Tag Archives: Tidbits for this day in history

April 3 is National Chocolate Mousse Day, the decadent dessert that gained popularity in France in the 1800s. Chocolate was introduced to the French around the year 1615.

Birthday of Washington Irving (April 3, 1783), American historian, essayist, and storyteller, famous for the legends of Rip Van Winkle and Ichabod Crane in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. The book is in the public domain and available from many websites including Nextdoor e-store.com

Birthday of Edward Everett Hale (1822), American clergyman and author of “A Man Without a Country”, the story of American Army lieutenant Philip Nolan, who renounces his country during a trial for treason and is consequently sentenced to spend the rest of his days at sea without so much as a word of news about the United States.

Anniversary of the beginning of the Pony Express in 1860. It was a mail service from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California by horseback. It only operated for 18 months.

Outlaw Jesse James was shot in the back of the head by Robert Ford on April 3, 1882 in Missouri.

1895 – The trial in the libel case brought by Oscar Wilde began, eventually resulting in his imprisonment on charges of homosexuality.

House of Representatives passed a resolution accepting “American Creed” written by William Tyler Page in 1918.

“I believe in the United States of America, as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon these principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.

“I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.”

1922 – Joseph Stalin (Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili) became the first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He was responsible for the deaths of at least three million people.

1948 – President Harry S. Truman signed the Marshall Plan, authorizing $5 billion in aid for 16 countries. The United States transferred over $12 billion in economic recovery programs to Western European economies after the end of World War II.

The first portable cell phone call was made in New York City in 1973.

      April 2 Flower of the Day: Daffodil

Reconciliation Day – a day to re-establish relationships between family and friends.

National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day Peanut butter debuted at the 1883 Chicago World’s Fair. It’s a complete protein Combining a legume (a bean, lentil, or peanut) with a grain (like rice, corn, and wheat) creates a complete protein. This means that peanut butter and jelly mixed with whole wheat bread gives you all of the essential amino acids your body needs.

742 – Birthday of Charlemagne, Frankish king (d. 814)

April 2, 1513 – Florida was sighted by a European for the first time. Ponce de León spotted and landed on the peninsula on April 2, 1513. He named it La Florida in recognition of the verdant landscape and because it was the Easter season, which the Spaniards called Pascua Florida (Festival of Flowers).

The Coinage Act was passed establishing the United States Mint on April 2, 1792.

Children’s Book Day – to commemorate the birthday of Hans Christian Andersen (born 1805), Danish poet and novelist, best known for fairy and folk tales such as The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Little Match Girl, The Princess and the Pea, Thumbelina, and The Ugly Duckling.

Birthday of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi (1834), French sculptor of the Statue of Liberty.

Birthday of Emile Zola (1840), French novelist, best known for his newspaper article on the Dreyfus Affair entitled “J’Accuse”

1917 – World War I: United States President Woodrow Wilson asks the U.S. Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.

1956 – As the World Turns and The Edge of Night premiered on CBS-TV. The two soaps become the first daytime dramas to debut in the 30-minute format. As the World Turns aired for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. The Edge of Night ran until December 28, 1984.

April 2, 2005 – Pope John Paul II died at aged 84, after 26 years as Pope. He was succeeded by Pope Benedict XVI.

April 1 is April Fool’s Day.
The first day is April Fools’ Day or All Fools’ Day, which is a day at one time popular for pranks and harmless practical jokes. The origin of this day is not positively known. Records show that it has been going on at least since 1564, when Jan 1 was re-established in France as the first day of the year. The change confused many people, but in time it led to the fun of exchanging false greetings for the first of the year on the old day. April 1 coincides with the Zodiac sign of the fish, so the French call it “Fooling the April Fish Day”. A one-time April Fools’ prank of the Scots was “hunting the gowk”, which sent the victim on false errands; anyone who fell for this prank was called a gowk, or cuckoo.

National Sourdough Bread Day

International Tatting Day Tatting is a technique for handcrafting a particularly durable lace from a series of knots and loops. Wiki How has an introduction to beginners tatting with pictures.

Birthday of William Harvey (April 1, 1578), English physician, known for his discovery of the circulation of the blood.

