In 1833 the Slavery Abolition Act passed the British House of Commons, beginning the gradual abolition of slavery in the British Empire. In 1893 an American classic was composed – America the Beautiful – by Katherine Lee Bates, after admiring the view from Pikes Peak in Colorado. Aviator Wiley Post returned to New York City after completing the first solo flight around the world in 1933, in 7 days, 18 hrs, and 49 minutes. And the first auto race was held in 1894 from Paris to Rouen, France. Ironically also on this date in 1942, the US instituted mandatory gas rationing, due to wartime demands.
Those who claim this date as the birthday include American poet Emma Lazarus (1849) whose most famous poem is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty; author Stephen Vincent Benet (1898) whose most notable work was the Civil War novel The Red Badge of Courage; Etiquette queen Amy Vanderbilt (1908); Eagles’ lead man Don Henley (1947), and the current Prince of Wales – George (2013).
Leaving this date were two poets and a brave politician. American poet and author James Whitcomb Riley wrote his last in 1916. The American legend Carl Sandburg – poet and historian – penned his last in 1967. And one of only two US Senators to vote against party, President, and the now-clearly seen as fraudulent Tonkin Gulf Resolution (1964) Oregon Senator Wayne Morse passed on in 1974.
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