Start of the Electrical Age
On September 4, 1882, Thomas Edison began providing electricity to a portion of New York City, an event often considered the start of the electrical age.
This Day in History
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Birth of Marguerite Higgins
Marguerite Higgins Hall was born on September 3, 1920, in Hong Kong, China. A war correspondent for World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, she was the first woman awarded a Pulitzer Prize for international reporting.
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“Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick”
On September 2, 1901, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt used a phrase at the Minnesota State Fair that would become closely associated with his presidency: “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” The address, delivered less than two weeks before he entered the White House, outlined his belief that national power should support restrained but firm diplomacy.
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The Titanic is Found
More than 70 years after the Titanic sank, a joint American-French expedition located its wreck on the North Atlantic floor on September 1, 1985. The discovery ended decades of failed searches and revealed that the ship still rested nearly 12,500 feet below the surface.
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Princess Diana’s Sudden Death
On August 31, 1997, the world was shocked when Princess Diana was involved in a car crash that took her life.
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Thurgood Marshall Appointed Supreme Court Justice
On August 30, 1967, the US Senate confirmed Thurgood Marshall as the first African American justice of the Supreme Court. His appointment followed three decades in which he used the law to challenge racial segregation and expand constitutional rights.
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Fifth World Forestry Congress
On August 29, 1960, the Fifth World Forestry Congress opened in Seattle, Washington. Nearly 2,000 participants gathered to consider how forests could supply timber while also protecting water, wildlife, grazing land, and places for outdoor recreation.
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Start of Railway Mail Service
On August 28, 1864, the US Post Office Department created the Railway Mail Service. It revolutionized mail delivery for a century.
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Tariff Act of 1894
On August 27, 1894, the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act became law and established the nation’s first federal income-tax exemption for charitable, religious, and educational organizations. Although much of the law proved short-lived, its basic distinction between commercial profits and nonprofit work became a lasting part of the federal tax system.
