Today in History–October 9–the Library of Congress features Yale University, which received a charter from the Connecticut colonial legislature (as the Collegiate School in Saybrook) on this day in 1701. The school moved to New Haven in 1716, and was renamed Yale College in 1718 in honor of Elihu Yale, a merchant and early benefactor. Find out more about this prestigious university by visiting the Today in History section,…
Today in History–October 8–the Library of Congress features the great Chicago fire, which began on this day in 1871. The fire took at least 300 lives, left nearly a third of the city’s residents homeless, and leveled more than 18,000 structures (Encyclopedia of Chicago). Learn more about this fire and others that burnt on the same day in Michigan and…
Today in History–October 3–the Library of Congress features the Anthracite coal strike. On this day in 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt met with miners and coalfield operators in an attempt to settle the five-month-old strike; he was the first U.S. president to intervene in a labor dispute. Roosevelt appointed a commission to help negotiate terms of a settlement, which…
Today in History–October 2–the Library of Congress features Thurgood Marshall, sworn in as Supreme Court Justice on this day in 1967; he was the first African American to serve. President Lyndon B. Johnson said of Marshall’s appointment, “the right thing to do, the right time to do it, the right man and the right place.” Prior to becoming a…
Today in History–September 25–the Library of Congress features writer William Faulkner, born on this day in 1897. Faulkner spent much of his youth in Oxford, Mississippi, later transforming what he knew into great literary works. A writer of deep insight, Faulkner also experimented with form and format; he won the 1949 Nobel Prize for Literature and two subsequent Pulitzer Prizes. Learn more about…
Today in History–September 24–the Library of Congress features writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, born on this day in 1896. Named for his distant cousin Francis Scott Key, author of the The Star-Spangled Banner. Fitzgerald also enjoyed instant success with his first writing effort, the novel This Side of Paradise. Five years later Fitzgerald’s most celebrated novel, The Great Gatsby, was published. Learn more…
Today in History–September 21–the Library of Congress features New Mexico. On this day in 1595, Don Juan de Oñate’s petition and contract for the conquest of New Mexico was presented to Luís de Velasco, the viceroy of Nueva Vizcaya. The petition was ultimately granted and Oñate’s expedition set out in 1598. A brutal leader, Oñate was later stripped…
Today in History–September 19–the Library of Congress features the first battle of Saratoga. On this day in 1777, Continental soldiers under American General Horatio Gates defeated the British in Saratoga, New York. A month later, British General John Burgoyne surrendered his British troops at the same place. The American victories at Saratoga turned the tide of the war in favor of…
Today in History–September 18–the Library of Congress features Booker T. Washington, who delivered his famous “Atlanta Compromise” or Atlanta Exposition speech on this day in 1895. The speech delivered by this prominent African American leader advocated for a moderate approach to race relations in the New South. Learn more about the founder and president of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial…
Today in History–September 17–the Library of Congress features the U.S. Constitution. After much debate and compromise, the members of the Constitutional Convention signed the final draft of the Constitution on this day in 1787. It would take just over nine months to ratify this document that would become the supreme law of the land. Learn more by visiting the Today in History section and by delving into…
Today in History–September 11–the Library of Congress features the terrorist attacks on the United States. On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four airplanes and killed thousands as they destroyed the World Trade Center towers in New York and damaged the Pentagon in Virginia; a fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers struggled with hijackers. Learn more by visiting the Today in History section…
Today in History–September 06–the Library of Congress features President William McKinley, shot on this day in 1901 just six months after his second inauguration. President McKinley died eight days later, reportedly while singing his favorite hymn, “Nearer my God to Thee, Nearer to Thee“. Anarchist Leon Czolgosz is found guilty of assassinating the president and is executed less than two…