Harry Truman was the first president to make a televised speech from the White House.

The Supreme Court decided that it was unconstitutional to require recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance not in the 1960s but in 1943, in the midst of World War II. In that year, the Supreme Court struck down a West Virginia law requiring recitation of the pledge.

Richard M. Nixon’s running mate in 1960 was Henry Cabot Lodge.

Pennsylvania, founded by William Penn, a Quaker, in 1682 was one of the 13 Colonies was founded by pacifists. Members of the Society of Friends, or Quaker movement, rejected formal sacraments and clergy, trusted in the inspiration of an “inner light,” and forbade violence and war. Penn hoped Pennsylvania’s government would embody Quaker principles, practicing … Read more

The Granite Railway was the first chartered railroad in the United States. It began running from Quincy, Massachusetts, to the Neponset River, a distance of three miles, on October 7, 1826. Its principal cargo consisted of blocks of granite for use in building the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. The railway later became part of … Read more

In Ronald Reagan’s first job after college, the future president (served 198189) broadcasted play-by-play accounts of major league baseball games from Station WHO in Des Moines, Iowa.

President Reagan fired all of the 11,600 air traffic controller strikers after they refused to obey a court order to return to work. By decade’s end, there were 2,500 fewer air traffic controllers employed in the industry. Meanwhile, U.S. air traffic had increased by a third and safety records had worsened.

The Molly Maguires were a secret militant organization of Irish miners working in the Pennsylvania anthracite coal mines in the 19th century. They organized in 1854 to fight the mine operators. In 1875, a Pinkerton spy working for the owners infiltrated the group. That led to the conviction and hanging of 20 Molly Maguires on … Read more

The no-hitter was pitched by Don Larsen of the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the fifth game of the 1956 World Series.

People of Mexican descent founded the city of Los Angeles in 1781. Mexicans remained the major population group in Los Angeles (named for Our Lady of the Angels) until the Gold Rush of 1849 brought Anglo-Americans to California in droves. By then, as a result of the Mexican War in 1846-48, California had passed from … Read more

In an 1889 speech, the 54-year old steel baron and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie outlined his “Gospel,” a set of principles for amassing and sharing wealth. He wrote, “The millionaire will be but a trustee for the poor; entrusted for a season with a great part of the increased wealth of the community, but administering it … Read more

In the early 20th century, these three Chicago Cubs filled the following infield positions: Joe Tinker, shortstop; Johnny Evers, second base; Frank Chance, first base. Their fielding, immortalized in a popular sportswriter’s phase, “Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance,” has become synonymous with crack teamwork.

Odd-numbered highways move north and south, while those with even numbers move east and west. Highways with one or two digit numbers are through routes, often long ones used for distance driving. Three-digit routes that begin with an even number are usually beltways around a city. Three-digit routes that begin with an odd number are … Read more

Kilroy was the hero of graffiti scrawled by countless U.S. servicemen during World War II, proclaiming “Kilroy was here,” but he may never have existed in person. Sergeant Francis J. Kilroy of the U.S. Air Corps and James J. Kilroy, an inspector in a Massachusetts shipyard, have both been suggested as the namesake of the … Read more

Peoria, Illinois, got its name from the Peoria tribe of the Illinois Confederacy. The name means “carrying a pack on his back.”

Virginia has the honor of being the birthplace of the most presidents, with eight: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, William Henry Harrison, Tyler, Taylor, and Wilson. Ohio is second, with seven: Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, McKinley, Taft, and Harding.

Fort Necessity—Pennsylvania Fort Duquesne—Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Fort Ticonderoga—New York State Fort Laramie—Wyoming Fort Sumter—Charleston, South Carolina Fort Corregidor—Manila Bay, Philippines

Ulysses S. Grant and his wife Julia Denton Grant are buried in Grant’s Tomb on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

H. L. Mencken said, “Puritanism is the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy”.

At least 146 women, mainly young immigrants, died in the sweatshop fire in the Triangle Waist Company that occurred on April 20, 1911. The sprinkler system was inadequate, the 500 female workers stood back-to-back on the crowded work floors, and the fire doors were kept locked to prevent theft. The company owners were later acquitted … Read more

The first known case of wiretapping in American politics occurred at the Republican convention in Chicago in 1912, when opponents of Teddy Roosevelt tapped the phones he used to communicate with his managers. When Roosevelt learned of it, he left his home in Oyster Bay, New York, and came to Chicago to talk to his … Read more

Federally funded health insurance for the disabled and those over 65 called Medicare was part of the Social Security Amendments of 1965. The Amendments also saw the beginning of Medicaid.