America’s ninth president, William Henry Harrison was born on February 9, 1773, in Charles City County, Virginia. After delivering the longest inaugural address in history in the freezing cold, he died of pneumonia a month later, serving the shorted term of any president.
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 25, 1915, the first official transcontinental telephone call from New York to San Francisco was made. It was a revolutionary moment in communication, instantly linking callers on either side of the country.
America’s 37th president, Richard Milhous Nixon was born into a poor Quaker family in Yorba Linda, California, on January 9, 1913. Largely remembered for the Watergate scandal and his resignation, he was considered an effective leader by many prior to his fall from grace.
America’s 13th president, Millard Fillmore, was born on January 7, 1800, in Moravia, New York. He was the second US vice president to take the nation’s highest office as the result of the president’s death. While he struggled on the domestic front, he helped open relations with Japan.
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.
On December 8, 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered his “Atoms for Peace” speech, introducing his goal of using nuclear power for peace.
On December 3, 1755, Gilbert Stuart was born in Saunderstown, Rhode Island Colony. A prolific American artist, he painted more than 1,000 people, including our first six presidents. Several of his portraits have appeared on US stamps – and even the $1 bill!
On December 2, 1823, President James Monroe introduced the foreign policy doctrine that bears his name. Known as the Monroe Doctrine, it has served as the cornerstone of America’s foreign policy ever since, invoked by several presidents over the years.