Publication of Federalist Paper #76: The Appointing Power of the Executive written by Alexander Hamilton in 1788.

From www.gradesaver.com

“…this paper illustrates the importance of the guiding principles of separation of powers and checks and balances. Hamilton sees potential for defects in both the presidency and the Senate. Therefore, neither can be entrusted with all the power of appointment. This further underscores the important role compromise and pragmatism played in the design of the Constitution. The founders never claimed that the political system they created would be perfect or risk-free. Rather, they were animated by the belief that the only reliable way to limit abuses of power was to ensure that the various branches of government had both the incentive and the ability to keep an eye on one another.

It is interesting to note that Hamilton’s prediction of partisan concerns delaying or complicating the appointment of public officials has come true in recent American history. It is not uncommon for the appointment of officials to key positions in the national bureaucracy to be held up by political opponents of the president. Hamilton had hoped that giving the Senate power to approve presidential appointees would serve as a check on corruption. Unfortunately, senators in both political parties have often used their powers over the ratification process as a way to score cheap political points. Appointments are often held up on the basis of political squabbles rather than concerns about the appointee’s character or fitness for office.”

Birthday of Otto von Bismarck (1815), German politician, 1st Chancellor of the German Empire (d. 1898)

April 1, 1826 – Samuel Morey patented the internal combustion engine.

1908 – Birthday of Abraham Maslow, American psychologist (d. 1970). Maslow developed a theory of the hierarchy of needs. One cannot aspire to a higher need until the lower needs are met. For example, if one has no food, he will not look for love. If one feels threatened, he will not be creative.

1924 – Adolf Hitler was sentenced to five years in jail for his participation in the “Beer Hall Putsch”. However, he spends only nine months in jail, during which he writes Mein Kampf. (translated: My Struggle) is a 1925 autobiographical book describing the process by which Hitler became antisemitic and outlines his political ideology and future plans for Germany.

1954 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized the creation of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado.

Apple Inc. is formed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne on April 1, 1976. As of 2019, Apple’s net worth has been sitting around $940 billion.

1979 – Iran became an Islamic republic by a 99% vote, officially overthrowing the Shah.

1999 – Nunavut is established as a Canadian territory carved out of the eastern part of the Northwest Territories.

National Oysters on the Half Shell Day

National Clam Day

Bunsen Burner Day celebrates the birthday of its creator, German chemist, Robert Wilhelm Eberhard von Bunsen, who was born on March 31, 1811.

1492 –The joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain (Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon) issued the Alhambra decree, ordering 150,000 Jewish and Muslim subjects to convert to Christianity or face expulsion.

Birthday of René Descartes (1596), French philosopher. “I think, therefore I am.”

Birthday of Franz Joseph Haydn (March 31, 1732), Austrian composer. An Austrian composer of the Classical period, he was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the piano trio. His contributions to musical form have earned him the epithets “Father of the Symphony” and “Father of the String Quartet”.

1889 – The Eiffel Tower was opened to the public. It commemorates the French Revolution.

Transfer Day, a holiday in the Virgin Islands commemorating the purchase of the islands by the U.S. from Denmark on March 31, 1917.

1918 – Daylight saving time went into effect in the United States for the first time.

1949 – The Dominion of Newfoundland joined the Canadian Confederation and became the 10th Province of Canada.

1951 – Remington Rand delivers the first UNIVAC I computer to the United States Census Bureau.

Birthday of Cesar Chavez (March 31, 1927), Mexican-American farm worker, labor leader, and activist. Cesar Chavez Day is a state holiday in California, Colorado, and Texas.

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma! ,” premiered in NYC in 1943. It was their first musical. It was based on a play by Lynn Riggs, Green Grow the Lilacs. Oklahoma! ran for over five years, a Broadway record that “would not be bested until My Fair Lady in 1956. The film adaptation in 1955 starred Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones. Songs from Oklahoma! include: “Oh, what a beautiful morning”; “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top”; “People Will Say We’re in Love”; and, of course, “Oklahoma!”.

2004- In Fallujah, Iraq, 4 American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, were killed and their bodies mutilated.

