Rarely do I get to feature an author I really like on my daily history feature, but I get to today!  On this date in 1809, Jane Austen wrote the following quote in one of her letters: I begin already to weigh my words and sentences more than I did, and am looking about for a sentiment, an illustration, or […]

On this date in 1861, Colonel Robert E. Lee wrote a letter to his son, Curtis, regarding the secession crisis.  You might wonder what was so momentous about this, so please read the following: As an American citizen, I take great pride in my country, her prosperity and her institutions, and would defend any State if her rights were invaded. […]

Well, I guess I own something from the company in today’s feature.  On this date in 2009, Toyota surpassed General Motors for the first time in automobile sales worldwide.  I own a Toyota Corolla, and I have since before 2009.  That year, GM sold 8.36 million vehicles, and Toyota sold 8.97 vehicles.  Ready for the really strange  fact?  In spite […]

On this date in 1937, Howard Hughes set a transcontinental air speed record. He flew his Hughes H-1  Racer flew from Los Angeles to  New York in 7 hours, 28 minutes, and 25 seconds.   It was a nonstop flight, and  this was not the last time he broke a record. For more info: http://famousdaily.com/history/future-billionaire-howard-hughes-sets.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hughes_H-1_Racer http://www.historycentral.com/Bio/people/hHughs2.html http://avstop.com/history/earlyaviators/howardhughes.htm

On this date in 1911, the first aircraft landed on a ship.  This act was carried out by Eugene B. Ely in San Francisco Bay. He landed successfully on a makeshift wooden platform on top of the USS Pennsylvania, an armored cruiser. For more info: http://www.usspennsylvania.com/flattop.htm http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/FirstAircraftLandingOnAShip101YearsAgo_206050-1.html http://www.glenncurtiss.com/first_landing_on_a_ship.htm http://famousdaily.com/history/first-aircraft-landing-on-ship.html

On this date in 1806, the first child was born at the White House (although it looked different back then, and it was called the President’s House).  He was the second son of  James Madison Randolph, and Martha Jefferson Randolph.  She was visiting her father for the second time.   Like most of his brothers, his grandfather put him through the […]

Intriguing bit of history today.  On this date in 1776, General George Washington permitted African-Americans who were free and had prior military experience to join the Revolutionary War army.  I honestly didn’t know this happened, and even though slavery was abundant, it’s nice to know that African-Americans were at least a part of the Revolutionary War! For more information: http://famousdaily.com/history/george-washington-allows-enlistment-blacks.html […]

In light of the upcoming Super Bowl {which has gone crazy in Washington State due to the Seahawks record}, I found today’s feature somewhat intriguing.  On this date in 1973, the Miami Dolphins became the first undefeated NFL team in history.  They beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VIII.  For more info: http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/undefeated-dolphins-beat-redskins-in-super-bowl-vii

Before Disney made a big splash with Mickey Mouse on the big screen, he began with a comic strip featuring the character.  On this date in 1930, Mickey Mouse made his début as a comic strip in the newspaper.  His struggling cartoon studio was under contract to Universal Studios.  He didn’t own the rights to Oswald nor Lucky Rabbit cartoons; […]

Remember Dolly the Sheep?  As you’re probably aware, cloning is a controversial topic, and on this date in 1998, nineteen European nations voted to ban human cloning.  This ban was announced about the same time that genetic scientists suggested that it may be possible to replace human organs with cloned organs.  This could have opened up the door to growing […]