| 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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The
Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia, was one of the major battles
for both Union and Confederate Armies. The campaign saw three days
of maneuvering for strategic positions under Lee and Jackson for
the South and Hooker and Howard for the North. Unfortunately Jackson
fell prey to a mistaken ambush by his own men and died two days
later. Both sides suffered heavy casualties in dead and wounded.
Although it was Lee's finest battle, it allowed him to escape for
his second invasion of the North. |
Mark Wayne Clark, American
general who commanded Allied armies in Italy in World War II and
United Nations forces during the Korean War. General Dwight D. Eisenhower
selected him to plan the invasion of North Africa in 1942. He also
was assigned to lead the Fifth Army's invasion of Italy against
heavily entrenched German forces up the peninsula at the Volturno
and Rapido Rivers and Monte Cassino. The Americans captured Rome
and drove the Germans out of Italy. He was involved in the difficult
truce talks that ended the fighting in Korea. |
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Kate
Smith, American popular singer noted especially for her rendition
of the patriotic song, God Bless America. She introduced a ballad,
When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain, which became her theme song.
Endowed with a hearty voice, which complemented her robust physique,
she projected an infectious enthusiasm. |
The Empire State Building
in New York City was opened by President Hoover and New York governor
Alfred E. Smith. The skyscraper stands at 34th Street and Fifth
Avenue
. Millions of persons
have visited its observation deck on the 102nd floor. Its total
height is 1,472 feet. |
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Benjamin
Spock, American pediatrician, author and peace-movement leader.
He wrote Baby and Child Care, the work that made him famous. He
pointed out that he called for mutual politeness and respect between
parent and child. He is the author of numerous books on parenting. |
Bing Crosby, American
singer and actor, was born in Tacoma, Washington. He sang for Paul
Whiteman's dance band and then began a successful career as a crooner
on radio from 1931 to 1949. By the time of his death, sales of his
records surpassed 300 million. As an actor
he appeared chiefly in musicals starring with
Bob Hope and Dorothy
Lamour. In Madrid, Spain he died on the golf course on October 14,
1977. |
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Catholic
bishops call for no nuclear weapons. In a pastoral letter, they
denounced nuclear war and called upon Catholics to help rid the
world of nuclear weapons. The vote
in favor of the letter
was 238 to 9.
It will demand moral
courage and technical means to refute the arms race. |
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Horace
Mann, American educator who has been called the "father of
American public education." His reputation rests largely on
his organization and administration of the Massachusetts public
school system which served as a model for the nation. He summed
up his educational ideal with the statement: "In a republic,
ignorance is a crime. " |
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The
Haymarket Riot occurred in Chicago; 180 police arrived to break
up a workers' meeting. A bomb was thrown into the police ranks.
In the panic that followed many shots were fired. Seven police were
killed and 60 wounded. Of 31 persons indicted, only eight were brought
to trial before Judge Joseph E. Gary. |
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Kent
State University Tragedy. During the Vietnam War, opposition to
the conflict was most intense on colleges and university campuses.
It was the death of four students at Kent State in Ohio. National
Guardsmen were called in to disperse an antiwar rally. The direct
cause of the shooting was never brought to a final determination. |
Francis
J. Spellman, American Cardinal and Roman Catholic archbishop of
New York. He was consecrated auxiliary bishop of Boston by Cardinal
Pacelli the future Pope Pius
XII. He was named
archbishop of New York in 1939 and was made a Cardinal on February
18, 1946. |
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Battle
of the Wilderness, during the Civil War which was fought in the
tangled forest on the south bank of the Rapidan River in Virginia.
It was the first encounter between General Lee and General Grant.
