Did an 11-Year-Old Girl Convince Lincoln To Grow A Beard?
On October 15, 1860, 11-year-old Grace Bedell wrote a letter to Republican presidential nominee Abraham Lincoln. She suggested he grow a beard – which he did shortly after!
Presidents
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JFK Signs Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
On October 7, 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty with the Soviet Union and United Kingdom. Though it didn’t ban nuclear weapons entirely, the treaty forbid testing in the atmosphere, in space, and underwater.
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Death of President McKinley
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.
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Construction Begins on Blue Ridge Parkway
On September 11, 1935, workers broke ground on the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway near Cumberland Knob in North Carolina. Though it would take more than 50 years to complete, it’s been the most visited National Park Service site nearly every year since 1946, earning the nickname, “America’s Favorite Drive.”
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National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act
On September 9, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. This act was a landmark piece of legislation that changed the way Americans thought about cars and driving.
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Marquis de Lafayette’s Tour of the US
On August 15, 1824, Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, returned to the United States for the first time in nearly forty years. Now sixty-seven years old, Lafayette was the last surviving major general of the Revolutionary War.
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Passage of the Presidential Libraries Act
On August 12, 1955, the Presidential Libraries Act was passed, providing for the organized transfer of presidential papers and other items to the federal government.
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JFK Saves His PT-109 Crew
On August 2, 1943, future president John F. Kennedy saved the majority of his PT-109 crew after a Japanese destroyer rammed them.
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William Howard Taft – Only Man to Serve as President and Chief Justice
William Howard Taft always dreamed of being a Supreme Court justice. After a term as president, the time was finally right for Taft to take his dream job – on July 11, 1921.
