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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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November |
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Grantland
Rice, American sportswriter noted for his vivid style. A facile
wordsmith, Rice dubbed the 1924 Notre Dame backfield the "Four
Horsemen" and Red Grange as the "Galloping Ghost."
An inveterate moralist,
he wrote that success was measured not by whether you won or lost
but how you played the game. |
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Daniel Boone, American frontiersman, whose exploits have been widely
acclaimed, was born to a Quaker family. He made important contributions
as explorer, Indian fighter, county militia officer and surveyor.
In the spring of 1769 he and five other pioneers penetrated Kentucky
through the Cumberland Gap. He obtained 850 acres of land from the
U.S. Congress and sold much of the land to payoff debts that he
had incurred in Kentucky. |
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James
K. Polk, 11th president of the United States. one of the hardest
working presidents in American history. In a single term he accomplished
his ambitious goals in both domestic and foreign policy. His administration
annexed Texas, settled the Oregon dispute, and acquired the land
from Mexico in the Mexican War. He greatly strengthened the executive
powers as president of the United States. |
Warren G. Harding, 29th
president of the United States. His administration was notable only
for the calling of the Washington Naval Conference in 1921. He is
also known for corruption while president.
His Cabinet members were
weak and caused numerous scandals. Following World War I, he advocated
the program of a return to normalcy. |
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Stephen
S. Austin, founder and administrator of the principal Anglo-American
colony in Texas. He took a leading part in the Texas struggle for
independence from Mexico and served as Secretary of State under
Sam Houston in the Republic of Texas. He made several trips to Mexico
in diplomatic relations toward independence and fostered colonization
of 1,100 English families in the territory. |
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William
Cullen Bryant, American poet and newspaper editor who wrote the
earliest good American poetry. Bryant reached the summit of his
poetic fame in the 1830s when he was regarded as the leading American
poet. He is important for his literary theory and his creative work.
Bryant expounded the doctrine of poetry as suggestive art that appeals
to the understanding, touches the heart, awakens the imagination
and edifies readers by direct lessons of wisdom. |
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Jubal
A. Early, American Confederate general who is famous for his daring
advance on Washington in 1864. Early opposed secession but when
the Civil War came, he remained loyal to his state of Virginia.
He fought in the First and Second battles of Bull Run, Antieta and
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania.
He lost to General Sheridan's army at the battle of Cedar Creek. |
Bob Feller, American baseball
player, one of the fastest pitchers of all time, was born in Van
Meter, Iowa. He pitched for the Cleveland Indians from 1936 to 1956.
Known as "Rapid Robert"
he led the American League
in strikeouts in seven seasons. He was elected to the Baseball Hall
of Fame in 1962. |
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Will
Rogers, American humorist who grew up on a ranch owned by his Irish
and Cherokee father. He became famous for his humorous remarks about
current events and soon became famous for his homespun yet quick
wit. Rogers was killed with the aviator Wiley Post in a plane crash
near Point Barrow, Alaska on August 15, 1935. |
Walter Cronkite, American
journalist and television commentator. In 1935 he became a news
writer for Scripps-Howard and then for the United Press. During
World War II he was a war correspondent for the UP and remained
in Europe after the war as its Moscow bureau manager. In 1950 Cronkite
became news editor for CBS and four years later moved to New York
City as anchorman of the CBS Evening News.
In 1981 he awarded the
Medal of Freedom by President Carter. He was succeeded by Dan Rather.
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Benjamin
Franklin Butler, whose long career was colorful and controversial.
He was a Civil War general and a politician who advocated the rights
of workers, women and blacks. During the Civil War he was governor
of New Orleans captured by Union forces. His military orders were
strict and demanded the respect for the U.S. flag. He was called
"Butler the Beast" by Southerners and executed a citizen
for tearing down the American flag. |
Eugene V. Debs, American
labor and political leader who five times was the Socialist candidate
for president of the United States. He used radical politics to
advance his programs. He was sent to a federal prison for his opposition
to U.S. entry into World War I and convicted for contempt of court
injunctions during labor strikes. |
Will Hays, American lawyer,
postmaster general and head of the , "Hays Office" which
regulated motion picture content. In 1922 he was hired by the Motion
Picture Producers to clean up the scandals in the film industry.
