
  • Nickname: Grand Canyon State
  • Bird: Cactus Wren
  • Flower: Saguaro cactus blossom
  • Tree: Paloverde
  • Motto: God Enriches

See our page on the state of Arizona for more interesting facts and trivia about Arizona.

In 1924 the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company changes its name to International Business Machines Corporation (IBM).

The Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929: Seven people, six of them gangster rivals of Al Capone’s gang, were murdered in Chicago, Illinois.

Tidbits of History, February 6

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February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar.

Quote from Ayn Rand:

Rights are not a matter of numbers – and there can be no such thing, in law or in morality, as actions forbidden to an individual, but permitted to a mob.

Read more at brainyquote.com

 
National Chopsticks Day

Massachusetts Salem-MaritimeMassachusetts Ratification Day. In 1788 Massachusetts became the sixth state.

  • Capital: Boston
  • Nickname: Bay State/Old Colony
  • Motto: By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty
  • Artist – Norman Rockwell
  • Beverage – cranberry juice
  • Bird: Chickadee
  • Building and Monument Stone – granite
  • Cookie – chocolate chip cookie
  • Dessert – Boston cream pie
  • Flower: Mayflower
  • Gem – rhodonite
  • Historical Rock – Plymouth rock
  • Inventor – Ben Franklin
  • Sport – basketball
  • Tree: American Elm

See our page on the state of Massachusetts for more interesting facts and trivia about the state of Massachusetts

Babe Ruth, born February 6Birthday of George Herman (Babe) Ruth (February 6, 1895), American baseball player.

Birth of Ronald Reagan, February 6, 1911Birthday of Ronald Reagan (February 6, 1911), 40th president of the United States.

1918 Per The Fact Site In the United Kingdom, women over the age of 30 were granted the right to vote.

91st Birthday of my sister, a very good reason to celebrate this day!

February 6, 1952 – Queen Elizabeth II, February 6, 1952Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom became Queen upon the death of her father, King George VI, (Albert Frederick Arthur George) Per BBC.co.uk:

King George VIThe King had suffered a coronary thrombosis – a fatal blood clot to the heart – soon after falling asleep. He was also revealed to have been suffering from lung cancer.

He had always been a frail, nervous man, and had not expected to become King: but he was catapulted onto the throne by the abdication of his brother, Edward VIII.

Three years later, he was leading the country through the Second World War. His steadfastness won him the hearts of the people, most notably when he and his wife, Elizabeth, (who became the Queen Mother on his death), insisted on sharing the dangers of the Battle of Britain with the people of London.

However, the stressful nature of his accession to the throne, and the particularly traumatic times through which he led the country left him physically exhausted, and are thought to have contributed to his failing health and his early death.

Queen Elizabeth II surpassed her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, to become the longest-lived British monarch on 21 December 2007. She died Sept 8, 2022 and was succeeded by her son, Charles.

2012- The U.N. General Assembly announces February 6 as the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation. Senator Rand Paul talked at length about the ills of genital mutilation, saying it “is recognized internationally as a violation of international human rights,” and drew a comparison between that and gender confirmation surgeries.

January 29

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January 29 is:

National Puzzle Day

National Corn-chip Day

Birthday of Thomas Paine (January 29, 1737), American Revolutionary, author of “Common Sense”, “The Rights of Man”, and “The Age of Reason”

President James Madison, born March 16, 1751Publication of Federalist Paper #46: The Influence of the State and Federal Governments Compared written by James Madison in 1788. Madison writes of the advantages that State governments have over the Federal government in popular support and in resisting encroachments. He claims that the hypothetical conflicts put forward by the Anti-Federalists are “chimerical” or highly improbably, illusory. He points out that the ultimate control of both state and federal governments resides with the people. On the subject of a possible military takeover by the federal government, Madison proposes that the standing Army of the United States should be no more than 1% of the population (In 1790 the population was about 3 million so he proposed an Army of 30,000); or no more than 4% of the number able to bear arms; and that state militias would have about 500,000 men. The force of the federal government encroaching on the people could not stand up to the might of an armed citizenry.

Britain’s King George III died at Windsor Castle on January 29, 1820. He is believed to have been insane at the time of his death.

President McKinley shot, September 6, 1901Birthday of William McKinley (January 29, 1843), twenty-fifth president of the United States.

He was shot September 6, 1901 and died a week later. He was succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt.
Assassination of William McKinley

The Raven was published in the New York Evening Mirror on this date in 1845; the first publication with the name of the author, Edgar Allan Poe.

