On February 16, 1862, Ulysses S. Grant scored an important and morale-boosting victory at the Battle of Fort Donelson. Grant captured more soldiers in that one battle than all American generals combined up to that time.
On February 9, 1889, the US Department of Agriculture attained cabinet-level status. The change was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland.
William McKinley Jr. was born on January 29, 1843, in Niles, Ohio. As America’s 25th president, he guided the country during the Spanish-American War, expanded our overseas territories, and promoted rapid economic growth.
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 January 9, 1793, Jean-Pierre Blanchard carried the first letter by hot air balloon in America. The letter came from President George Washington, an avid balloon enthusiast.
Italian physician, merchant, horticulturalist and close friend of President Thomas Jefferson, Philip Mazzei was born on December 25, 1730, in Poggio a Caiano (Prato) in Tuscany.
On December 11, 1789, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was established. It’s the oldest public university in the United States in terms of beginning instruction as a public school.
On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. A day that will live in infamy, the attack prompted an unusual handling of the American flag, which became known as the Flag of Liberation.
On December 6, 1947, President Harry Truman presided over the dedication of Florida’s Everglades National Park. It’s the largest tropical wilderness in the United States and the third largest park in the country.