Birth of John Dewey
John Dewey was born on October 20, 1859, in Burlington, Vermont. A philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer, he proposed educational theories that shaped education in America in the 20th century.
Science
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Happy Birthday Helen Hayes
Stage and screen actress Helen Hayes was born on October 10, 1900, in Washington, DC. Dubbed “The First Lady of the American Theater,” she’s one of just 16 people to win Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards (often referred to as EGOTs).
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Founding of the Mayo Clinic
On September 30, 1889, the first building of the Mayo Clinic opened to the public. Today its one of the world’s largest medical centers and the top-ranked hospital in the US.
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First State Fair in America
On September 29, 1841, New York held the first state fair in the US. Today it’s the oldest and one of the most highly attended of all US state fairs.
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American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) was founded on September 20, 1848, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It grew to become the world’s largest general scientific society with more than 120,000 members.
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Happy Birthday, Walter Reed
Major Walter Reed, M.D., was born on September 13, 1851, in Belroi, Gloucester County, Virginia. Reed confirmed the theory that yellow fever was spread by particular mosquito species. This led to decreased cases and a treatment, which ultimately saved countless lives in the building of the Panama Canal.
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Early Commercial Radio
On August 20, 1920, Detroit’s 8MK radio station began daily broadcasts. Still in operation today, the station often claims to be the first commercial radio station, though a few others have also staked their claim on that title.
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The World Wide Web
On August 6, 1991, Tim Berners-Lee published the first-ever website, heralding the start of the world wide web. The web has grown to over 1.8 billion websites today, and continues to grow every day.
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Birth of Percy Lavon Julian
Chemist Percy Lavon Julian was born on April 11, 1899, in Montgomery, Alabama. Julian was one of the first African Americans to receive a doctorate in chemistry, and the first to be inducted into the National Academy of Sciences. He owned more than 100 chemical patents and was a pioneer in chemical synthesis of drugs used in medicine.
