This Week in History
St. Patrick’s Day
Sure an’ begorrah, this is the week when everyone is Irish, at least for a day. Yes, tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day. Or, as they say in Celtic, Lá Fhéile Pádraig. It’s the annual feast day of the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick, who is generally credited with bringing Christianity to the Emerald Isle. […]
The Emergency Banking Relief Act
The very first act in President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “New Deal” was passed on March 9, 1933, four days after Roosevelt had declared a nationwide bank holiday. The measure was called the Emergency Banking Relief Act, and it allowed the President to seize insolvent banks, direct the Federal Reserve to make unsecured loans to them […]
The First Inaugural
On March 4, 1789, George Washington was sworn in as America’s first President and the new U.S. Congress opened its first session. Both took place near Wall Street in New York City.
The 100-Hour War
On Feb.27, 1991, an amazing thing happened: The President of the United States went on national television to announce that the United States had won a war.
The Origins Of The Teddy Bear
One of the most popular toys in history made its first appearance 107 years ago this week. On a hunting trip a few months earlier, then-President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear cub, saying it would be unsportsmanlike.
Happy Birthday “Blondie”
One of America’s all-time favorite comic strips is celebrating a birthday this week. “Blondie,” starring Dagwood Bumstead, made its debut on Feb. 17, 1933. The strip was started by Chic Young, who continued to produce it every day until his death in 1973.
Happy Birthday, President Reagan
This week would have marked the 100th birthday of the greatest President of my lifetime. Ronald Reagan was born on Feb. 6, 1911. He not only saw a lot of history, he made history.
A Real Gold High
Here’s something Scrooge McDuck would remember. On Jan. 21, 1980, gold hit what was then its all-time high, when it briefly touched $850 an ounce. When people speak of “gold’s glory days,” though, it’s a bit of a misnomer. Gold was above $800 for only one day. And it was above $700 for only four days. That’s one week for a bubble that saw the precious metal rise 500 percent from $160 an ounce in 1974, when Americans were once again permitted to own the Midas metal.
Operation Desert Storm And The Dow
On Jan. 16, 1991, “Operation Desert Storm” began in the Persian Gulf. Americans watched on live television as U.S.-led coalition forces hit targets with missiles guided down a chimney or through a building’s window. Talk about pinpoint accuracy!
Two Lincolns
Here’s a bit of forgotten history. On Jan. 12, 1848 a freshman congressman from Illinois delivered his first major address to the House of Representatives. A clean-shaven Abraham Lincoln declared: “Any people, anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, to shake off the existing government, and form a new […]
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