He served as "Czar" in this capacity until 1943. He administered
the production code that controlled the content of all major American
films. |
Martin Dies, Congressman
from Texas who was the first chairman from 1938 to 1945 of the House
Committee on Un-American Activities. He exposed Communist influence
in many areas including the Roosevelt New Deal programs and the
CIO. Although his committee won support around the country,
Dies' political"
career never advanced. He opposed the U.S.-Soviet alliance in World
War II. |
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John
Philip Sousa, American composer and bandmaster who was known as
the "March King." His talent for composing marches such
as The Stars and Stripes Forever, perhaps has never been equaled
and his mastery of band conducting was without parallel. Some of
his famous marches include: The Washington Post; Semper Fidelis;
Hands Across the Sea; El Capitan; and The High School Cadets. |
James A. Naismith, American
physical education director who invented the game of basketball.
In 1890 he taught at the Springfield, Massachusetts YMCA until 1895.
Naismith devised the game that his
students could play indoors
in the winter. With a soccer ball and two peach baskets ten feet
off the floor he devised rules for the game. |
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The
Battle of Tippecanoe fought between U.S. troops and Indians near
the junction of the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers. Tecumseh and his
brother, Shawnee leaders, formed a conspiracy against the U.S. government
concerning the use of tribal lands made by the Treaty of Fort Wayne.
General William Harrison
defeated the Indians and helped him to be elected president in 1840.
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Oliver
Otis Howard, American general who was a Union commander in the Civil
War and took an active part in helping the Negroes after the war.
He was wounded twice and lost his right arm. He received the Medal
of Honor. He fought in many campaigns and after the war he was engaged
in numerous Indian wars of the West. |
Dorothy Day, American
Catholic social activist who was an active member of the Socialist
and Communist Parties. Before becoming a Catholic in 1927, she started
the Catholic Worker to publicize the social programs of the Catholic
Church. She started a house of hospitality for the hungry and homeless.
She supported organized labor, interracial justice, pacifism and
disarmament. She died in New York City on November 29, 1980. |
Margaret Mitchell, American
novelist whose book, Gone With the Wind, was one of the most successful
best sellers in the history of the publishing industry. Winner of
the Pulitzer Prize, the book sold 1.5 million copies in the first
year. It depicted the Civil War and Reconstruction from the southern
point of view. |
Katherine Hepburn, American
film and stage star and winner of four Academy Awards as best actress.
She is best known for her portrayal of strong, assertive, independent
woman of means -
a role for the most part
she played out in real life as well. She made her professional debut
in 1928 and her first Hollywood appearance in 1932. |
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Ambrose
P. Hill, American general of the Confederate Army in the Civil War.
He became engaged in decisive battles of First and Second Bull Run,
Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. He
was wounded in the battle of the Wilderness. He was killed in the
battle and siege of Petersburg, Virginia on April 2, 1865. |
Spiro
T. Agnew, 39th vice president of the United States. Agnew resigned
that office when he was fined for income tax evasion. Agnew came
under investigation by the U.S. Attorney
in Baltimore fo receiving
payoffs from engineers seeking contracts when Agnew was governor
of Maryland. |
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Dignitaries
from around the world came to Hyde Park on this day to pay their
condolences at the death of Eleanor Roosevelt.