In reality the clash in the wilderness became the initial engagement
of a 44-day battle of attrition the storm center sweeping around
Richmond and over the James River to the south side of Petersburg. |
Nellie Bly, American journalist
who acquired international fame in 1889-1890 when she travelled
around the world in 72 days, 6 hours and 11minutes. She surpassed
the feat of the fictional hero of Jules Verne's novel, Around the
World in 80 Days. She was born Elizabeth Cochrane
and Nellie Bly was a pen
name that she took from a song by Stephen Foster. |
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Robert
E. Peary, American Arctic explorer who discovered the North Pole.
on April 6, 1909, Peary, Matthew Henson and four Eskimos and 40
dogs and five sledges were within three miles of the Pole. In recognition
of his discovery of the North Pole, the U.S. Congress made Peary
a Rear Admiral in 1911. |
Willie Mays, American
baseball player, considered one of the most gifted performers of
all time. He hit 660 home runs, third behind Hank Aaron and Babe
Ruth. In a 22-year career Mays played for the New York and San Francisco
Giants. He was the first black player as captain in the major leagues. |
The Hindenburg was a German
airship 804 feet long and could lift 473,000 pounds. It had completed
several transatlantic trips before being hit by lightning at Lakehurst,
New
Jersey killing 36 of the
97 persons aboard. |
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William
Bainbridge, American naval officer who held commands in the Tripolitan
War and the War of 1812. During the War of 1812, he commanded the
Constitution called old Ironsides and captured the British frigate
Java after a fierce battle off the coast of Brazil. He had been
promoted Commodore in 1808. He died in Philadelphia on July 27,
1833.
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Joseph
G. Cannon, American political leader and Speaker of the House of
Representatives whose autocratic rule of the House business led
to a rebellion against his dictatorship. Cannon rose rapidly in
the House. Beginning in 1903 he ran the House with an iron hand
and through his power of appointing committee chairmen and its members,
he got control of the Committee on Rules which controlled the flow
of legislation and his arbitrary behavior in recognizing and refusing
members on the floor to speak. Called "Uncle Joe" he remained
highly esteemed by his fellow Republicans. He died on November 12,
1926. |
The
Sinking of the Lusitania. The British Cunard transatlantic passenger
ship was sunk by a German submarine U-20. The ship left New York
on May 2, bound for Liverpool. Germany claimed that the ship was
armed, that it carried contraband munitions. The ship sank in 18
minutes. Of the 1,906 passengers, 1,198 were lost including 128
Americans. The sinking created a wave
of resentment against
Germany and greatly influenced the later entry of the United States
into the war. |
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William
Walker, American adventurer who led a small band of filibusters
to seize Nicaragua in 1856 and proclaimed himself president. He
planned to establish slave labor to develop the economy, build a
canal that would attract world trade and create a military empire
of Central American states. He was executed by a British firing
squad in Honduras. |
Harry S Truman, 33rd president
of the United States who is regarded by historians as one of the
great presidents. He ordered the dropping of the atomic bombs on
Japan bringing World War II to an end. During the Cold War he formulated
the Truman Doctrine giving aid to the devastated countries of Europe
to prevent the spread of Communism. Fortunately the Democrats nominated
Truman as the vice president to succeed to president following Roosevelt's
death. |
Fulton J. Sheen, American
Roman Catholic archbishop known for his radio and television sermons.
He became National Director of the Society of the Propagation of
the Faith. In 1966 he was named bishop of Rochester, New York. He
is the author of more than 50 books.
Millions listened to his
radio and television talks because of his charismatic personality. |
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John
Brown, radical abolitionist who took direct action to free slaves
by force. He was convicted of treason, conspiracy and murder following
his raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia on October 16-8, 1859. He was
executed on December 2. Abraham Lincoln sought peaceful means to
end slavery. Ralph Waldo Emerson on the other hand thought that
his death would make the gallows as
glorious as the cross.
His death increased the tension between the North and South. |
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The
capture of Fort Ticonderoga by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold was
a surprise victory with only 83 patriots. The fort was occupied
by a British garrison at the southern tip of Lake Champlain. Not
a shot was fired. The capture of Crown Point one day later gave
the patriots control of Lake Champlain and opened Canada to invasion
from the south.
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Battle
of Spotsylvania in the Civil War 60 miles southwest of Washington
D.C. It was one of the fiercest and bloodiest conflicts of the war
that went three days. The Union campaign under General Grant called
for a drive through eastern Virginia and south to the Confederate
capital at Richmond. Union losses were 11,000 men to those of the
Confederates at 6,000. It indicated what kind of warfare Grant would
use until the fighting came to an end. |
David
0. Selznick, American motion picture producer who started his career
with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1926. His most famous films are: Gone
With the Wind; The Prisoner
of Zenda; Duel in the
Sun; and a Farewell to Arms. |
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Irving
Berlin, American popular song writer who lived in New York City's
Lower East Side. He was a professional lyricist whose songs were
very popular tunes. He wrote scores for many Broadway musicals during
a period of 40 years. Some of his most famous songs are:
God Bless America; White
Christmas; Happy Holidays; and Easter Parade.
