What other day could I feature?  On this date in 1944, D-Day occurred.  Today marks the seventieth anniversary of this solemn event.  May we never forget the ultimate sacrifices that so many servicemen and women have made for our freedom. For more info: http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/dday/prelude.aspx

It was on this date in 1946, that a terrible fire broke out at the La Salle hotel in Chicago, Illinois.  The fire supposedly began in the nearby grill, and it burned a good ten minutes before being reported.  Some 900 guests were able to safely leave, but 61 people were killed–many were children. For more info: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Salle_Hotel http://morthouse.com/post/10363341980/la-salle-hotel-fire-showing-corpse-spread-on-third http://illinoisstatesoceity.typepad.com/photos/19411950_illinois_state_s/lasalle-hotel-fire-1946.html

I was a Floridian for many years.  I even graduated from a college in that state.  On this date in 1539, Hernando de Soto claimed Florida for Spain.  At this point, de Soto was the governor of Cuba, and he had landed in the Tampa Bsy area towards the end of May. Or more info: http://all-len-all.com/on-this-day-june-3-1539-hernando-de-soto-claims-florida-for-spain/ http://www.floridahistory.com/inset5.html

My mom does not remember today’s feaure, and I was not quite four years old when this happened.  On this date in 1979, American Airlines Flight 191 crashed during take-off at Chicago O’Hare airport.  As the plane was taking off, engine one failed and seperated from the plane, and the plane crashed into a nearby storage hangar.  All 271 passengers […]

Today’s feature truly shocked me.  On this date in 1881, Frederick Douglass was appointed as the Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia.  This may not sound too amazing until you realize that he was the first African-American appointed to an office that required senate confirmation.  This wasn’t even his first nor only position.  The Senate confirmed this “free […]

It was on this date in 1862, that President Lincoln created the Department of Agriculture.  The head of this department was not a cabinet member, and he referred to it as the people’s department.  I was surprised to discover that Lincoln was doing something like this during the Civil War. For info: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Agriculture http://www.nal.usda.gov/lincolns-agricultural-legacy

I guess today’s feature shows that some things never change.  On this date in 1787, the constitutional convention was scheduled to happen in Philadelphia.  But guess what!  Not everyone showed up until a week later.  The difference is that the delay was due to difficulty of travel in the 1700’s.  For more info: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_Convention_(United_States) http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/debates_514525.asp

On this date in 2013, the One World Trade Center in New York City became the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.  An antenna was added to the top to make it 1776 feet tall.  For more info: http://mashable.com/2013/05/10/freedom-tower/ http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/51848014 http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_the_United_States

It was on this day in 1847, the American Medical Association was established.  Two hundred fifty delegates from 28 states met with the purpose of improving health and launching a program of medical ethics.  For more information, check out the following links: http://www.ama-assn.org//ama/pub/about-ama/our-history/the-founding-of-ama.page http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Medical_Association

On this date in 1788, the state of Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the U.S. constitution.  I knew this process took some time, but I had no idea that it took this long.  Then again, I am glad states took their time to make the decision. For more info: http://americanhistory.about.com/od/usconstitution/f/ratification.htm http://legallegacy.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/april-28-1788-maryland-joins-the-union-as-the-seventh-state/ http://wiki.answers.com/Q/When_and_in_what_order_did_Maryland_ratify_the_US_Constitution