Mrs. Roosevelt gave frequent
press conferences and wrote a popular newspaper column called "My
Day." |
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Mayflower
Compact, a political agreement of the founders of the Plymouth Colony,
New England. It was signed aboard the Mayflower ship before the
Plymouth landing by most of the male passengers. It bound the 41
signatories in a civil body politic to enact just and equal laws
for the general good of the colony. |
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George
s. Pat ton, American general and tank commander whose bold armored
advance across France and Germany made a significant contribution
to Allied victory in World War II. Profane, impetuous and flamboyant,
Patton was easily the most colorful of the U.S. Army commanders
in the West and its leading genius in tank warfare. He was noted
for his blood and guts fighting. |
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Lucky
Luciano, American racketeer, Salvatore Luciana was born in Palermo,
Sicily. He came to the U.S. in 1906. Early in life he began a career
in crime in New York City. In 1931 he was director of a crime syndicate
and leader of organized crime in the East. He was a partner in the
notorious Murder Incorporated. |
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Alger
Hiss, U.S. State Department official and adviser at the Yalta Conference.
The central figure in a sensational trial during the Communist 'red
scare.' He was convicted of perjury for swearing that he had not
supplied classified documents to a confessed Communist agent, Whittaker
Chambers. His trial set off national Communist hysteria which greatly
aided Senator Joseph McCarthy's demagogism and witch hunting. |
Armistice
Day - Jubilant U.S. servicemen in France will leave the trenches
for good. More than ten million died in the four-year war.
Six million were civilians.
At 11:01 this morning, silence fell like a gentle mist on the battlefields
of Europe. |
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Elizabeth
Cady Stanton, American reformer who was a prominent leader of the
women's rights movement. She also became interested in the temperance
and antislavery movements. In 1851 she persuaded
Susan B. Anthony to
join the suffragists and both were regarded as radicals for women's
rights. She lectured and wrote extensively. |
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Joseph Hooker, Union general in the Civil War who failed as an army
commander in the battle at Chancellorsville. He fought in many campaigns
and his armies suffered heavy casualties. He hesitated and then
halted and lost many chances of victory. |
Louis D. Brandeis, U.S.
Supreme Court justice who was the first Jew to serve in this capacity.
His judicial career expanded more than two decades. In the popular
mind Brandeis was a dissenter. His dissenting opinions are significant
because in so many instances he stated the law as it was to be interpreted
in the future. When government action curbed liberties of thought,
speech or press,
Brandeis became a judicial
activist, citing the Constitution as the protector of human rights. |
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Robert
Fulton, American engineer and inventor. He pioneered inland steam
navigation with his Clermont in 1807. It sailed up the Hudson River
to Albany in a successful demonstration of steam navigation. He
experimented with submarines and torpedoes and built the first steam
warship called the Fulton in 1814 |
Joseph R. McCarthy, controversial
U.S. senator from Wisconsin whose antiCommunist campaign from 1950
to 1954 gave to the period the name of McCarthyism. He caused a
sensation with his charges of Communism in government which were
televised nationwide. He was censured by the
Senate and his reputation
was felt for at least ten years following his death in 1957. |
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W.
Averell Harriman, the son of the railroad tycoon Edward Henry Harriman.
He served in key diplomatic posts from 1941 through the presidency
of Lyndon Johnson. He attended the major wartime conferences of
World War II and negotiations with the Vietnamese. He was negotiator
in many international crises. |
Curtis E. LeMay, American
Air Force general who was sent to England for U.S. bombardment of
Germany in 1942. He was nicknamed "Old Ironpants" after
leading his unit through heavy fire on daylight raids.
From China and the Marianas
in 1944-45 he directed the B-29 Superfortress raids that destroyed
Japanese weapons factories. |
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The
Union army's famous march to the sea in the Civil War was one of
the great events under the command of General William Sherman and
65,000 troops. They marched from Atlanta to Savanah on the coast
of Georgia. Advancing in four parallel roads, devastating the countryside
obliterating towns and cities like Attila, King of the Huns. |
W.C. Handy, American leader
of a Negro band, was cornetist and songwriter who composed the St.
