Franklin Roosevelt

On June 26, 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Firearms Act of 1934 into law. The act placed a tax on the manufacture and transfer of certain firearms, with new stamps being produced to show the tax had been paid.

Asa Philip Randolph was born on April 15, 1889, in Crescent City, Florida. Randolph was a respected and outspoken proponent of the rights of minority labor. He was greatly feared by his opponents, not because of his temperament, but because of his power to create change.

On March 22, 1941, the Grand Coulee Dam first began producing power.  The dam was a project that was years in the making and was completed in time to play its own part in the war effort.

Dean Cornwell was born on March 5, 1892, in Louisville, Kentucky. A prominent illustrator and muralist, his work became familiar to many Americans, appearing in books, advertisements, and World War II posters. He was known as the “Dean of Illustrators.”

Hugo Lafayette Black was born on February 27, 1886, in Harlan, Alabama. He’s the fifth longest-serving US Supreme Court justice and historians state he was second only to John Marshall in his impact on the Constitution.

Willkie was born Lewis Wendell Willkie on February 18, 1892, in Elwood, Indiana. He switched political parties to run against Franklin Roosevelt in the 1940 presidential election, but later worked with Roosevelt to promote US interests during World War II.

Joshua Daniel White was born on February 11, 1914, in Greenville, South Carolina. A trailblazing musician, White broke barriers with many notable firsts…

On January 20, 1937, Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first US president to be sworn in under the new rules of the 20th Amendment.  Since then, every president has been sworn in on January 20.

On December 10, 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  This date is now celebrated as Human Rights Day.