1500s 1503: CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS DISCOVERED THE CAYMAN ISLANDS AND NAMED THEM LAS TORTUGAS AFTER THE NUMEROUS SEA TURTLES THERE 1740s BORN 1746: GASPARD MONGE (MATHEMATICIAN) 1750s BORN 1755: ROBERT GRAY (SAILOR) 1770s 1774: LOUIS XVI BECAME KING OF FRANCE 1810s DIED 1818: PAUL REVERE (PATRIOT) […]

MOTHER’S DAY Although the custom of setting aside a day to honor mothers has ancient roots, our observance of Mother’s Day originated in 1907 with the efforts of a devoted daughter, Anna M. Jarvis of Philadelphia, who conceived the idea of an annual nationwide celebration. […]

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by The Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton and was bought out by businessman Asa Griggs Candler, whose marketing tactics led Coca-Cola to its […]

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS The American Medical Association (AMA), founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association and lobby group of physicians—both MDs and DOs—and medical students in the United States. The AMA’s stated mission is “to promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health.” The Association […]

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS Willie Howard Mays Jr. (born May 6, 1931), nicknamed “The Say Hey Kid“, is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He spent almost all of his 22-season Major League Baseball (MLB) career playing for the New York/San Francisco Giants (1951–1952, 1954–1972) before finishing his career with the New York […]

CINCO DE MAYO On the fifth of May, we celebrate Cinco de Mayo, the commemoration of Mexico’s victory over the French at the Battle of the Puebla in 1862. France’s Napoleon III wanted to establish a French empire in Mexico. On May 5, 1862, his […]

1780s 1780: AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES INCORPORATED, IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 1784: FIRST GENERAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI, IN PHILADELPHIA 1790s BORN 1796: HORACE MANN (AMERICAN EDUCATOR) 1880s 1886: HAYMARKET AFFAIR, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 1920s BORN 1929: AUDREY HEPBURN (ACTRESS) 1950s BORN […]

1650s 1654: FIRST TOLL BRIDGE (TOLL FOR ANIMALS BEGAN), ROWLEY, MASSACHUSETTS 1800s 1802: WASHINGTON, D.C., WAS INCORPORATED AS A CITY 1850s DIED 1856: ADOLPHE CHARLES ADAM (COMPOSER) 1900s BORN 1903: BING CROSBY (SINGER) BORN 1906: MARY ASTOR (ACTRESS) 1910s 1915: “JOHN MCCRAE WROTE POEM “IN […]

ORTHODOX EASTER Celebration of Easter by Orthodox Christians around the world following the Julian calendar. See how Easter dates are calculated at www.Almanac.com/easter 1510s DIED 1519: LEONARDO DA VINCI (ARTIST) 1670s 1670: HUDSON’S BAY CO. CHARTERED 1840s 1843: FIRST PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST […]

KENTUCKY DERBY America’s most famous horse race, the Kentucky Derby, has been held continuously since 1875 at Louisville, Kentucky, and has become one of the country’s largest civic celebrations (and betting opportunity). Not bad when you consider that the event lasts only two minutes! Modeled […]

NATIONAL ARBOR DAY “Arbor Day is not like other holidays. Each of those reposes on the past, while Arbor Day proposes for the future.” These are the words of J. Sterling Morton, the originator of the Arbor Day idea. He was among the many pioneers […]

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS ABC’s Wide World of Sports was an American sports anthology television program that aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) from April 29, 1961 to January 3, 1998, primarily on Saturday afternoons. Hosted by Jim McKay, with a succession of co-hosts beginning in 1987, the title continued to be […]

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS  Robinson scouted for the Detroit Pistons for 28 years, and worked 22 years for the Detroit Lions as a part-time scout. Robinson, who is a member of seven athletic halls of fame, was also the first black high school coach in Michigan, winning two state championships […]

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS Ruth Marianna Handler (née Mosko; November 4, 1916 – April 27, 2002) was an American businesswoman and inventor. She served as the president of the toy manufacturer Mattel Inc., In 1959, she invented the Barbie doll, which sold over a billion worldwide. She was the founder […]

1560s 1564: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE BAPTIZED 1780s BORN 1785: JOHN JAMES AUDUBON (NATURALIST) 1800s 1803: METEORITES FELL ON THE TOWN OF L’AIGLE, FRANCE 1820s BORN 1822: FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED (LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT) 1860s DIED 1865: JOHN WILKES BOOTH, ASSASSIN OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN, WAS SHOT BY FEDERAL TROOPS […]

1900s 1901: NEW YORK BECAME FIRST STATE TO REQUIRE AUTO LICENSE PLATES 1910s BORN 1917: ELLA FITZGERALD (SINGER) 1920s BORN 1923: MELISSA HAYDEN (BALLERINA) 1928: THE FIRST GUIDE DOG, BUDDY, WAS PRESENTED TO MORRIS FRANK 1940s 1940: FIRST CIRCUS TELECAST BORN 1940: AL PACINO (ACTOR) […]

ROBERT B. THOMAS’S BIRTHDAY Founder of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. Born in Grafton, Massachusetts, nine years before the start of the American Revolution, Thomas was brought up on a farm in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. He was fascinated by science and at age 16 read Ferguson’s Astronomy, […]

Every Year WORLD BOOK AND COPYRIGHT DAY ST. GEORGE’S DAY (N.L., CAN.) 1530s 1533: CHURCH OF ENGLAND ANNULLED THE MARRIAGE BETWEEN CATHERINE OF ARAGON AND KING HENRY VIII 1560s BORN 1564: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (PLAYWRIGHT) 1610s DIED 1616: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (PLAYWRIGHT) 1790s BORN 1791: JAMES BUCHANAN […]

EARTH DAY Earth Day is April 22 of every year. April 22, 2020, will mark 50 years of Earth Day! On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans—10% of the U.S. population at the time—protested to bring attention to the very concerning environmental issues of the […]

Every Year SAN JACINTO DAY SAN JACINTO DAY (TEX.) TRADITIONAL DATE WHEN ROME WAS FOUNDED BY ROMULUS, IN 753 B.C. 1500s DIED 1509: KING HENRY VII OF ENGLAND 1550s DIED 1552: PETER APIANUS (ASTRONOMER) 1780s 1789: JOHN ADAMS SWORN IN AS THE FIRST VICE PRESIDENT […]