Louis Blues. In 1903 he formed his own band in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
In 1941 he published his autobiography,
Father of the Blues. He
emerged as the most successful pioneer of the blues as a type of
American popular music. |
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Billy
Graham, American Baptist evangelist and clergyman from Charlotte,
NC. He conducted crusades in American cities including Los Angeles,
New York, Boston, Philadelphia and many other major cities.
He carried out his crusade
ih many cities throughout the world. His entourage included large
choirs and especially trained people. |
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George
Gallup, American public-opinion analyst who pioneered modern polling
techniques. In 1935, Gallup started the American Institute of Public
Opinion (AIPO). U.S. statistician who developed
a sampling of the opinions
of a cross section of the general public from which the general
opinion of a topic is deduced. |
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George Rogers Clark, American frontiersman and military leader who
won important victories against the British and Indian allies in
the Illinois country during the American Revolution. His victories
enabled the 13 colonies to secure extensive northwest territories
when the peace was signed in 1783. Clark died near Louisville, Kentucky
on February 13, 1818. |
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James
A. Garfield, 20th president of the United States, was born near
Cleveland, Ohio. Four months after taking office he was wounded
fatally by an assassin's bullet. On July 2, 1881, he was shot by
Charles Guiteau who had unsuccessfully sought a federal appointment. |
Billy Sunday, American
Presbyterian revivalist who underwent a conversion experience in
1886. He had been a professional baseball player with the Chicago
White Sox and Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Being an evangelisl he
held mass meetings throughout the nation. He was noted for flamboyant
acrobatics in the pulpit. His converts were estimated at one million.
His popularity waned after 1920. |
The Gettysburg Address
was President Lincoln's speech at the dedication of the national
cemetery on the Civil War battlefield.
It is a famous eulogy
of American democracy - government of the people, by the people,
for the people shall not perish from the earth. |
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James
M. Curley, American political leader who was Democratic boss of
Boston. He played important offices in local, state and federal
governments in Massachusetts. With his exuberant personality and
skillful operations of the political machine, Curley was able to
dominate politics and his style was the subject of novels, movies,
and scholarly studies. |
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Robert
F. Kennedy, American political leader who was Attorney General of
the United States, U.S. senator and like his brother, was the victim
of an assassin's bullet. He was prominent in the 1960s as a voice
of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. He was killed by Sirhan
Sirhan, an Arab immigrant. |
Nuremburg War Crimes Trial
Begins. An historic trial of 21 top Nazis accused of war crimes
opened in the
Palace of Justice in Nuremburg,
Germany. The chief American prosecutor was Supreme Court Associate
Justice Robert H. Jackson. |
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Hetty
Green, American financier who was the richest woman in her time.
She acquired millions from two generations in whaling and the China
trade. She also inherited a fortune from her father and her aunt.
She became the target of many news items featuring her eccentricities
and her wealth. She had a quick mind and a ready wit. In 1916 her
fortune of over $100 million was divided between a son and a daughter. |
Stan
Musial, American baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals in
a 22-major league career. He achieved numerous batting titles and
broke numerous major league records with a .331 batting average.
Musial's popularity grew not only for
his athletic ability but
from his conduct on and off the field. |
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John
Nance Garner, American political leader who was elected vice president
after serving 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. In
1931 he was elected Speaker and his friends called him "Cactus
Jack" since he was born in Uvalde, Texas. He was responsible
for Franklin Roosevelt's nomination for president in 1932 and 1936.
