I know quite a bit about the Civil War, but this act was news to me.  On this date in 1861, the first hostile act of the Civil War occurred.  The steamship Star of the West entered Charleston Harbor, and it was fired upon immediately.  The captain had no choice but to order a retreat, and thankfully the ship survived […]

This happened the year I was born (though I was not around yet).  On this date in 1974, President Richard Nixon signed the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act into law.   This meant that the national maximum speed limit became 55.  Before that time, it was up to the states.  They could set the limits  from 40 to 80.  Cheap Arab […]

No, I wasn’t there, but today is a solemn occasion. On this date in 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. As this is commemorated today, may we recall a life that was snuffed out unexpectedly and the end of an era. As I told my mom, he did more during his short presidency than most do in a normal […]

Today’s feature was rather an interesting fact for me.  On this date in 1922, Rebecca L. Felton became the first female senator.  Georgia Senator Thomas E. Watson suddenly passed away, and Georgia’s governor appointed her as senator.  She was 87 at the time.  The following day, a special election was held, and she was replaced.  Thus, she served for about […]

I have never been to this beautiful spot in our country, but on this date in 1806, Zebulon Pike discovered Pike’s Peak in what is now Colorado.  He had set out on an exposition in the summer of that year, and even though he discovered it, he never got to climb it.  That happened fourteen years later, and it was […]

Well, I graduated from a high school  named after today’s featured president.  On this date in 1913, President Woodrow Wilson made a speech in which he assured everyone that the U.S. would never attack another country.  He was speaking before the Southern Commercial  Congress, and here are his exact words that closed this speech: “I want to take this occasion […]

I have actually seen this amazing dam, and so today’s feature was kind of interesting.  It is still one of the largest dams in the world, and it was on this date in 1936, that the first electric generator of the Hoover Dam was turned on.   By the time all generators were turned on, this dam generated 1.34 million KW […]

This was an auspicious day in our country’s history.  On this date in 2006, the census bureau estimated that the U.S. population reached 300 million .  It was only back in 1967, that the population reached 200 million.  It is projected that the population will reach 400 million by 2043.  This truly boggles my mind when I stop and think […]

I may have covered this before, but I felt it was important in light of our government issues now.  On this date in 1888, the Washington Monument was opened to the public.  And now, of course, it is closed to us until the government shut down is over.   I guess I shouldn’t post a picture of the monument since people […]

I have never been to this national park, but of course, I know of it.  On this date in 1890, Sequoia National Park was established.  It included the areas of the Sierra Nevada mountains and around the San Joaquin Valley.  It was America’s second national park. For more information: http://www.sequoiahistory.org/default.asp?contentid=705 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia_National_Park http://www.nationalparks.org/explore-parks/sequoia-national-park http://famousdaily.com/history/sequoia-national-park-united-states-congress-established.html