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THE AMERICAN CALENDAR
EACH DATE IS THE ANNIVERSARY
OF A PERSON OR EVENT. IT SIGNIFIES THE DATE OF BIRTH OR IN SOME CASES THE
DATE OF DEATH AS SPECIFIED. |
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February |
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James
Wilkinson, American army officer and adventurer who was the .governor
of the Louisiana Territory and became involved in the schemes of
Aaron Burr. Fearing public exposure, he informed President Thomas
Jefferson of Burr's plot to disrupt the Union and served as the
chief prosecution witness at Burr's trial. Wilkinson was cleared
of complicity. |
Victor Herbert, American
composer and conductor whose operettas were among the most popular
in the history of the musical stage. It was in the popular musical
theater that Herbert achieved fame. In 1914 he was one of the founders
of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He
wrote two operas, orchestral, choral and chamber music. |
Clark
Gable, American actor, famous for his enduring popularity. What
audiences saw was an extremely handsome man, with a warm smile and
a robust physique and manner - a
personality that showed
through every role he played. Forty-one of his films grossed $63
million. |
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Albert Sidney Johnston, American army officer
for the Confederate states. Despite bitter criticism over his defeats,
notably Nashville, he retained the confidence of President Jefferson
Davis. He suffered early losses to the Union forces and was killed
at Shiloh, Tennessee. His reputation as a Civil War gerteral is
controversial although he showed boldness and heroic valor in the
western campaigns.
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George
Halas, American football player and coach who made the Chicago Bears
one of the outstanding football teams in the National League. Halas's
Bears won the NFL championship in 1921, 1932, 1933, 1940, 1941,
1943,1946 and 1963. He died in Chicago on October 31, 1983. |
Jascha Heifetz( American
violinist who was universally recognized as one of the greatest
of all time. He made his debut in New York on October 27, 1917,
and created a sensation. He toured the world many times in his long
and distinguished career. In the 1960s he
confined himself to recordings
and public appearances. |
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Joseph
E. Johnston, Confederate general who showed great bravery in the
Seminole and Mexican Wars. He is credited with the victory at First
Bull Run. His intelligence reports were overruled by Jefferson Davis
during the campaigns of Vicksburg and Atlanta. He still remains
a source of patriotism in the South. |
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Horace
Greeley, American journalist and political leader who founded the
famous and influential New York Tribune. A crusader and a conservative,
he was sagacious and childish. He was often wrong in his judgments
and his life was full of contradictions and tragedy. He fought stubbornly
and often successfully for the moral improvement of the nation.
His rise from poverty to material success have secured for him a
lasting place in American history. |
Norman Rockwell, illustrator
known for his Saturday Evening Post covers depicting whimsical,
humorous views of Middle America as well as the events of the day.
His
best known work is the
'Four Freedoms' mural which was used on posters during World War
II. |
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James G. Birney, social reformer who participated
in the antislavery movement and presidential candidate of an abolitionist
party. He became concerned about the issue of slavery and in time
freed his own slaves. He published an antislavery journal and in
1836 was secretary of the Antislavery Society. Birney agreed with
other abolitionists that their crusade was a moral and religious
cause.
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Charles
Lindbergh, American aviator who was the first man to fly the Atlantic
ocean solo from New York to Paris in his plane the Spirit of St.
Louis. The flight took place on May 20-21, 1927.
For the next fourteen
years Lindbergh was the best-known and best-loved private citizen
in the world without manufactured publicity. |
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Adlai
E. Stevenson, American political leader whose importance lay chiefly
in his efforts to raise the level of political debate in the United
States. He shunned emotionalism and appealed to reason. He was the
Democratic Party's presidential nominee in the
elections of 1952 and
1956. |
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Aaron
Burr, politician, dynamic and ambitious, he built a strong political
following; he was vice president under Thomas Jefferson. He is remembered
for his duel with Alexander Hamilton which resulted in the latter's
death. With James Wilkinson he conspired to launch an invasion of
Mexico. Betrayed by Wilkinson, Burr was arrested for treason but
was acquitted. He died in Staten Island, New York on September 14,
1836. |
James Ewell Brown Stuart,
American general who was a brilliant Confederate cavalry leader
in the Civil War. He was known as Jeb from his first three names.
He was a genius at using cavalry as a strategist, tactician and
scout for General Lee's army. He is known for his daring raids in
the Second Bull Run campaign, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville.