Labor leader John L. Lewis characterized Garner as "a labor-baiting,
poker-playing, whiskey-drinking, evil old man." |
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Hoagland
Howard Carmichal was born in Bloomington, Indiana. He became famous
as pianist and composer while attending Indiana University. He performed
with Bix Beiderbecke and the Dorsey brothers. His biggest hit was
Stardust in 1930. All of his songs were popular including: Ole Buttermilk
Sky; Two Sleepy People; Lazy Bones; Young Man With a Horn; Johnny
Angel and many others. He died on December 27, 1981. |
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Wiley
Post, American aviator who made the first solo flight around the
world. On August 15, 1935, Post and his close friend Will Rogers
attempted a trip to Siberia. South of Point Barrow, Alaska, the
plane crashed on takeoff killing both occupants. |
The assassination of President
John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. His open car passed through the
streets and
he was hit by two bullets
to his head and died an hour later. Within two hours, vice president
Lyndon Johnson took the oath as president. |
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Theodore
Weld, one of the foremost antislavery politicians from 1836 to 1860.
As a journalist he wrote extensively against slavery and lectured
throughout many of the northern states. He described the evils of
slavery in newspaper articles and pamphlets. He was among the most
famous of the many abolitionists. |
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Franklin
Pierce, 14th president of the United States from 1853 to 1857 during
a period of great national tension. A dark-horse candidate, he won
the election by virtue of his moderate policies. He strongly approved
the Compromise of 1850. His efforts to reconcile the North and the
South with the Kansas-Nebraska Bill were counterproductive. He was
not a strong leader in domestic and foreign policy. |
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Ernest
J. King, commanded the largest naval forces ever assembled during
World War II. In May, 1943, Fleet Admiral King was in charge of
the newly created U.S. Tenth Fleet to monitor antisubmarine activities.
Because of the war in Europe, he continually pressed for additional
resources against Japan. It was claimed by other admirals that King
was the greatest naval officer the United States ever produced. |
Billy the Kid, American
frontier outlaw was born William H. Bonney. He was brought up in
Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico and committed his first murder at
age 12 when he knifed a man for insulting his mother. A total of
21 killings are ascribed to Billy. He eluded capture in many gunfights.
Because of his youth and extraordinary bravado,
a romantic legend grew
up around him and he became the most celebrated outlaw of the old
Southwest. |
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Zachary
Taylor, 12th president of the United States, a career soldier who
never voted and served 500 days in office. He favored slavery but
did not promote its expansion. Taylor was a doughface in reverse
-a Southern man with Northern principles. He was a dedicated Unionist,
a son of the West, a product of the frontier, a patriot who placed
the highest value on national interests and national welfare. |
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Bat
Masterson, American frontiersman who fought for law and order in
the Wild West and finished his career as a New York newspaperman.
A colorful figure, he had an outstanding personality and a taste
for stylish clothes. In 1880 he went to Tombstone, Arizona and assisted
federal marshal Wyatt Earp. |
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The
Battle Above the Clouds. It was the Chattanooga campaign during
the Civil War. Union troops led by General Joseph Hooker, successfully
attacked the Confederate position on the summit of Lookout Mountain
in southern Tennessee. Since the mountain overlooked the Tennessee
River and the railroad, its capture opened a direct route for passage
of Union forces. |
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Scott
Joplin, American composer of ragtime music and is known as the "King
of Ragtime." He taught himself to play the piano and became
an itinerant musician. He learned the music of the blacks in the
Mississippi Valley. The Maple Leaf Rag was a great success and with
John S. Stark as publisher, they made many hits and Joplin's name
became a household word. |
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Alben
W. Barkley, American political leader. He served as vice president
under President Harry Truman. He was the minority leader and later
the majority leader in the U.S. Senate. He was the first vice president
to take an active role in national and foreign affairs. He was instrumental
in guiding much of the New Deal Program through the Senate and he
consistently supported Harry Truman's Fair Deal program. |
Dale Carnegie, American
author and teacher of public speaking whose book, How To Win Friends
and Influence People in 1936 was translated into more than 50 languages,
has been called the most popular work of non-fiction in modern times.
He began to teach public speaking at the YMCA in New York City.
He taught his students
how to acquire success through poise, concentration and self-confidence.
He died in New York City on November 1, 1955. |
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Andrew
Carnegie was an iron and steel manufacturer and philanthropist who
brought world leadership in steel production to the United States.
