February 25
Today in America's Present Past
1643 | Indian Wars: Settlers killed 120 Algonquins in the “Pavonia Massacre.” This occurred during “Kieft’s War” in New Netherland (modern-day New Jersey/New York). Dutch soldiers killed roughly 120 Lenape (Algonquian) people, including women and children, sparking a brutal retaliatory war.
1799 | Congress: Authorized the first purchase of timberland.
1799 | William Dawes, one of the three “Midnight Riders,” died.
1804 | POTUS: Thomas Jefferson was nominated for president.
1809 | General George Washington Cullom was born.
1828 | POTUS: President John Quincy Adams’ son, John Adams II married his cousin, Mary Catherine Hellen. This remains the only time a President’s son was married in the White House.
1836 | Entrepreneur Samuel Colt received U.S. Patent No. 138 for a “revolving gun.” His design for a rotating cylinder containing chambers allowed for multiple shots without reloading, fundamentally changing frontier and military engagement.
1837 | Entrepreneur Thomas Davenport patented the first electric printing press. He received patent (No. 132) for an electric motor.
1841 | SCOTUS: Justice Philip Barbour died.
1847 | University of Iowa was chartered.
1854 | Entrepreneur Charles Lang Freer was born.
1855 | William “Bill the Butcher” Poole was shot. He was the inspiration for Gangs of New York, shot at Stanwix Hall by a rival linked to John Morrissey. He famously died 11 days later, saying, “I die a true American.”
1860 | Cleric and writer Chauncy Allen Goodrich died.
1862 | Congress: Legal Tender Act authorized a paper dollar. To fund the Civil War, Congress authorized printing $150 million in paper notes. These were not backed by gold or silver, but by the “faith” of the government. Because of the green ink on the back, they became known as “Greenbacks.”
1863 | Congress: Created the Comptroller of Currency, a national bank system. It created a single national currency to replace the chaos of thousands of different local bank notes
1870 | Civil Rights: The first African-American U.S. Senator, Republican Hiram R. Revels, was sworn in. He filled the seat vacated by Jefferson Davis. His entry into the Senate chamber was met with a standing ovation.
1875 | Indian Wars: The Kiowa leader Lone Wolf Guipago surrendered at Fort Sill.
1879 | Congress: Passed the first Timberland Protection Act.
1888 | John Foster Dulles was born.
1901 | Entrepreneur J.P. Morgan orchestrated the merger of Carnegie Steel with other smaller firms to create “U.S. Steel.” It was the first corporation to reach a market capitalization of $1 billion.
1908 | The first railway tunnel under the Hudson River opened.
1913 | Paterson, New Jersey “Silk Strike” started.
1913 | The 16th Amendment took effect. It established a permanent federal income tax.
1919 | Oregon became the first state to tax gasoline. They implemented a tax of one cent per gallon to fund road construction. Each state eventually followed this model.
1933 | The first U.S. aircraft carrier, designed as such from the keel up as a carrier, the USS Roger, was launched.
1935 | Entertainer Sally Jessy Raphael was born.
1940 | TV: The first televised hockey game was broadcast, featuring the Rangers defeating Canadians.
1940 | Author Mary Mills Patrick died.
1946 | Civil Rights: Columbia, Tennessee, race riots start.
1947 | WWII: The Allied Council, the U.S.-dominated body governing free Europe after the war, abolished the State of Prussia, stating it had been a “bearer of militarism and reaction.”
1949 | Wrestler Ric Flair was born.
1950 | Physician George Minot died.
1957 | Gangster Bugs Moran died.
1971 | Actor Sean Astin was born.
1973 | Entertainer Justin Jeffre was born in Mount Clemens, Michigan.
1975 | Cleric Elijah Muhammad died.
1982 | TV: The final “Lawrence Welk Show” episode aired.
1983 | Author Tennessee Williams died.
1989 | Boxer Mike Tyson bests Frank Bruno for the heavyweight boxing title.
1991 | Gulf War: An Iraqi Scud missile strikes a US barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing 28. This was the single deadliest event for U.S. forces during the Gulf War.
1995 | Entertainer Frank Sinatra performed publicly for a final time in Palm Desert, California.
2013 | Physician and politician C. Everett Koop died.
2017 | Author Bill Paxton died.