April 8
Today in America's Present Past
1460 | Explorer Juan Ponce de León was born.
1726 | Founder Lewis Morris was born.
1730 | Civil Rights: Congregation Shearith Israel opened as New York’s first synagogue.
1732 | Astronomer David Rittenhouse was born.
1779 | General Benedict Arnold wed loyalist Peggy Shippen.
1842 | Author (and wife of General Custer) Elizabeth Bacon Custer was born in Monroe, Michigan.
1855 | Indian Wars: America’s achieved victory in the Jicarilla War.
1857 | Crabb massacre.
1861 | Entrepreneur Elisha Otis died.
1862 | Entrepreneur John D. Lynde patented an aerosol dispenser.
1864 | Civil War: The Battle of Mansfield, Louisiana
1869 | The Museum of Natural History opened in New York City.
1886 | Novelist Margaret Ayer was born.
1888 | Civil Rights: The first Hispanic U.S. Senator, Dennis Chavez, was born.
1913 | Congress: The 17th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, allowing senators to be elected by popular vote.
1918 | POTUS: Betty Ford, First Lady, was born.
1918 | Novelist Glendon Swarthout was born in Pinckney, Michigan.
1919 | Entrepreneur Frank Winfield Woolworth died.
1943 | POTUS: Democrat President Roosevelt froze wages and prices, prohibiting workers from changing jobs unless the war effort is aided thereby, and barred rate increases for common carriers and public utilities.
1947 | Congress: Speaker Tom DeLay was born.
1950 | Cold War: A U.S. Navy plane was shot down by Soviet forces.
1952 | POTUS: Democrat President Truman seized steel mills to avert a strike. Later, in a lawsuit over this nationalization move, SCOTUS limited POTUS power in this regard via Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer.
1955 | Author Barbara Kingsolver was born.
1960 | Actor John Schneider was born.
1968 | Civil Rights: MLK-related riots continue in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1974 | Sniper Chris Kyle was born.
1981 | General Omar Bradley died.
1983 | TV: In front of a live audience, David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear.
1990 | Activist Ryan White died.