On May II, 1864, he was killed at Yellow Tavern near Richmond. |
The fall of Forts Henry
and Donelson dealt the Confederates a blow in the West from which
it never recovered. The Confederates had to withdraw from Kentucky
and Tennessee by the Union forces under General "Unconditional
Surrender" grant's 10,000 troops. He had brought his country
its first good news of the war and made a name for himself in the
future years of fighting. |
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George
Herman "Babe" Ruth, American baseball player who hit 714
home runs during 22 seasons in the major leagues, a spectacular
feat that revolutionized the game. Statistics cannot describe Ruth's
impact on baseball. His thunderous hitting captured the public's
imagination. |
Ronald Reagan, 40th president
of the United States, whose political career came relatively late
in life and embraced two terms as governor of California and two
unsuccessful attempts to gain the Republican presidential nominations,
culminated in the election to the presidency in 1980. Reagan was
seen by many as the personification of Uncle Sam or as the grandfather
of the nation. |
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John
Deere, American inventor and manufacturer who was born in Rutland,
Vermont. When he moved to Illinois, he saw the need for effective
machinery for cutting and turning up the prairie soil. By 1846 the
business he had established was selling a thousand plows a year.
By 1858 he had reached an annual output of more than 13,000 steel
plows. He died in Moline, Illinois on May 17, 1886. |
Sinclair
Lewis, American novelist, who in the decade of the 1920s, published
five successful novels, four of them highly controversial.
In 1930 he had the distinction
of becoming the first American to win the Nobel Prize for literature. |
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William T. Sherman, American general who was one of the greatest
Union commanders in the Civil War. From Atlanta, Sherman conducted
his famous March to the Sea leading 62,000 men through the heart
of Georgia to Savannah and then north through the
Carolinas to join Grant's
armies in Virginia. |
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William
H. Harrison, 9th president of the United States. The 1840 presidential
campaign, called the "Log Cabin" campaign was full of
scurrilous language. Tippecanoe and Tyler Too was the slogan of
the Whigs. Harrison lived one month in office and died on April
4, 1841, at the age of 68. |
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Samuel
J. Tilden, statesman and leading New York Democrat who played an
important role in the destruction of the Tweed Ring which squandered
the assets of New York City by Boss Tweed. He ran for president
in 1876 in the disputed election in which the Electoral Commission
voted in favor of Rutherford B. Hayes. |
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William
T. Sampson, American admiral who in various posts contributed to
the rebirth of the United States Navy. He played an important role
in the defeat of the Spanish fleet in the Spanish-American War.
Sampson headed the court of inquiry that determined that the sinking
of the battleship Maine was caused by external means. |
Dean
Rusk, American public official who was Secretary of State in the
Kennedy administration. Rusk assumed an active role in the Vietnam
War and the peace talks in May, 1968. After
leaving government service
he taught international lawat the University of Georgia. |
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Jimmy
Durante, American comedian, was born of immigrant Italian parents.
He starred in almost every medium of show business nightclubs, Broadway
musicals, movies and television. His trademarks were a raspy voice,
a battered hat, a strut like a penguin and an
oversized nose. |
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Thomas Alva Edison, American inventor and pioneer
industrialist, who was responsible for the phonograph in 1877 and
a major contributor to the development of the telephone, electric
lamp and other electrical devices. His inventions helped found giant
industries that were to change the life and leisure of the world.
Edison was awarded a special Congressional gold medal in 1928 for
his many contributions to the nation's welfare.
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The
Yalta Conference. President Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph
Stalin met to carve up the postwar world. Meeting in Crimea they
planned the future of defeated Germany. It was
demilitarized and divided
into four zones of occupation and the frontiers of Poland were settled.
Stalin agreed to enter the war against Japan. |
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Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United
States, entered office at a critical period in U.S. history just
before the Civil War and died from an assassin's bullet at the war's
end but before the greater implications of the conflict that could
be resolved. Lincoln was perhaps the most esteemed and maligned
of the American presidents.
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John
L. Lewis, American labor leader, president of the Congress of Industrial
Organizations, was one of the most powerful men in the United States.
As president of the United Mine Workers of America, he was one of
the two or three most important labor leaders in United States history. |
Omar
Nelson Bradley, American general, who during World War II commanded
the U.S. 12th Army Group in Europe. By the spring of 1945, this
group contained 4 field armies, 12 corps, 48 divisions and more
than 1,300,000 men, the largest American field command in U.S. history.
In June, 1944, his troops broke out of the Normandy beachhead, liberated
Paris, defeated a German offensive, seized the first bridgehead
over the Rhine River and drove through central Germany to establish
the first
Allied contact with troops
of the Soviet Union. He died in New York City on April 8, 1981. |
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J.C.
Penney, the founder of the department store fame, died of complications
following a fall that he suffered during the christmas holidays.
His middle name was Cash to emphasize the cash-and-carry aspect
of his stores who created vast empires from virtually
nothing. He operated on
the Golden Rule, a policy of humanity to employees and customers. |
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Winfield Scott Hancock, American major general,
who rallied the Union Army on Cemetery Hill on the first day of
the Battle of Gettysburg in the Civil War. He fought as commander
in many decisive battles of the war. He was the Democratic candidate
for president in 1880 against James Garfield.