To aid education and research he endowed educational institutions
and foundations and gave funds for 2,800 free public libraries.
He was a complex individual and therefore a controversial one. He
was attacked as an exploiter of labor and as unscrupulous business
competitor. He was optimistic about the future of a democratic America.
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Carry
Nation (Carry Amelia Moore) American temperance agitator. In the
1890s she began her crusade attacking saloons and destroying the
furniture with her famous hatchet. She was arrested at least 30
times. She sold enough souvenir hatchets to pay for her fines. She
was a woman of unusual strength and energy. She carried out most
of her work in Kansas and Missouri. |
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The
Battle of Chattanooga was a decisive Civil War engagement in eastern
Tennessee. The besieged Union forces under General George Thomas
seized the offensive and routed the Confederate troops under General
Braxton Bragg. The Union victory allowed General William Sherman's
army to advance into Georgia and the capture of Atlanta. |
Joe DiMaggio was one of
the greatest baseball players in the game's history. His feat of
hitting safely in 56 consecutive games is a record that may never
be broken. He played for the New York Yankees from 1936 to 1951.
His appeal was his perfection and languid grace. He won numerous
American League batting
titles. He was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame in 1955. |
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Katharine
Drexel, American philanthropist who founded the Sisters of the Blessed
Sacrament for Indians and Colored people. She was the daughter of
an international banker. After her father's death, she inherited
a large sum for the education of Indians and blacks. She founded
her religious congregation in 1891. She established schools throughout
the United States and had donated over $20 million for schools. |
November
26, 1922 Charles M. Schulz, American cartoonist, creator of the
widely popular comic strip, Peanuts. In 1948 he sold his first cartoons
to the Saturday Evening Post. His characters were Charlie Brown
and
Lucy and a dog called
Snoopy. Peanuts became one of the most widely syndicated features
of all time. |
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Jews
celebrate 250 years in America. Rev. Dr. Joseph Krauskopf of Philadelphia
said that the more we study it, the stronger grows the belief that
it was the hand of Providence that opened
for Columbus and the Jews
accompanying him the portals of the New World. |
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Franklin
Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin have met at Tehran,
Iran. They discussed how Germany would be divided after the war.
They also announced the invasion of Europe into France
from the west. Stalin
told Roosevelt and Churchill the status of Poland and his designs
on the Balkans. |
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Wendell
Phillips, was renowned as the most eloquent Northern abolitionist
in the Civil War. He served as president of the American Antislavery
Society from 1865 to 1870. For 20 years he was a close associate
of the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. He severely attacked
President Lincoln for equivocating on slavery and the rights of
freedmen. |
Louisa
May Alcott, American author of Little Women, was born in Philadelphia.
By 1860 both her poems and short stories began appearing in the
Atlantic Monthly. During the Civil War she served as a nurse in
Georgetown, D.C. In 1868 with the publication of Little Women, other
volumes followed as a sequel. Her volumes of childhood and
family life has remained
one of the best-loved girls' books. |
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Cyrus
W. Field, who raised the funds for and personally supervised the
laying of the first telegraph cable under the Atlantic Ocean. His
enthusiasm and tenacity inspired others to give financial support
to his enterprises. After numerous failures, and the cable laid
in 1866, it proved a durable success. The cable extended 1,950 miles
through water two miles deep from Ireland to Newfoundland. |
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Mark
Twain, America's greatest humorist and one of its greatest writers,
is best known for two novels of boyhood life on the Mississippi
River. They are Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. He was a great
storyteller. His powerful presence in his writings and the relationship
he establishes with his readers have helped to make him the most
widely read of American authors. |
The Battle at Franklin
in eastern Tennessee was the scene of the greatest Confederate charge
of the Civil War. Confederate general John B. Hood attacked Union
general George B. Thomas. The Confederate
casualties were 6,252.
Union losses were 2,326. Hood continued his march to Nashville,
TN. |
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