Once upon a midnight dreary,
while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping,
suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door—
“‘Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.”

Henry Clay introduces the Compromise of 1850 to the U.S. Congress.

Anniversary of the institution of the Victoria Cross in 1856 to reward individual acts of bravery.

Header-KansasKansas Day, on this day in 1861 Kansas became the thirty-fourth state.

  • Capital: Topeka
  • Nickname: Sunflower State
  • Motto: To the stars through difficulties
  • Amphibian – barred tiger salamander
  • Animal – American buffalo (bison)
  • Bird: Western meadowlark
  • Flower: Sunflower
  • Grass – little bluestem
  • Insect – honeybee
  • Language – English
  • Reptile – ornate box turtle
  • Soil – Harney silt loam
  • Kansas State Song – “Home on the Range” by Dr. Brewster Higley and Dan Kelly
  • Tree: Cottonwood

See our page for the state of Kansas for more interesting facts and trivia about Kansas.

Birthday of W.C. Fields (January 29, 1880), American comedian

The American League, consisting of eight baseball teams, was organized in Philadelphia on this day in 1900.

Anniversary of the establishment of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. The first five honorees were Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Honus Wagner, and Babe Ruth.

On January 29, 1963, poet Robert Frost died in Boston.

January 26

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January 26 is:

Spouse’s Day

National Peanut Brittle Day

1564 – The Council of Trent issued its conclusions in the Tridentinum, establishing a distinction between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. It is considered to be one of the Church’s most important councils. It specified Catholic doctrine on salvation, the sacraments, and the Biblical canon. The precepts agreed to have been affirmed by recent Popes.

President James Madison, born March 16, 1751Publication of Federalist Paper #45: The Alleged Danger From the Powers of the Union to the State Governments Considered written by James Madison in 1788. Madison declares that the Primary Purpose of government is the happiness of the people. He shows that states will “retain extensive portion of active sovereignty”. The federal government will be involved in war, peace, immigration, taxation, and trade. The states retain all other powers. Madison fortells the 10th Amendment in the Bill of Rights which states that the federal government has only those powers delegated to it; all remaining powers are reserved for the states or the people. He refers to “Achaean League” and “Lycian Confederation” which were associations of Greek city-states which enjoyed “home rule”.

From Turkish Coalition of America:

In summary, the Lycian confederacy made three contributions to the American Constitution. First, it was a model of a federal union the strength of whose parts in the national councils is proportionate to their size. Second, it showed the possibility of popular government that was representative. Third, it offered the example of a strong national government with its own strong officers and the power to make laws that applied directly to individual citizens.

Madison never viewed a national government which would be involved in social issues (abortion, drinking and drug use, gay rights, etc.), education, minimum wages, fuel efficiency, global warming, light bulbs, seat belts, and all the other issues currently discussed at a federal level.

born January 26Birthday of Julia Grant (1826), wife of Ulysses S Grant; First Lady 1869-1877. Per Wikipedia:

As First Lady it was suggested to her that she have an operation to correct her crossed eyes, but President Grant said that he liked her that way.

Header-Michigan-Isle RoyaleMichigan Day On Jan 26, 1837 Michigan became the twenty-sixth state.

  • Capital: Lansing
  • Nickname: Great Lakes State/Wolverine State/Water Wonderland
  • Motto: If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.
  • Bird: Robin
  • Fish – brook trout
  • Flower: Apple blossom
  • Fossil – mastodon
  • Game Mammal – white-tailed deer
  • Gem – Isle Royal greenstone
  • Reptile – painted turtle
  • Stone – Petoskey stone
  • Tree: White Pine
  • Wildflower – dwarf lake iris

See our page for the state of Michigan for more interesting facts and trivia about Michigan.

Tennessee enacted the first prohibition law in the United States on Jan 26, 1838.

1855 – Point No Point Treaty was signed in Washington Territory. Point No Point is on the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula. The treaty was with the S’Klallam, the Chimakum, and the Skokomish tribes which ceded ownership of their land in exchange for a small reservation and payment of $60,000 from the federal government. The land is now owned jointly by the U. S. Coast Guard and a private landowner and is one of the best birdwatching sites in the state of Washington.

On January 26, 1870, the state of Virginia rejoined the Union.

On Jan. 26, 1880, Douglas MacArthur, the American general who achieved acclaim as a grand strategist in World War II and in Korea, was born.

The Rocky Mountain National Park was established by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1915.

1920 – Former Ford Motor Company executive Henry Leland launched the Lincoln Motor Company which he later sold to his former employer.

