On this day in history.

[scifan57]

January 6, 1838;

Samuel Finley Breese Morse demonstrates his telegraph system for the first time at the Speedwell Iron Works in Morristown, New Jersey.
Samuel Morse - Wikipedia

 

[giradman]

January 6, 1838;

Samuel Finley Breese Morse demonstrates his telegraph system for the first time at the Speedwell Iron Works in Morristown, New Jersey.
Samuel Morse - Wikipedia

Morse was also a famous 19th century American painter and popular portrait artist, although one of his most famous paintings is The Best of the Louvre, on a Single Canvas (1831-33) - a large 6 x 9 foot work of art - my last visit to the Louvre was several decades ago and I must have seen this painting, i.e. hard to miss! Dave P.S. click for a huge scrolling enlargement if you wish to identify each painting!
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[J. A.]

Sir Sandford Fleming, Scottish Canadian inventor and engineer was born on January 7, 1827, in Kirkcaldy, Scottland. He was the inventor of standard time.

Sandford Fleming - Wikipedia

 

[J. A.]

January 8, 1908:

English actor William Henry Hartnell was born in St. Pancras, London. He is most known for his role as Doctor Who. Hartnell played the first incarnation of that character from 1963 to 1966.

William Hartnell - Wikipedia

 

[giradman]

First US Presidental Election Held Today in 1789 Chose George Washington as President!

Well, a rather pertinent event today in picking George Washington as the first USA President using the 'Electoral College' - under great debate for many years, and now recently w/ the current presidential election in November 2016 - Clinton won the popular vote but Trump is the upcoming President due to the Electoral College - the controversy continues - Dave

On this day in 1789, America’s first presidential election is held. Voters cast ballots to choose state electors; only white men who owned property were allowed to vote. As expected, George Washington won the election and was sworn into office on April 30, 1789. (Source)

As it did in 1789, the United States still uses the Electoral College system, established by the U.S. Constitution, which today gives all American citizens over the age of 18 the right to vote for electors, who in turn vote for the president. The president and vice president are the only elected federal officials chosen by the Electoral College instead of by direct popular vote. (Source)

Today political parties usually nominate their slate of electors at their state conventions or by a vote of the party’s central state committee, with party loyalists often being picked for the job. Members of the U.S. Congress, though, can’t be electors. Each state is allowed to choose as many electors as it has senators and representatives in Congress. The District of Columbia has 3 electors. During a presidential election year, on Election Day, the electors from the party that gets the most popular votes are elected in a winner-take-all-system, with the exception of Maine and Nebraska, which allocate electors proportionally. In order to win the presidency, a candidate needs a majority of 270 electoral votes out of a possible 538. (Source)

 

[J. A.]

January 9, 2007:
In a keynote address at the Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco, Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone. It was presented as combination of revolutionary phone, breakthrough internet communicator and widescreen iPod with touch controls.
The iPhone was released on June 29 the same year.

Wikipedia
iPhone (1st generation) - Wikipedia

 

[scifan57]

Happy 10th Birthday iPhone. Here's the full keynote presentation.

 

[giradman]

Albert Schweitzer Born Today in 1875

Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) was an extraordinary man - a theologian, musician (organist), philosopher, physician, missionary, Nobel laureate (1952 Peace Prize), and author - his writings were diverse, including The Quest of the Historical Jesus, Out of My Life and Thought: An Autobiography The Philosophy of Civilization, and several volumes on JS Bach - in high school, I considered becoming a doctor and read Schweitzer's autobiography (of course, along w/ many other books on scientists, physicians, etc.) - Dave

The theologian, musician, philosopher and Nobel Prize-winning physician Albert Schweitzer is born on this day in 1875 in Upper-Alsace, Germany (now Haut-Rhin, France). The son and grandson of ministers, Schweitzer studied theology and philosophy at the universities of Strasbourg, Paris and Berlin. After working as a pastor, he entered medical school in 1905 wanting to become a missionary in Africa. Schweitzer was also an acclaimed concert organist who played professional engagements to earn money for his education. By the time he received his M.D. in 1913, the overachieving Schweitzer had published several books, including the influential The Quest for the Historical Jesus and a book on the composer Johann Sebastian Bach. (Source)

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[giradman]

Prohibition - 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution Ratified Today in 1919!