He died in New York City
on September 22, 1989. |
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President
Wilson has protested vigorously to the German government over the
sinking of the British liner Lusitania with the loss of 128 American
lives. It accuses Germany of acts indefensible under international
law. Former president Theodore Roosevelt has condemned the sinking
of
the Lusitania as "an
act of piracy." |
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The
Mexican War was accepted as a fact by Congress. The cause was mainly
the annexation of Texas by the United States in 1845. The U.S. won
after two years of hard fighting. The war was ended by the Treaty
of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. |
Joe Louis, American boxer
who was world heavyweight champion from 1937 to 1949. Known as the
"Brown Bomber" for his quick, devastating punches, he
won 68 of 71 bouts;
54 by knockout, 13 by decision.
He was buried in Arlington
National Cemetery by order of President Ronald Reagan. |
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Wernher
von Braun, the rocket scientist, suggested an excursion to Mars.
The U.S. should start building a space vehicle that could transport
pilots through the solar system
to Mars. The idea was
unexpected since American scientists are only dreaming about reaching
the moon. |
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James
Gadsden, U.S. minister to Mexico, negotiated a treaty with Santa
Anna, president of Mexico. Mexico agreed to cede 19 million acres
south of the Gila River for $15 million to enable the U.S. to construct
a transcontinental railroad. |
American political leader
of Irish descent, Richard J. Daley was born on Chicago's west side.
He was a Democrat in the Illinois legislature under Governor Adlai
E. Stevenson. He was elected mayor of Chicago in 1955 and continued
in office through 1975 by large majorities. He became a powerful
dedicated Democratic leader in Illinois in which he was involved
in presidential elections.
At the 1968 national convention,
Chicago police clashed
with demonstrators opposing the Vietnam War. He died on December
20, 1976. |
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William
H. Seward, American political leader who was Secretary of State
under President Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. He retained
the confidence of Europe during the Civil War. His determined pursuit
of the purchase of Alaska, then regarded as "Seward's Folly"
ultimately enriched the United States with its largest state. |
Douglas S. Freeman, one
of the greatest American military historians of all time. He received
the Pulitzer Prize for biography; his 4-volume work of Robert E.
Lee. He also wrote Lee's Lieutenants and a 7-volume work of George
Washington. |
The Academy Award, known
as the oscar, has been awarded annually since 1929 for distinguished
achievement in film acting and production. It is represented by
the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, founded in Hollywood,
California. Many stories are told how the Oscar got its nickname.
The prize itself is a gold-plated statuette designed and first cast
in late
1928 by sculptor George
Stanley under the supervision of MGM art director Cedric Gibbons. |
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Watergate
Hearings. A special Senate committee opened hearings today into
the plot to spy on the Democrats and administration efforts to cover
it up. Senator Sam J. Ervin of North Carolina said, "We will
uncover all relevant facts and spare no one whatever his station
in
life might be." The
final verdict must be rendered by the American people."
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The Vicksburg Campaign. The fighting forced the Confederates to
surrender which was under the command of General Ulysses Grant and
the full control of the Mississippi River. Three Union officers
abetted in the capture of the city after a siege of six months.
It brought to the
nation's attention the ability to defeat the
Confederates in a hard
fought victory and a capable military officer for the remainder
of the war. |
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Johns
Hopkins, American merchant, banker and philanthropist who founded
a hospital and a university in Baltimore, Maryland. He started many
enterprises successfully and soon became a multi-millionaire. He
left his wealth to many charitable works. |
Malcolm X, African American
radical activist who was assassinated in Harlem, N.Y.C. apparently
by political rivals. He had been second in command of the Black
Muslims until
1964 when he broke with
the group to form his own Black Nationalist Movement. |
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Earl
Russell Browder, American Communist, was born in Wichita, Kansas.
Between 1935 and 1945 he was the leader of the Communist Party in
America. As presidential candidate in 1936, Browder visited 26 states,
travelled 26,000 miles and received 80,160 votes. Browder announced
the Soviet Union's foreign policy. On his 65th birthday, he declared,
"The Communist Party
of the United States today is a contemptible sect
with no roots in American
life. I don't call myself a Communist any more. I have not changed.
