This Day In History

On March 7, 1903, Maud Lewis was born in South Ohio, Nova Scotia. Few could have guessed that this child, who would face lifelong physical pain and poverty, would become one of Canada’s most recognized folk artists.

On March 6, 1820, President James Monroe signed the Missouri Compromise into law. The measure aimed to calm rising tensions over slavery, but it also revealed how deeply divided the nation had already become.

Cattle rancher Charles Goodnight was born on March 5, 1836, in Macoupin County, Illinois. One of America’s most famous cattle barons, Goodnight helped blaze a major cattle trail and is sometimes referred to as the “Father of the Texas Panhandle.”

On March 4, 1791, Vermont was admitted to the Union. After years of land disputes, frontier battles, and even a period as an independent republic, the small mountain region officially became the 14th state of the United States.

On March 6, 1820, President James Monroe signed the Missouri Compromise into law. The measure aimed to calm rising tensions over slavery, but it also revealed how deeply divided the nation had already become.

On March 4, 1791, Vermont was admitted to the Union. After years of land disputes, frontier battles, and even a period as an independent republic, the small mountain region officially became the 14th state of the United States.

On March 1, 1867, Congress admitted Nebraska to the Union. The decision came after months of political conflict and even a presidential veto, placing the prairie state at the center of national debate during Reconstruction.

On February 25, 1928, Bryce Canyon officially became Bryce Canyon National Park, securing permanent federal protection for one of America’s most unusual landscapes. What began as a remote stretch of pink cliffs and strange rock spires in southern Utah had become important enough to earn the highest level of preservation in the National Park System.

On March 8, 1817, the New York Stock Exchange was established out of a reorganization of stockbrokers working under the Buttonwood Agreement. Today, it’s the world’s largest stock exchange, with its trading numbering over $25 trillion.

On this day in 1914, International Women’s Day was first celebrated on March 8. It’s been officially adopted by the United Nations and is celebrated in several countries around the world.

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. was born on March 8, 1841, in Boston, Massachusetts. Known as “The Great Dissenter,” he is one of the best-known American judges, serving on the Supreme Court for 30 years.

Harvey Thomas Dunn was born on March 8, 1884, near Manchester, South Dakota. Dunn was influenced all his life by the South Dakota prairie where he was born. He once said that he preferred painting pictures of early South Dakota life to any other subject.