The dates are confusing and are shown below (first quote) - the Volstead Act (National Prohibition Act), named after a congressman, went into effect on January 17, 1920, so the dates 1920-1933 are usually stated for the Prohibition Era. This was the most disastrous Amendment ever past (IMHO) leading to the Roaring Twenties w/ numerous deaths from tainted alcoholic products, a decade of escalating crime, plenty of 'loopholes' to obtain alcohol, etc. - the story goes on - for those w/ an interest in this fiasco, I would urge a read of the book Last Call - The Rise and Fall of Prohibition (2010) by Daniel Okrent. Dave

December 18, 1917 - U.S. Senate proposed the Eighteenth Amendment.
January 16, 1919 - Amendment ratified on approval by a 36th state.
October 28, 1919 - Congress passed the Volstead Act over Wilson’s veto.
January 17, 1920 - the U.S.A. went ‘dry’. (Source)

The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, prohibiting the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes,” is ratified on this day in 1919 and becomes the law of the land. The movement for the prohibition of alcohol began in the early 19th century, when Americans concerned about the adverse effects of drinking began forming temperance societies. By the late 19th century, these groups had become a powerful political force, campaigning on the state level and calling for total national abstinence. In December 1917, the 18th Amendment, also known as the Prohibition Amendment, was passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. (Source)

Prohibition took effect in January 1919. Nine months later, Congress passed the Volstead Act, or National Prohibition Act, over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto. The Volstead Act provided for the enforcement of prohibition, including the creation of a special unit of the Treasury Department. Despite a vigorous effort by law-enforcement agencies, the Volstead Act failed to prevent the large-scale distribution of alcoholic beverages, and organized crime flourished in America. In 1933, the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was passed and ratified, repealing prohibition. (Source)

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[giradman]

Morse was also a famous 19th century American painter and popular portrait artist, although one of his most famous paintings is The Best of the Louvre, on a Single Canvas (1831-33) - a large 6 x 9 foot work of art - my last visit to the Louvre was several decades ago and I must have seen this painting, i.e. hard to miss! Dave P.S. click for a huge scrolling enlargement if you wish to identify each painting!
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View attachment 75522

Amazing coincidence - next month the Morse Louvre painting is coming to the Reynolda House, so we'll definitely be going to see the exhibit - Dave
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[scifan57]

Prohibition - 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution Ratified Today in 1919!

The dates are confusing and are shown below (first quote) - the Volstead Act (National Prohibition Act), named after a congressman, went into effect on January 17, 1920, so the dates 1920-1933 are usually stated for the Prohibition Era. This was the most disastrous Amendment ever past (IMHO) leading to the Roaring Twenties w/ numerous deaths from tainted alcoholic products, a decade of escalating crime, plenty of 'loopholes' to obtain alcohol, etc. - the story goes on - for those w/ an interest in this fiasco, I would urge a read of the book Last Call - The Rise and Fall of Prohibition (2010) by Daniel Okrent. Dave






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View attachment 75667 View attachment 75668 View attachment 75669 View attachment 75670

The last time I was in Boston I saw a bar called the 21st Amendment.

 

[twerppoet]

The last time I was in Boston I saw a bar called the 21st Amendment.

Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution - Wikipedia

 

[scifan57]

January 20, 1945;

Franklin Delano Roosevelt is inaugurated to start his unprecedented 4th term as President of the United States. This led to the passage of the 22nd amendment to the Constitution which limited Presidents to 2 elected terms or 1 if they've served more than two years of another President's term.
Franklin D. Roosevelt - Wikipedia

Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution - Wikipedia

 

[giradman]

January 20, 1945;

Franklin Delano Roosevelt is inaugurated to start his unprecedented 4th term as President of the United States. This led to the passage of the 22nd amendment to the Constitution which limited Presidents to 2 elected terms or 1 if they've more than two years of another President's term.
Franklin D. Roosevelt - Wikipedia
View attachment 75730
Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution - Wikipedia

Yep, FDR loved being the president! Dave

 

[giradman]

Elizabeth Blackwell Became the First U.S. Female Medical Physician in 1849!

As a retired physician who has read a lot of medical history, especially in my early years - Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910) is well known to me. She attended Geneva Medical College (now Hobart College) in upstate New York (not far southwest from Albany) - today, about a third of U.S. physicians are women, which will increase since nearly half of recent medical school graduates here are female (Source). Dave

Elizabeth Blackwell is granted a medical degree from Geneva College in New York, becoming the first female to be officially recognized as a physician in U.S. history. Blackwell, born in Bristol, England, came to the United States in her youth and attended the medical faculty of Geneva College, now known as Hobart College. In 1849, she graduated with the highest grades in her class and was granted an M.D. In 1857, after several years of private practice, she founded the New York Infirmary for Women and Children with her sister, Emily Blackwell, also a doctor. In 1868, the institution was expanded to include a women’s college for the training of nurses and doctors, the first of its kind in America. The next year, Blackwell returned to England, where in 1875 she became professor of gynecology at the London School of Medicine for Women, a medical discipline she had helped to establish (Source).

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