March 27 is National Joe Day: Celebrated in honor of all the people with the name or nickname of “Joe”. According to the Social Security Administration the name Joseph was the 5th most used in the United States.

1513 – Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León reached the northern end of The Bahamas on his first voyage to Florida.

Birthday of the U.S. Navy as established by President Washington in 1794. The United States Government established a permanent navy and authorized the building of six frigates.

The Navy Theme Song is “Anchors Away”
The refrain is:

Anchors Away, my boys,
Anchors Aweigh.
Farewell to foreign shores,
We sail at break of day-ay-ay-ay.
Through our last night on shore,
Drink to the foam,
Until we meet once more,
Here’s wishing you a happy voyage home.

Birthday of Nathaniel Currier (March 27, 1813), American publisher and founder of Currier & Ives, printmakers

1814 – War of 1812: In central Alabama, U.S. forces under General Andrew Jackson defeated the Creek at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.

Texas Revolution: Goliad massacre – Antonio López de Santa Anna ordered the Mexican army to kill about 400 Texas captured prisoners at Goliad, Texas, March 27, 1836.

1886 – Famous Apache warrior, Geronimo, surrendered to the U.S. Army, ending the main phase of the Apache Wars.

First Lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first flowering cherry trees in Washington, D.C. in 1912.

Typhoid Mary, the first healthy carrier of disease ever identified in the United States, was put in quarantine in 1915, where she would remain for the rest of her life. She died in 1938.

1958 – Nikita Khrushchev became Premier of the Soviet Union.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Viagra for use as a treatment for male impotence, the first pill to be approved for this condition in the United States in 1998. Men with heart conditions should not use Viagara. Unfortunately when Viagra and Nitroglycerin are taken too close together they can cause an irreversible drop in bloodpressure and sudden death.

March 26 is National Nougat Day

Varieties of nougat are found in:
3 Musketeers, Mars, Snickers, Milky Way, Zero, Salted Nut Rolls, Reese’s Fast Break, Reese’s Whipps, Baby Ruth, and others.
There are three basics kinds of nougats:

1. White nougat – made with beaten egg whites and honey.
2. Brown nougat – made without egg whites and has a firmer, often crunchy texture.
3. Viennese or German nougat – chocolate and nut praline

Publication of Federalist Paper #75: The Treaty-Making Power of the Executive written by Alexander Hamilton in 1788.

From www.teaparty911.com

A president acting alone and soon to be out of office and of slender means might be subject to monetary influence from foreign powers. Human history suggests it would not be wise to entrust so delicate and momentous an intercourse with the rest of the world to the sole disposal of the chief magistrate. To have entrusted the treaty making power to the senate alone would have deprived it of the benefits of the constitutional agency of the president in the conduct of foreign negotiations. The security of the people is best served by the combination of the senate and the president.

Congress ordered removal of Indians east of Mississippi to Louisiana in 1804.

1804 – The Louisiana Purchase was divided into the District of Louisiana and the Territory of Orleans.

1812 – A political cartoon in the Boston Gazette coins the term “gerrymander” to describe oddly shaped electoral districts.designed to help incumbents win re-election.

Death of Ludwig van Beethoven (Mar 26, 1827), His dying words were “Applaud, friends, the comedy is finished.”

March 26, 1830 – The Book of Mormon was published in Palmyra, New York.

1872 Thomas J. Martin patented fire extinguisher.

Birthday of Robert Frost (1874), American poet, remembered for “A Road Not Taken” and “Stopping By Woods” (“I have promises to keep, / And miles to go before I sleep, / And miles to go before I sleep.”.)

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

On March 26, 1910, The U.S. Congress passed an amendment to the 1907 Immigration Act that barred criminals, paupers, anarchists and carriers of disease from settling in the U.S.

Congress appropriated $50,000 for Inter-American highway March 26, 1930.

Spinach growers in Crystal City, TX, (Spinach capital of the world) erected a statue of Popeye in 1937.

1958 – US Army launched America’s third successful satellite, “Explorer III“

“The Young and The Restless” aired for the first time in 1973.

1979 – Anwar al-Sadat, Menachem Begin and Jimmy Carter signed the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty in Washington, D.C..