On this date in history in 1789 the first American novel was printed in Boston. In 1915 Kiwanis International was founded in Detroit. And in 1919 the independence of the Irish Republic was declared.
In 1954 the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, was launched in Groton, Connecticut, christened by the first lady, Mamie Eisenhower. In 1981 the production of the DeLorean sports car was begun. And in 2017 there were massive protests, the Women’s March, were held in Washington DC, over 400 other US cities, and in over 160 other countries around the world, in reaction to the inauguration of Donald Trump as President.
Three American generals were born on this date: Ethan Allen(1738) leader of Vermont’s Green Mountain boys; John C Fremont (1813), explorer and first Presidential nominee of the Republican party in 1856; and Confederate general Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson (1924) a victim of friendly fire in 1863.
There were two who made strides in the medical/dental field: Horace Wells (1815) who pioneered the use of anesthesia (nitrous oxide – “laughing gas”) in dentistry and Felix Hoffman, who isolated both heroin and aspirin. Two actors – Telly Savalas (Kojak) in 1922 and Geena Davis (League of Their Own) in 1956. And two notable Washington State figures Governor Gary Locke in 1950 and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 1953.
Ironically two notable figures from history died on this date – the first Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin, in 1924, and political author George Orwell (1984, Animal House) in 1950. Legendary movie maker Cecil B DeMille hung up his camera in 1959. Chef and author James Beard walked out of the kitchen in 1985. Jack Lord, the original McGarrett of Hawaii 5-0, walked off into paradise in 1998. And in 2016 America’s first gold medalist in alpine skiing (1984) went uphill forever.
Remember to embrace your friends and love ones today – it is National Hugging Day:).
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