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Julius
A. Nieuwland, American scientist and Catholic priest noted for his
role in developing synthetic rubber. He graduated from Notre Dame
University in 1899 and in 1903 was ordained a priest in the Congregation
of Holy Cross. He was professor of botany (1904) and professor of
chemistry in 1918. With Du Font chemists he was successful with
neoprene in 1931 achieving his goal of successful synthetic rubber. |
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American
comedian Jack Benny was born Benjamin Kubelsky in Chicago. He entered
vaudeville in Waukegan using the violin as a comic stage property.
He served in the Navy in World War I and in the 1920s he returned
to vaudeville. His radio program was first broadcast in 1932 and
continued for over twenty years winning many citations as the nation's
favorite comedian. In 1950 he began appearing in television until
1965. |
Saint
Valentine's Day Massacre, a multiple killing of rival gangsters
by henchmen of Al Capone in Chicago. Capone, head of a huge crime
syndicate stayed immune. Seven members of
the George "Bugs"
moran gang were shot against a garage wall. |
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John A. Sutter, American pioneer whose property
in the Sacramento Valley contained gold which precipitated the gold
rush in 1849. He was unable to protect his property from squatters
that swarmed over it in search of gold. By 1852 he was bankrupt
and he appealed to Congress for compensation to recover his losses.
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Cyrus
Hall McCormick, American inventor and manufacturer noted for his
development of a successful mechanical grain reaper. After many
failures he produced a reaper that was practical on the flat plains
of the midwest. Because of its success, the mechanical reaper in
the 1850s made McCormick a millionaire. |
Susan B. Anthony was an
American reformer and advocate of women's rights. She was brought
up by Quaker parents and developed a sense of independence and moral
zeal. For more than 50 years she made major contributions in the
face of continuous opposition to the struggle for the equality of
women. After her death the "Anthony Amendment" for woman
suffrage became the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. |
James V. Forrestal, enlisted
in the Navy after U.S. entry into World War I. He was instrumental
in building up the Navy in the Franklin Roosevelt administration
prior to World War II. He was appointed first Secretary of Defense
in 1947. He was a controversial figure in many areas especially
his pro-Arab and anti-Israeli views. |
Sinking of the U.S.S.
Maine in Havana Harbor which was the direct cause of the Spanish-American
War. It was sunk by an explosion. Two officers and 258
members of the crew were
killed. The American press created the war spirit to the boiling
point. |
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Edgar
Bergen, American comedian who became a major radio star in the 19308.
He shared his fame with his wooden dummies, the brash top-hatted
Charlie McCarthy and the rustic Mortimer Snerd. Bergen was born
in Chiago where he developed his natural ability in ventriloquism.
In 1926 he played in vaudeville and nightclubs and in 1927 he toured
Europe. He was the top radio comedian for ten years. |
George F. Kennan, American
diplomat, foreign-policy specialist, and erudite scholar who studied
and learned about the Russian regimes. He had a thorough knowledge
of the Russian language. He was strongly instrumental in achieving
unity and peace with the Soviets during the Cold War period following
World War 11. He also encouraged neutrality in the nuclear
arms race with Russia.
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Geronimo,
native American warrior who was an important Apache Indian. He conducted
raids on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border. He surrendered to
General George Crook in May, 1883. Geronimo was a celebrity at important
functions such as the inauguration of President Theodore Roosevelt
in 1905. He died of pneumonia at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. |
Michael
Jordan, American basketball player, one of the greatest players
of all time. He had outstanding skills on offense and defense in
every category of the game. He played for the
University of North Carolina
and was drafted by the Chicago Bulls. He established many NBA records
that will never be broken. |
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Wendell
L. Willkie, American lawyer, utility executive and politi- calleader
from Indiana who opposed President Roosevelt's New Deal Program.
In 1940 he was nominated by the Republican Party for president.
He lost in the election because of Roosevelt's
greater experience but
Willkie did receive over 5 million popular votes. |
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Eddie
Arcaro, famous American jockey, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He
rode 4,779 winners in 24,092 races during a 30-year career. He was
the only jockey to ride five Kentucky Derby winners and the only
one to win two Triple Crowns. His lifetime riding purses totaled
$30,039,543. |
Iwo Jima, the scene of
one of the fiercest battles of World War II, 760 miles south of
Tokyo. The American assaulting force was the 5th Marine Amphibious
Corps of three divisions or 80,000 troops supported by 800 ships.
American casualties were 25,000 of whom
6,800 were killed. The
Japanese losses were 20,000 killed and 1,083 were captured. |
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Edward
H. Harriman, American railroad financier and administrator who reorganized
and consolidated railroads in the western part of the U.S. In 1883
Harriman became director of the Illinois Central Railroad. He reorganized
the bankrupt Union Pacific Railroad. He was opposed by James J.
