On this day in 1789 The Constitution of the United States went into effect as the First Federal Congress met in New York. They didn’t do much however because there were not enough of them for a quorum. But once the word got out that there were openings for politicians this problem was solved.
The next day. Earlier in 1681 King Charles II granted a charter to William Penn for land that later became Pennsylvania. But why did King Charles feel like he actually was in a position to give the land away? Did he OWN the land? What about the people who had been living there for centuries?
If someone gives away my one tenth acre of land I am going to be upset. Especially if they give it to my ex wife. And that could happen. Where’s my bow and arrow?
In 1858 Senator James Hammond D-SC declared “Cotton is king” in a speech to the US Senate. Senator Byrd jumped up and applauded (He was young enough in those days to jump around and do other stuff without hurting his back). Mr. Cotton was surprised but he collected himself and took a bow. He had been sitting in the gallery sleeping but was abruptly awakened when someone poked him. Later he discovered that somebody had stolen his whig which was, coincidentally, made of cotton balls.
On this day three years later (1861) Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated President. The next day King Cotton turned up at the White House and started pounding on the door. It didn’t take President Lincoln long to realize it was going to be a very long four years.
In 1925 Calvin Coolidge’s inauguration was broadcast live on 21 radio stations. Millions of people across the country suddenly realized that their radios made a loud humming noise when Silent Cal got up to make his speech.
On this day in 1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a stirring speech pledging to lead the country out of the Great Depression. You had to be there to be stirred by this speech because all the radios were in a state of disrepair by then and nobody had the money to get them fixed.
And now it is time for the “Happy Birthday” wishes. Rapper Grand Puba is 42 today and we wish him all the luck in the world and many more birthdays. Chastity Bono is 39 today and it hardly seems possible. My they grow up quickly! Rock singer Evan Dando (Lemonheads) is 41 and we hope he enjoys his day. Jazz musician Jason Marsalis is 31 and please have a solo on us. And actress Andrea Bowen (Desperate Housewives) is 18 and really finding out about life at an early age.
So that’s it for now history lovers. Don’t forget to grab a RSS feed so you won’t miss any installments of our award winning News Briefs or our Date With History
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