This Day In History: January 6, 1941 Equality of opportunity for youth and for others. Jobs for those who can work. Security for those who need it. The ending of special privilege for the few. The preservation of civil liberties for all. – Four Freedoms Speech One of the most famous and influential political speeches on the subject of freedom […]

This Day In History: January 5, 1978 Dame Kathleen Kenyon was a British archaeologist who excavated the city of Jericho to its Stone Age foundation, and proved it was the world’s oldest continuously occupied settlement. She was the most influential female archaeologist of the last century, and instrumental in bringing the profession to the attention of the general public. Born […]

This Day In History: January 2, 1929 On January 2, 1929, the United States and Canada agreed to combine efforts to divert the Niagara River. The two nations were hoping to protect Niagara Falls, a group of massive waterfalls that are one of the biggest tourist attractions in North America. It is actually three separate falls that make up what […]

This Day In History: January 1, 1752 In the summer of 1776, the story goes that General George Washington paid a visit to a newly widowed seamstress regarding the design for their new nation’s flag. A basic lay-out using six-pointed stars had already been devised by the Continental Congress, but the seamstress supposedly pointed out that using five-pointed stars would […]

This Day In History: December 31, 1984 “Perseverance. I guess that would be the biggest thing I learned about myself. But I suppose that had a lot to do with the strength of those around me. They really didn’t give me a choice; I had to stick around and deal with it.” – Rick Allen In one of the more […]

This Day In History: December 30, 1928 “I tell musicians, ‘Don’t trust nobody but your mama, And even then, look at her real good.’” – Bo Diddley Rock and Roll trail blazer Bo Diddley’s signature 4/4 rhythm pattern, unique guitar playing, and larger-than-life personality makes him one of the most memorable founding fathers of modern popular music. He will forever […]

This Day In History: December 29, 1170 “Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?” –Henry II On the cold winter’s night of December 29, 1170, one of the most notorious murders of the Middle Ages occurred. To please their King, four knights crept into Canterbury Cathedral to assassinate the Archbishop Thomas Becket. This brutal event provoked a wave […]

This Day In History: December 26, 1973 “We were around 14 years old when this came out. My friend started swearing his bed was lifting up in the night after we saw this…. It messed us up for months!” – movie goer Larry K. On December 26, 1973, “The Exorcist” was released in theaters. The film’s dark, disturbing plot is […]

This Day In History: December 25, 1223 For those who celebrate Christmas, a nativity scene is a sure sign that the season is in full swing. The tradition is followed by Christians the world over. Its originator is thought to be St. Francis of Assisi, who according to tradition created the very first nativity scene in a cave outside the […]

This Day In History: December 24, 1818 On a cold Christmas Eve, Pastor Joseph Franz Mohr walked to the home of his friend Franz Xaver Gruber carrying a poem he had written two years earlier. He was in dire need of a Christmas carol for midnight mass and was hoping Gruber, a teacher who also served as the church organist […]

This Day In History: December 23, 1805 “You don’t know me – you never will. You never knew my heart. No man knows my history. I cannot tell it; I shall never undertake it. I don’t blame anyone for not believing my history. If I had not experienced what I have, I could not have believed it myself.”– Joseph Smith, […]

This Day In History: December 22, 1849 Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky was a Russian writer, journalist, and philosopher. He worked within, and was obviously influenced by, the constraints of 19th century Russia. Some of his major works include Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), Demons (1872), and The Brothers Karamazov (1880). In 1847, Dostoyevsky joined the Petrashevsky Circle, a group […]

This Day In History: December 19, 1732 Ben Franklin was, by all accounts, a busy guy. Throughout his life, he made a name for himself as a printer, postmaster, author, scientist, satirist, inventor, diplomat and statesman. Aside from his indisputable political influence on the fledgling United States, his most memorable contribution to American culture was Poor Richard’s Almanack. Not only […]

This Day In History: December 18, 1966 “Christmas day will always be, just so long as we have we.” When “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” first aired on December 18, 1966, the most optimistic projection for the cartoon was a ten-year run. Almost half a century later, it has exceeded all expectations, becoming a cherished Christmas classic eagerly awaited by […]

This Day In History: December 17, 1969 On December 17, 1969, the oddly engaging ukulele strumming pop sensation Tiny Tim, most famous for the song “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”, married his girlfriend, Miss Vicki, on the Tonight Show while 45 million people watched at home. The wedding attracted the most viewers in the show’s history up to that time. Tim […]

This Day In History: December 16, 1977 “Would ya just watch the hair? Ya know, I work on my hair a long time and you hit it. He hits my hair.” – Tony Manero At first, all you see are highly-shined shoes and swishing black flared pants strutting down a New York City street in perfect rhythm to the Bee […]

This Day In History: December 15, 1944 Glenn Miller was on the top of his game in 1944. He led the most popular recording group in the world. His only rival for king of Big Band music was the great Benny Goodman. During World War II, 40-year-old Miller was serving as a major in the United States Army Air Force […]

This Day In History: December 12, 1980 When an ordinary person doodles, the results eventually get tossed in the trash without a second thought. But when one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance era’s hastily scribbled drawings are discovered in centuries-old notebooks, they cause multi-million dollar bidding wars. And so it was that on December 12, 1980, Armand Hammer, […]