Actor Paul Newman was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio on January 26, 1925. He died Sept 26, 2008 in Westport, Connecticut. As well as acting and directing, Paul Newman was a professional race car driver and enthusiast and co-founder of Newman’s Own, a food company from which all profits are donated to charity.

1956 – At Decca Records’ Nashville studios, Buddy Holly‘s first official recording session took place. “Blue Days, Black Nights” was recorded and became his debut single.

1988 The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “Phantom of the Opera,” the longest-running show in Broadway history, opened at the Majestic Theater in New York.

January 9

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January 9 is the 9th day of the year.

Play God Day What would you do if you were god for a day?

National Apricot Day

1349 – The Basel massacre – The Jewish population of Basel, Switzerland, believed by the residents to be the cause of the ongoing Black Death, was rounded up and incinerated.

ConnecticutConnecticut Ratification Day; in 1788 Connecticut became the fifth state.

  • Capital: Hartford
  • Nickname: Constitution State
  • Aircraft – Corsair F4U
  • Animal – Sperm Whale
  • Bird: Robin
  • Composer – Charles Edward Ives
  • Flower: Mountain Laurel
  • Folk Dance – Square Dance
  • Fossil – Eubrontes Giganteus dinosaur tracks
  • Hero – Nathan Hale
  • Heroine – Prudence Crandall
  • Insect – Praying Mantis
  • Mineral – Garnet
  • Motto: He Who Transplanted Still Sustains
  • Poet Laureate – John Hollander
  • Shellfish – Eastern Oyster
  • Ship – USS Nautilus (SSN-571)
  • Song – “Yankee Doodle”
  • Tall Ship – Freedom Schooner Amistad
  • Tree: White Oak

See our page Connecticut for more interesting facts and trivia about Connecticut.

The Daguerrotype photo process was announced in 1839.

1902 – New York State introduced a bill to outlaw flirting in public.

January 9 Birthday
Birthday of Richard Nixon (January 9, 1913), born in Yorba Linda, California, thirty-seventh President of the United States.

In 1942 Joe Louis achieved the heavyweight boxing title by knocking out Buddy Baer in the first round.

“Dear Abby” advice column by Abigail Van Buren first appeared in newspapers in 1956.

Birthday of Catherine “Kate” Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, (January 9, 1982) wife of Britain’s Prince William.

On January 9, 2007, Steven P. Jobs introduced Apple’s long-awaited entry into the cellphone world, the iPhone.

January 6

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January 6 is the sixth day of the year in the Gregorian calendar.

Bean Day Wondering why National Bean Day is held on January 6? That’s the same day as the famous geneticist, Gregor Mendel, died in 1884. Mendel used bean plants and pea plants to develop theories on genetics in plants. So the formation of National Bean Day has more to do with scientific development than how good bean recipes taste. But don’t let that deter you from enjoying eating beans on this holiday!

Cuddle Up Day Link includes suggestions for cuddling.
National Shortbread Day Link includes history of shortbread.

Feast of the Epiphany. In Western Christianity, the feast commemorates principally (but not solely) the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child, and thus Jesus’ physical manifestation to the Gentiles.

Birthday of Joan of Arc (January 6, 1412), the Maid of Orleans, national heroine of France.

Birthday of Carl Sandburg (January 6, 1878), American poet, historian, biographer of Abraham Lincoln.

New MexicoNew Mexico Admission Day On this day in 1912 New Mexico became the forty-seventh state.

  • Capital: Santa Fe
  • Nickname: Land of Enchantment
  • Aircraft – Hot air balloon
  • Amphibian – New Mexico Spadefoot Toad
  • Animal – Black Bear
  • Bird: Roadrunner
  • Butterfly – Sandia hairstreak butterfly
  • Colors – Red and Yellow
  • Cookie – Biscochito
  • Cowboy Song – Under The New Mexico Skies
  • Fish – NM cutthroat trout (Rio Grande cutthroat trout)
  • Flower Yucca flower
  • Fossil – Coelophysis (small late Triassic dinosaur)
  • Gem – Turquoise
  • Grass – Blue grama grass
  • Guitar: New Mexico Sunrise guitar
  • Insect – Tarantula hawk wasp
  • Motto: It Grows as it Goes
  • Necklace: Native American squash blossom necklace
  • Reptile – New Mexico whiptail lizard
  • Slogan – “Everybody is somebody in New Mexico”
  • Tie – Bola tie
  • Tree: Pinon
  • Vegetables – chile and frijole

See our page for New Mexico for more interesting facts and trivia about New Mexico.

