This Date in History, August 5: Sir William Wallace, Chicago and Cleveland's Lights

From the August 5, 2021 Chicago tribune "On August 5..."

Some very interesting things happening this date in history.

1305:  Sir William Wallace who unsuccessfully led Scottish resistance to the English in 1298, was captured near Glasgow by the English; he was executed for treason on August 23, 1305.  (From the movie "Braveheart.")

1833:  Chicago was incorporated as a village with population of 200.  (And, they weren't killing each other back then.)

1861:  The U.S. government levied an income tax for the first time.  Incomes of more than $800 were taxed at the rate of 3 percent.  (Funds needed to fight the Civil War.)

1884:  The cornerstone of the Statue of Liberty was laid on Bedloe's (now Liberty) Island near the entrance of New York Harbor.

1914:  The first electric traffic lights were installed in Cleveland, Ohio.

--Cooter

On July 4... --Part 2: A Real Bad Day for the Confederacy, A Starry Day for the Flag

1845--  Author Henry David Thoreau began his two-year experiment in simple living at Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts.

1863--  Union troops under Gen. Ulysses Grant defeated Confederate forces at Vicksburg, Mississippi, ending a 14-month siege in the Civil War.  Occurring one day after the Confederate defeat at the Battle of Gettysburg.

1917--  In a ceremony in Paris, France honoring the French hero of the American  Revolution, U.S. Lt. Colonel Charles Stanton declared, "Lafayette, we are here!"

1946--  The Philippines became an independent republic after 48 years of U.S. rule.

1959--  America's 49-star flag was unveiled honoring Alaska's statehood.

1960--  America's 50-star flag was unveiled honoring Hawaii's statehood.

--CootDec

On July 4 ...-- Part 1: You Know and a Bad Day for Presidents

From the July 4, 2019, Chicago Tribune.  These are events that happened this date over the years.

1776--  The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.

1802--  The United States Military Academy opened at West Point, New York.

1826--  The nation's second and third presidents, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, died.

1831--  The fifth U.S. president, James Monroe, died  in New York.

--Coot4th

This Date in History

From Bob Dearborn's Olde Disc Jockey Site.

1812:  202 years ago, it was Illinois' biggest War of 1812 battle at Fort Dearborn (present-day Chicago).  Sometimes also referred to as the Fort Dearborn Massacre.

1914:  An American ship becomes the first one through the new Panama Canal, going fro  the Atlantic to the Pacific.

1916: The first self-propelled tank was used at the Battle of the Somme during World War I.  Nicknamed "Big Willie."

1935:  Humorist Will Rogers and aviator Wiley Post die in a plane crash.

1947:  India gains its independence after 200 years as a British colony.

1948:  The first network nightly newscast on CBS.

--Cooter

Who Was He and This Date in Music History

From the Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac.

Today's question was which singer-songwriter back in the early 60s wrote hit songs for Bobby Vee, Ricky Nelson and the Crystals?  In addition, he had sixteen Top 40 singles himself.  Answer below.

Normally, this would be  entered on my Down Da Road blog, but today I am keeping it devoted to Mardi Gras.

THIS DATE IN MUSIC HISTORY

1965--  Eighteen-year-old Donovan Leitch appeared on the British music show "Ready Steady Go" and sang his first hit single "Catch the Wind."  Another Taylor Swift?


1967--  Police raided Rolling Stone Keith Richard's home in Sussex, England and found "Various substances of suspicious nature."   Who'd have figured?  Richards, Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithful were arrested.

George and Patti Harrison had been there but it was rumored that the the police waited until they left to raid.  It just wouldn't do to arrest an MBE, Member of Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for such a thing.



ANSWER:  This Rock and Roll Hall of Famer died in 2006 and wrote "Rubber Ball" for Vee, "Hello Mary Lou" for Nelson and "He's a Rebel" for te Crystals.

That person would be Mr. Gene Pitney.

Didn't Know He Wrote Those Other Songs.  --Cooter

Here's Your Valentine

Some happenings this date in history.


1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago. Seven gangsters killed in a garage.

1946 ENIAC unveiled-- the first computer

1961 Earliest video footage of the Beatles

1962 Jackie Kennedy gives tour of the White House

2008 Shootings at Northern Illinois University. Five killed and 21 wounded by murderer who then killed himself.

That Last One Really Shook Me Up. --Cooter

Lotsa Stuff happening July 2nd (In History)-- Part 2

1926 The Army Air Corps created. This was before today's Air Force which was created until after World War II. Of course, there is navy and marine Air Corps as well.


1937 Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan, disappeared in a flight over the Pacific Ocean as she was attempting to be the first woman to fly completely around the world. Today, there is still a lot of theories as to what happened to her, including one that said the Japanese captured her. On my part, I believe the plane crashed into the ocean somewhere.

1947 An object crashed near Roswell, New Mexico, giving rise to speculation it might have been an alien spacecraft. Again, lots of theories and was it or not. Only ET really knows for sure.

Back in college, Tom Smith and I took a spring break vacation to Florida, and near Cape Canaveral, we saw a huge fire and what appeared to be some sort of spacecraft above it. We freaked out and though the aliens were shooting at us and Tom floored his VW Beetle as we sped down the road. Dumb college kids.

1964 President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Way too long overdue. This country can only be strong if all its citizens have the opportunity to rise to the best of their limits. That holds true today as well as it did back then.

1997 Actor Jimmy Stewart died at age 89. One of my all-time favorite actors.

Like I Said, Lotsa Stuff. --Cooter

Lotsa Stuff Happening July 2nd-- Part 1

Every day. the Chicago Tribune runs a list of events that took place on that day's date. July 2nd, there were a considerable number of important things. I was going to do this yesterday, but forgot about it.

1776 The Continental Congress resolved that, "These united colonies are and of right, ought to be , free and independent states." And so it began.

1881 President James Garfield (a Civil War veteran) was mortally wounded by Charles Guiteau, a disappointed office seeker in Washington, DC. Garfield died September 19th. How'd you like to go through life called "a disappointed office seeker" and president killer? I have lost count of how many times I've seen Guiteau referred to as "a disappointed office seeker." Had he gotten a job, would he have shot the president?

1904 A great day in Chicago as Riverview Park was opened at Western and Belmont avenues on the Northwest Side. Millions of people visited it before it closed in 1967. The first and almost last roller coaster I ever went on was called The Bobs. That cured me from wanting to go on any roller coaster for a long time.

A Real Busy Day, and I've Got More to Write About. --Cooter

Interesting Happenings April 29th and 30th

I now get Answers.com on my home page and the last two days there have been some interesting happenings.

APRIL 29th-- In 1852, Peter Mark Roget, a doctor (physician) and philologist (lexigrapher) published his thesaurus.

Earlier, he had invented (devised) a forerunner (percursor) of the sliderule.

The word thesaurus comes from the Greek and Latin word for treasury (storehouse).

I like the way Answers gave the words with alternative words. Good sense of humor, folks!!

APRIL 30th-- Truley a day for inventions here in the US. Pencil sharpeners (electric I figure), television, FM radio (YEAH!!!), typewriters (again, probably electric), and new streetlight technologies were introduced at the 1939 New York World's Fair which opened on this date.

The General Motors (broke) Futurama Exhibit was especially popular. FDR became the first US president on TV and Walt Disney based his Disneyland on the fair.


What's in a Date? --Da Coot