On July 16, 1769, Franciscan friar Junipero Serra founded California’s first Catholic mission. This marked the beginning of the Spanish mission system in California, which would go on to shape the culture, history, and landscape of the region for centuries.
Future President John Calvin Coolidge Jr. was born on Independence Day, July 4, 1872. He would serve as America’s 30th president, taking the office upon the unexpected death of President Warren Harding.
On June 9, 1534, Jacques Cartier became the first European explorer to travel the St. Lawrence River.
On May 11, 1910, an act of Congress officially created Glacier National Park in Montana. America’s 10th national park, its been called the “Crown of Continent.”
On March 11, 1824, US Secretary of War John C. Calhoun created the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Today, the federal agency works with Native American and Alaskan Native tribal governments to maintain their quality of life.
On March 3, 1845, Florida joined the Union as the 27th state. The state’s name comes from Ponce de Leon, who arrived centuries earlier and named the area La Florida, likely in honor of the Easter Season, Pascua Florida.
On February 8, 1693, a royal charter officially established the College of William and Mary. Today it’s the second-oldest college in America (behind Harvard).
On January 6, 1912, New Mexico became the 47th state admitted to the Union.
On January 5, 1933, America’s 30th President, Calvin Coolidge, died suddenly of a heart attack. He’d led the nation through the notable economic growth of the Roaring Twenties.