FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS Vicki Keith Munro, CM, O.Ont (born 26 February 1961 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a retired Canadian marathon swimmer. She currently holds 16 world records and has received over 41 honours and awards, having crossed many of the world’s most challenging bodies of water. To date, she has raised over […]

1630s BORN 1632: JOHN LOCKE (PHILOSOPHER) 1800s BORN 1809: OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES, SR. (AUTHOR) 1860s 1866: FIRST PEPPERSASS STEAM LOCOMOTIVE DEMONSTRATION ON THE MOUNT WASHINGTON COG RAILWAY TOOK PLACE DIED 1868: CHRISTIAN FRIEDRICH SCHÖNBEIN (CHEMIST) 1870s DIED 1877: BRIGHAM YOUNG (MORMON LEADER) 1910s BORN 1915: […]

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton, SC, (August 28, 1774 – January 4, 1821) was a Catholic religious sister in the United States and an educator, known as a founder of the country’s parochial school system. After her death, she became the first person born in what would become the United States to […]

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock band Double Trouble. Other associated acts include singer David Bowie and multi-instrumentalist Chente Vasquez (Chente Vasquez Experience). […]

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS Laura Ann Branigan (July 3, 1952 – August 26, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her signature song, the platinum-certified 1982 single “Gloria“, stayed on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for 36 weeks, then a record for a female artist, peaking at No. 2. It also reached number one […]

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS Althea Neale Gibson (August 25, 1927 – September 28, 2003) was an American tennis player and professional golfer, and one of the first Black athletes to cross the color line of international tennis. In 1956, she became the first African American to win a Grand Slam title (the French Championships). The following […]

ST. BARTHOLOMEW One of the original 12 Apostles, St. Bartholomew is commemorated on August 24. In England, many fairs were held on this day, including the famous St. Bartholomew Fair in Smithfield. Eventually, the saint’s feast day appeared in weather lore, such as “At St. […]

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS James Hoyt Wilhelm (July 26, 1922 – August 23, 2002), nicknamed “Old Sarge“, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, California Angels, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Dodgers between 1952 and 1972. Wilhelm was elected to the Baseball Hall of […]

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS Ann Smith Franklin (October 2, 1696 – April 16, 1763) was an American colonial newspaper printer and publisher. She inherited the business from her husband, James Franklin, brother of Benjamin Franklin. She published the Mintunt, printed an almanac series. She was the country’s first female newspaper editor, the first woman to write […]

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS Hawaii (/həˈwaɪ.i/ (listen) hə-WY-ee; Hawaiian: Hawaiʻi [həˈvɐjʔi] or [həˈwɐjʔi]) is a state in the Western United States located in the Pacific Ocean about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) from the U.S. mainland. It is the only state outside North America, the only state composed entirely of islands, and the only state in the tropics. Hawaii is also one of a few U.S. […]

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS Regis Francis Xavier Philbin (/ˈriːdʒɪs ˈfɪlbɪn/; August 25, 1931 – July 24, 2020) was an American television presenter, talk show host, game show host, actor and singer. Once called “the hardest working man in show business”, he held the Guinness World Record for the most hours spent on […]

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS The Bronze Fonz is a public artwork by American artist Gerald P. Sawyer, located on the Milwaukee Riverwalk in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Bronze Fonz depicts Henry Winkler as “The Fonz,” a character in the 1970s television series Happy Days, which was set in Milwaukee. Description The sculpture, made of bronze, depicts actor Henry Winkler as […]

1220s DIED 1227: GENGHIS KAHN (MONGOL LEADER) 1580s 1587: VIRGINIA DARE, DAUGHTER OF ANANIAS AND ELEANOR DARE, WAS BORN IN ROANOKE, BECOMING THE FIRST CHILD TO BE BORN IN AMERICA OF ENGLISH PARENTS 1590s 1590: JOHN WHITE, THE GOVERNOR OF THE COLONY OF ROANOKE, RETURNED […]

CAT NIGHTS BEGIN Cat Nights begin on August 17. This term harks back to the days when people believed in witches. A rather obscure old Irish legend said that a witch could turn herself into a cat eight times, but on the ninth time (August […]

BENNINGTON BATTLE DAY (VT.) In 1777 British general John Burgoyne sent 700 men to Bennington, Vermont, where 2,600 colonial troops were guarding a storehouse containing war supplies. American general John Stark met the British; killed their commander, Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum; and killed or imprisoned […]

ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Catholic churches in the United States mark the feast of the Assumption on August 15 each year to celebrate the assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s body into heaven upon her death. Assumption Day is considered a Holy Day […]

1840s 1848: OREGON TERRITORY ORGANIZED BY ACT OF CONGRESS 1860s BORN 1863: ERNEST LAWRENCE THAYER (POET) 1880s 1888: OLIVER B. SHALLENBERGER RECEIVED PATENT FOR AN ELECTRIC METER 1890s DIED 1891: SARAH CHILDRESS POLK (U.S. FIRST LADY) 1920s BORN 1926: ALICE GHOSTLEY (ACTRESS) 1930s 1935: PRESIDENT […]

1420s BORN 1422: WILLIAM CAXTON (PRINTER) 1530s 1535: “CANADA” FIRST USED TO INDICATE REGION 1810s BORN 1818: LUCY STONE (WOMEN’S RIGHTS ACTIVIST) 1820s BORN 1823: GOLDWIN SMITH (HISTORIAN & JOURNALIST) 1840s 1844: OREGON INSTITUTE (LATER NAMED WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY) OPENED IN SALEM, OREGON 1860s BORN 1860: […]

VICTORY DAY (RHODE ISLAND) This day marks the anniversary of the Allies’ victory during World War II. Japan agreed to surrender unconditionally, virtually ending the war. The world didn’t hear this announcement until the following day, and the surrender wasn’t official until September 2, when […]

DOG DAYS END The phrase “Dog Days” refers to the hottest days of summer. The Old Farmer’s Almanac lists the traditional timing of the Dog Days: the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11, coinciding with the heliacal (at sunrise) rising of the […]