1853 – President-elect of the United States Franklin Pierce and his family were involved in a train wreck near Andover, Massachusetts while on their way to his Inauguration. Their son, Benjamin Pierce (April 13, 1841 – January 6, 1853), died at the age of 11.

German geophysicist Alfred Wegener first presented his theory of continental drift in 1912.

T. Roosevelt, died January 6On January 6, 1919, the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, died in Oyster Bay, N.Y., at age 60. He became president following the assassination of William McKinley.
According to Wikipedia:

On the night of January 5, 1919, Roosevelt experienced breathing problems. He felt better after treatment from his physician, Dr. George W. Faller, and went to bed. Roosevelt’s last words were “Please put out that light, James” to his family servant James Amos. Between 4:00 AM and 4:15 AM the next morning, Roosevelt died in his sleep at Sagamore Hill as a result of a blood clot detaching itself from a vein and entering his lungs. Upon receiving word of his death, his son Archibald telegraphed his siblings simply, “The old lion is dead.” Woodrow Wilson’s vice president, Thomas R. Marshall, said that “Death had to take Roosevelt sleeping, for if he had been awake, there would have been a fight.”

Four Freedoms Day commemorating FDR’s message to Congress in 1941 defining national goals as Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear.

January 4

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January 4, is:

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . eleven pipers piping.
For the significance of each day of Christmas, see: Good Housekeeping.com The 11 Pipers Piping are the eleven faithful apostles. – Peter, Andrew, James, John, Phillip, Nathanael (also called Bartholomew), Matthew (also called Levi), Thomas, James the Less, Simon, and Jude (also called Thaddeus).

World Braille Day in honor of Louis Braille (1809), French educator of the blind, developer of the Braille system of printing and writing.

National Spaghetti Day

Birthday of Sir Isaac Newton (January 4, 1643), physicist and mathematician; leader in the seventeenth century scientific revolution; discoverer of the law of gravity.

Birthday of Jacob Grimm (January 4, 1785), German writer who, with his brother, William, published the famous Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

author of Federalist PaperPublication of Federalist Paper #34: Concerning the General Power of Taxation written by Alexander Hamilton in 1788. Hamilton’s aim is to demonstrate that a government must have unlimited power of taxation for such circumstances as war and natural disaster. He argues that the state governments, which share taxation rights with the federal government, will serve as a balance and prevent abuse of such powers. He argues, further, that the federal government will always incur the greatest expenses, should have the greatest body to draw taxes from, and require a “greater power of taxation than the states.”

Samuel Colt sold his first revolver pistol to the United States government in 1847.

Header-UtahUtah Admission Day.  On this date in 1896 Utah became the forty-fifth state.

  • Capital: Salt Lake City
  • Nickname: Beehive State
  • Animal: Rocky Mountain Elk
  • Astronomical Symbol: Beehive Cluster
  • Bird: Seagull
  • Cooking Pot: Dutch Oven
  • Dance: Square dance
  • Firearm: Browning M1911
  • Fish: Bonneville Cutthroat Trout
  • Flower: Sego Lily
  • Fossil: Allosaurus
  • Fruit: Cherry
  • Gem: Topaz
  • Grass: Indian Ricegrass
  • Hymn: Utah, We Love Thee
  • Insect: Honey Bee
  • Language: English
  • Mineral: Copper
  • Motto: Industry
  • Rock: Coal
  • Snack: Jell-O
  • Tree: Quaking Aspen
  • Vegetable: Spanish sweet onion

See our page for Utah for more interesting facts and trivia about Utah.

1925 – French psychologist Emil Coué brought his self-esteem therapy to US “Every day in every way I am getting better and better”.

1954: A young truck driver named Elvis Presley entered the Memphis Recording Service in Memphis, TN, ostensibly to record a song for his mother’s birthday (which was, in reality, many months away). He recorded “Casual Love Affair” and “I’ll Never Stand in Your Way.” It was this recording that would lead MRS head Sam Phillips to call Presley back to record for his Sun Records label.

1958 – SputnikSputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in Oct. 1957, falls to Earth from orbit.

1965 – United States President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed his “Great Society” during a speech at Ohio University, then unveiled the program in greater detail at an appearance at University of Michigan. The main goals were the elimination of poverty and the elimination of racial injustice.

Nancy Pelosi Jan 4, 20072007 – The 110th United States Congress convened electing Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history. She served from 2007-2011 and from 2019-2023.