Hill for control of the Northern Pacific Railroads which caused
the
panic of 1901. |
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"Old
Glory" at Iwo Jima. A Marine platoon succeeded in reaching
the top of Mount Surabachi on the southern tip of Iwo Jima and raising
an American flag in
triumph. It was captured
by the 28th Regiment of the Fifth Marine Division. |
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George Washington, 1st President of the United
States whose leadership was responsible for the Thirteen Colonies
to become the United States, a sovereign, independent nation. After
the war Washington took a leading part in the making of the Constitution
and the campaign for its ratification. His military leadership was
extremely important toward the defeat of the British.
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James Russell Lowell,
American poet, essayist, editor, teacher and diplomat. In his day
he was regarded as one of the great men of letters. He was a member
of a distinguished New England literary family. As a critic Lowell
produced highly praised studies of Chaucer,
Dryden, Wordsworth, Dante
and Spenser and Keats. |
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William Edward Burghardt DuBois, American author,
editor and black civil rights leader. He founded the Niagara Movement
which became the National Association for the dvancement of Colored
People (NAAPC) and edited its organ called 'Crisis.' He campaigned
for the emancipation of African colonies.
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Andy Warhol, died at the
age of 56. His list of artistic credits included filmmaking, photography
and publishing. He was the founder of the Pop-Art movement of the
1960s. He pioneered a unique silk-screening process to produce such
images as Popeye, Superman, Coca Cola cans, Campbell's soups and
the face of Elizabeth Taylor. Warhol's preoccupation with
popularity led to his
theory that in the future, everybody would be famous for 15 minutes.
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Honus
Wagner, American baseball player who is generally regarded as the
finest shortstop in major league history. The "Flying Dutchman"
led the National League in stolen bases five times and amassed 720
in his career. He was acclaimed by many as the greatest all-around
performer in baseball annals. |
Chester W. Nimitz, U.S.
naval officer who was commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet
and Pacific Ocean areas during World War 11. In this dual capacity
he was in charge of all U.S. and Allied forces in the North, Central
and South Pacific except the Army Air
Force bombers that raided
Japan from the Marianas. |
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Charles C. Pinckney, American soldier and political
leader. He was U.S. minister to France during the John Adams' administration
in the mission which led to the x-y-z Affair. He strongly influenced
the federal constitution and its ratification by the states.
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John Foster Dulles, American
statesman and international lawyer. As Republican Secretary of State
he made atomic weapons the mainstay of the West's defense against
the spread of Communism. He accepted the partition of Vietnam, halted
the Anglo-French and
Israeli attack on Egypt.
He opposed the spread of Communism as a moral evil in any part of
the world. |
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William
F. Cody, known as "Buffalo Bill" was a scout for the U.S.
Army in the Indian wars and the showman largely responsible for
romanticizing the cowboy West. He was the hero of hundreds of dime
novels and the actor of his Wild West show. He worked for the Pony
Express and served in the 7th Kansas Cavalry in the Civil War. As
a scout he took part in 16 Indian
fights including the defeat
of the Cheyenne. He made the cowboy West appear forever romantic.
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Henry Wadsworth Long fellow, American poet, best known for his long
narrative poems on historical subjects such as The Song of Hiawatha
and Evangeline. Poem after poem gained wide popularity; they were
read on the Continent and England. |
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David
Sarnoff, American industrialist who pioneered in bringing radio
and television into millions of homes in the United States. By his
hard work and relentless drive he rose to the chairmanship of the
giant RCA Corporation. He was prominent from the 1920s through the
1950s and 1960s. |
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Marian
Anderson, U.S. opera singer, a contralto and the first black to
sing at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1955. She was born in Philadelphia
where she sang in church choirs. Eleanor Roosevelt sponsored a concert
for Anderson at the Lincoln Memorial before 75,000 and millions
more listened to the radio. She died in Portland, Oregon on April
8, 1993. |
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John Steinbeck, American
author and winner of the Nobel Prize in literature in 1962. He is
famous for his books, The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden. The former
book is about "Okies" and the family impoverished and dispossessed
of their Oklahoma farm, attempt to resettle in fertile but hostile
California. |
Ralph
Nader, American lawyer and writer who led a crusade for car safety
and consumer protection. He attacked the automobile manufacturers
for their concern for speed and style instead of the safety of the
passengers. His followers were called "Nader's Raiders"
who helped in his
campaigns. Nade: attacked
especially lobbyist groups for their contributions to the political
parties. |
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President
Richard Nixon visits China to help build a new generation of peace.
Premier Chou En-lai had talks concerning Taiwan, Vietnam and Korea.
Nixon had a surprise meeting with Chairman Mao Tse-tung. Nixon was
accompanied by Secretary of State William
Rogers
and adviser Henry Kissinger. |
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