This Day In History

Businessman and philanthropist Milton Snavely Hershey was born on September 13, 1857, in Derry Township, Pennsylvania. After several failed attempts at business, he built a profitable caramel company, then used its sale to pursue a larger goal: making milk chocolate affordable for ordinary Americans.

On September 12, 1953, John F. Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier in Newport, Rhode Island. Their wedding drew national attention, but it came years before either could know how closely their partnership would become linked with American public life.

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks on America. It was an event that changed our world forever. From that day forward, the term “9/11” would symbolize both disaster and heroics.

The American Forestry Association was founded on September 10, 1875, in Chicago, Illinois. It’s one of America’s oldest national conservation organizations, with a mission of “Creating Healthy and Resilient Forests, from Cities to Wilderness, that Deliver Essential Benefits for Climate, People, Water and Wildlife.”

Businessman and philanthropist Milton Snavely Hershey was born on September 13, 1857, in Derry Township, Pennsylvania. After several failed attempts at business, he built a profitable caramel company, then used its sale to pursue a larger goal: making milk chocolate affordable for ordinary Americans.

On July 1, 1957, the Teachers of America stamp was issued to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the National Education Association. Released in Philadelphia, where the organization began, the stamp honored a century of teachers working to build and improve American education.

On April 24, 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was inaugurated as Pope Benedict XVI, becoming the 265th Pope of the Catholic Church before a crowd of more than 300,000 in St. Peter’s Square. The 78-year-old German theologian — once nicknamed “God’s Rottweiler” for his doctrinal rigor — surprised the world eight years later by becoming the first pope to resign in nearly 600 years.

On February 28, 1797, Mary Lyon was born in Buckland, Massachusetts. From a modest New England farm, she would go on to found one of the first institutions in the United States devoted to the higher education of women.

Eight days after being shot by an assassin at the Pan-American Expo, President McKinley died on September 14, 1901. His passing sent a wave of grief across the nation, as more than 200,000 people attended memorial ceremonies in Washington, DC and his home state of Ohio.

On September 14, 1908, the University of Missouri School of Journalism became the first such school in the US, and only the second in the world. The school adopted a hands-on approach, known as the “Missouri Method.”

The “Supreme Poet” Dante Alighieri is believed to have died on September 14, 1321. His Divine Comedy is considered one of the most important poems of the Middle Ages and the Italian language.

On September 14, 1716, the first lighthouse in what would become America was lit for the first time in Boston Harbor.  In honor of its long history, it’s the only lighthouse in America to still have a light keeper today.