But the Communists have." |
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Glenn
Harnmond Curtiss, American aviator and aircraft designer who invented
the aileron. Without this control the modern airplane would not
have been possible. He also designed successfully many different
types of flying aircraft but his greatest contribution to aviation
was the
aileron. He was issued
a patent for it on December 5, 1911. Curtiss died on July 23, 1930. |
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Amelia
Earhart, American aviatrix who landed her airplane in a pasture
in Northern Ireland becoming the first woman to fly solo across
the Atlantic ocean. It comes five years to the day after Lindbergh's
historic flight. Earhart and her copilot disappeared in the South
Pacific
hoping to set a record
with a flight around the world. |
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James Buchanan Eads, American engineer who designed
the first important steel bridge in the United States. During the
Civil War, Eads designed and built river gunboats for the Union.
He was responsible for the building of a bridge across the Mississippi
at St. Louis.
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Ambrose
E. Burnside, U.S. general, commander of the Army of the Potomac
in the Civil War. He was commander of Rhode Island volunteers in
the First Battle at Bull Run. He fought successfully at Antietam,
Maryland. He attacked the Confederate Army at Fredericksburg, Virginia.
The result was a terrible defeat for the North with 12,600 casualties.
In 1863 his army occupied Knoxville and Cumberland Gap. He commanded
the 9th Corps at the Wilderness, Cold Harbor and the siege of Petersburg,
Virginia. He died on September 13, 1881 at Bristol, R.I. |
Bonnie and Clyde killed
in police ambush. Fifty bullets have riddled the bodies of Clyde
Barrow and Bonnie Parker, ending the careers of two notorious bank
robbers. A posse of
Texas Rangers killed the pair on a little-travelled
road outside Shreveport,
Louisiana. They had killed 12 people in the last two years. |
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Benjamin
Cardozo, American lawyer who gained an international reputation
for his ability to bring legal rules into harmony with social interests
and values. He was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President
Herbert Hoover on February 15, 1932. His judicial talents were put
to a severe test because of Roosevelt's New Deat Program which divided
the court on many legislative issues. He died in Port Chester, N.Y.
on July 9, 1938.
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The Brooklyn Bridge, opened
for service. It spanned the East River between Brooklyn and Manhattan.
It was the longest bridge in the world designed by John A. Roebling
in 1867. He died in 1869 as a result of an accident while supervising
the final surveys. It was the first suspension bridge to use steelwire
cables and one of the first to use pneumatic caissons for its
foundations. His son,
Washington Roebling,
supervised the construction
work. It cost $9 million to build the bridge. |
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Ralph
Waldo Emerson, American philosopher, essayist and poet, was born
in Boston. His philosophy was known as transcendentalism. The values
he particularly stressed were intellectual freedom, integrity, self-reliance
and realism. He was strongly influenced by Thomas Carlyle. Matthew
Arnold said, "... Emerson produced the most important work
done in prose in the nineteenth century." |
May 25, 1917 Theodore
Martin Hesburgh, Roman Catholic priest and educator. He joined the
Congregation of Holy Cross in 1934 and was ordained in 1943. He
was appointed president of Notre Dame University in 1952. As president
in 1969 he took a firm stand to prevent student riots; antiVietnam
demonstrators. In the same year he was appointed by President Richard
Nixon to be chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. In
1970 the commission issued a report that was critical of the federal
government's lack of enforcement of civil rights legislation. Father
Hesburgh resigned
as chairman in 1972.
At the age of 85 he continues
to watch over the spiritual and material growth of Notre Dame. |
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Al
Jolson, American entertainer, best known for his blackface singing
routines, was the son of a rabbi. In 1927 Jolson made film history
when he appeared in the Jazz Singer, the first full-length talking
picture. He starred in two autobiographical films: The Jolson Story
and Jolson Sings Again. |
John
Wayne, American film actor who became a star in Western films for
35 years. He was a spokesman for conservative American values, law
and order and rugged
individualism. In the
1960s and 1970s
he strongly supported the Vietnam War. |
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Cornelius
Vanderbilt, American businessman who amassed a great fortune through
his shipping and railroad enterprises. Known as the "Commodore"
he was a man of boundless energy and his acute business sense enabled
him to defeat his rivals. He bought at least six important railroads
and his fortune was estimated at $lOO million. He gave a large sum
to found Vanderbilt University. |
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Amelia
Bloomer, American reformer and crusader for women's rights was born
in Homer, N.Y. In 1840 she married Dexter C. Bloomer, a Quaker newspaper
editor and reformer. Mrs. Bloomer publicized a new feminine attire
of full Turkish trousers gathered at the ankles and her name was
quickly attached to the outfit. The Bloomer costume was ridiculed
by most observers and it became a symbol of radicalism. She died
in Iowa on December 30, 1894. |
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Julia
Ward Howe, American reformer and author who wrote The Battle Hymn
of the Republic. Both Mrs. Howe and her husband were avid abolitionists.
She worked for many public causes relating to women's rights. She
lectured extensively and wrote several works of social criticism.
She died in Newport, R.I. on October 17, 1910. |
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Wild
Bill Hickok, American scout and frontier marshal who became a legend
because of the many tales of his shooting exploits. As driver of
stagecoaches he fought gangs of robbers. He served Generals Hancock
and Custer in the Indian wars. While playing in a poker game at
Deadwood, South Dakota, he was shot from behind and killed by a
vagrant. |
Hubert
Horatio Humphrey, 38th vice president of the U.S. A Democratic senator
from Minnesota, 1949-64 and 1971-78. He championed labor and civil
rights. He ran for the presidency in 1968 but was defeated by Richard
Nixon. In 1972 he ran again for president but was
defeated by Jimmy Carter
for Democratic
candidate. |
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Pierre
Gustave Beauregard, American Confederate general who directed the
attack on Fort Sumter in the harbor of Charleston, S.C. It was the
beginning of the Civil War. He was born in New Orleans and joined
the Confederacy from his state. He was a brilliant tactician and
fought courageously at Shiloh. He defended Richmond, Virginia and
fortified Petersburg, Virginia. He fought under Generals Joseph
E. Johnston and Albert S. Johnston.
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Jim
Thorpe, American football, track and baseball star who is considered
one of the greatest athletes of all time. Thorpe achieved feats
in football that are legendary. He was an American Indian born in
Prague, Oklahoma. In 1950 he was voted the best athlete of the first
half of the century by the Associated Press poll. |
Henry A. Kissinger, Secretary
of State under Presidents Nixon and Ford, he established stronger
ties with the Soviet Union and reopened relations with China. He
made peace with
the nations in the Vietnam War
and was instrumental
in the signing of SALT, the nuclear weapons treaty. |
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Patrick
Henry, American Revolutionary leader and orator whose call to arms
against England became a rallying cry for the patriots. He is famous
for his words, "Give me liberty or give me death." As
a Virginia lawyer he opposed the laws passed by Parliament against
the colonists. He was instrumental in preparing the colony of Virginia
to take up arms against the British. |
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Cy
Young, American baseball pitcher who won the most games in major
league history. The annual awards for best pitcher are named in
his honor. Over 22 seasons he won 511 games and lost a record 313.
He was named Cy, short for cyclone which described the velocity
of his fastball. |
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Bob
Hope, American radio, motion picture and television comedian who
was best known for his rapid-fire delivery of topical humor. He
began a stage career as a singer and dancer in vaudeville and appeared
in the Ziegfeld Follies. Hope frequently entertained American troops
in combat zones. |
John
F. Kennedy, 35th president of the United States. He was the youngest
to be elected to the presidency and the first Roman Catholic. Highlights
of his presidency were: the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, the confrontation
with Russia and the missile crisis that nearly precipitated a nuclear
war, a ban on
nuclear testing, established the
Peace Corps, and the
first U.S. manned space flights. He was assassinated in Dallas,
Texas. |
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James
A. Farley, American political leader who served the Democratic Party
and President Roosevelt's four terms in office. He greatly supported
Roosevelt's four elections obtaining the large majority of the electoral
votes in each election from 1932 to 1944. He was postmaster general
in Roosevelt's Cabinet.
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Benny Goodman, American
clarinetist and jazz leader known as the "king of swing."
In 1933 Goodman formed his own jazz orchestra and immediately achieved
a national reputation when he appeared on NBC radio series called
Let's Dance. For the next ten years he enjoyed
tremendous popularity.
In 1955 he recorded the
motion-picture sound track for The Benny Goodman Story. |
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Walt
Whitman, American poet who was descended from New York Quakers and
Dutch farmers. In 1855 he wrote, Leaves of Grass, and later editions
as his best known collections. His subject matter is his own expansive
ego celebrating the democratic society and the wide horizons of
developing America. |
The Johnstown Flood, 60
miles east of Pittsburgh, the worst in the nation's history, occurred
when a dam across South Fork of the Conemaugh River was destroyed
by the heavy rains.
The flood was
compounded when debris
behind a stone bridge caught fire leading to the loss of 2,100 lives. |
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