The History Shack

 OTD  July 30 is the 209th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 154 days remain until the end of the year. Events 762 – Baghdad is founded. 1609 – Beaver Wars: At Ticonderoga (now Crown Point, New York), Samuel de Champlain shoots and kills two Iroquois chiefs on behalf of his native allies. 1635 – Eighty Years' War: The Siege of Schenkenschans begins; Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, begins the recapture of the strategically important fortress from the Spanish Army. 1676 – Nathaniel Bacon issues the "Declaration of the People of Virginia", beginning Bacon's Rebellion against the rule of Governor William Berkeley. 1866 – Armed Confederate veterans in New Orleans riot against a meeting of Radical Republicans, killing 48 people and injuring another 100. 1930 – In Montevideo, Uruguay wins the first FIFA World Cup. 1932 – Premiere of Walt Disney's Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon short to use Technicolor and the first Academy Award-winning cartoon short. 1...

 Bacon's Rebellion was an armed uprising in the Virginia Colony in 1676, led by Nathaniel Bacon against Governor William Berkeley's rule. The rebellion had multiple causes, including conflicts with Native American tribes, economic hardships, and political grievances. Bacon's followers, mostly farmers, and frontiersmen, demanded better protection against Native American raids, more representation in the government, and access to land. The rebellion escalated when Bacon's supporters attacked friendly Native American tribes, leading to clashes with the colonial authorities. Though Bacon gained concessions and even a commission to fight the Native Americans, his sudden death from dysentery in October 1676 weakened the movement, allowing Berkeley to crush the remaining rebels and reinforce the power of the wealthy elite. The aftermath of the rebellion saw increased use of African slaves as plantation owners sought a more controllable labor force. The uprising highlighted the...

 OTD  July 29 is the 208th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 155 days remain until the end of the year. Events 1567 – The infant James VI is crowned King of Scotland at Stirling. 1818 – French physicist Augustin Fresnel submits his prizewinning "Memoir on the Diffraction of Light", precisely accounting for the limited extent to which light spreads into shadows, thereby demolishing the oldest objection to the wave theory of light. 1871 – The Connecticut Valley Railroad opens between Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and Hartford, Connecticut in the United States. 1901 – Land lottery begins in Oklahoma. 1945 – The BBC Light Programme radio station is launched for mainstream light entertainment and music. 1958 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs into law the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which creates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). 2005 – Astronomers announce their discovery of the dwarf planet Eris. Birthdays 1580 – Francesco Mochi, It...

  Today in 1954 J.R.R. Tolkien published the first book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. One of the most beloved fantasy works of all time. J.R.R. Tolkien, whose full name is John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor. He was born on January 3, 1892, and passed away on September 2, 1973. Tolkien is best known for his epic high fantasy works, particularly "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. "The Hobbit," published in 1937, is a children's fantasy novel and serves as a prelude to "The Lord of the Rings." It follows the journey of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who embarks on an adventure with a group of dwarves to reclaim their homeland from the dragon Smaug. "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy consists of three books: "The Fellowship of the Ring," "The Two Towers," and "The Return of the King." It was published between 1954 and 1955. This epic fantas...

 Lavinia Ellen "Vinnie" Ream Hoxie was a pioneering American sculptor known for her remarkable achievements at a young age. Born in 1847 in Madison, Wisconsin, she demonstrated artistic talent from an early age. Her father's declining health led her to seek work to support her family, and she became one of the first women to be employed by the federal government during the American Civil War. Ream's artistic journey began when she became an apprentice in sculptor Clark Mills' studio at the age of seventeen. Her most famous work, and her first major commission, was a full-size Carrara marble statue of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. She was awarded this prestigious commission by a vote of Congress when she was just 18 years old. However, her selection was met with controversy due to her young age, lack of experience, and unfounded accusations of being a "lobbyist" or a woman of questionable reputation. Despite the challenges, Ream successfully completed t...

 OTD  July 28 is the 209th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 156 days remain until the end of the year. Events 1540 – Henry VIII of England marries his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, on the same day his former Chancellor, Thomas Cromwell, is executed on charges of treason. 1794 – French Revolution: Maximilien Robespierre and Louis Antoine de Saint-Just are executed by guillotine in Paris, France. 1854 – USS Constellation (1854), the last all-sail warship built by the United States Navy and now a museum ship in Baltimore Harbor, is commissioned. 1868 – The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution is certified, establishing African American citizenship and guaranteeing due process of law. 1896 – The city of Miami is incorporated. 1917 – The Silent Parade takes place in New York City, in protest murders, lynchings, and other violence directed towards African Americans. 1939 – The Sutton Hoo helmet is discovered. 1973 – Summer Jam at Watkins Glen: Nearly 600,000 pe...

Bugs Bunny made his debut today in 1940.                     "The Wild Hare" is a 1940 American animated comedy short film directed by Tex Avery and produced by Leon Schlesinger. It was distributed by Warner Bros. as part of the Merrie Melodies series. The film features two iconic characters, Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny, with the latter making his first official appearance in this cartoon.   The plot of the cartoon begins with Elmer Fudd sneaking around and saying his famous line, "Shh. Be vewy, vewy quiet. I'm hunting wabbits." He approaches one of Bugs' warrens and puts down a carrot as bait, attempting to catch Bugs with his double-barreled shotgun. However, Bugs outsmarts Elmer by using his arm to grab the carrot and the gun, leading to a humorous struggle that ends with the shotgun's barrel bent into a bow.   Bugs then emerge from another opening with a carrot in hand, lifts Fudd's hat...

 OTD July 26 is the 207th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 158 days remain until the end of the year. Events 1579 – Francis Drake, the English explorer, discovers a major bay on the coast of California (San Francisco). 1745 – The first recorded women's cricket match takes place near Guildford, England. 1775 – The office that would later become the United States Post Office Department is established by the Second Continental Congress. Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania takes office as Postmaster General. 1803 – The Surrey Iron Railway, arguably the world's first public railway, opens in south London, United Kingdom. 1882 – Premiere of Richard Wagner's opera Parsifal at Bayreuth. 1908 – United States Attorney General Charles Joseph Bonaparte issues an order to immediately staff the Office of the Chief Examiner (later renamed the Federal Bureau of Investigation). 1945 – World War II: The USS Indianapolis arrives at Tinian with components and enriched...

Samuel Houston was an important person in American history. He was a general and a leader in the Texas Revolution, which was a fight for Texas to become its own country separate from Mexico. He was also a president of the Republic of Texas, which means he was like the leader of the country. Houston was born in Virginia, but his family moved to Tennessee when he was a teenager. He had some tough times and even lived with the Cherokee Native American people for a few years. Later, he fought in a war and became friends with Andrew Jackson, who later became the President of the United States. Houston also became a governor in Tennessee before moving to Texas in 1832. In Texas, he helped organize the government and the army to fight for independence from Mexico. He led the Texan army to a big victory at the Battle of San Jacinto, which helped Texas become its own country. After that, he became the president of Texas and helped Texas join the United States as a state. He then became a Senato...

 Henry Knox (1750-1806) was an important figure during the American Revolutionary War and a significant founding father of the United States. He played a crucial role in the early years of the nation's history and held several key positions in the government. His Military Service: During the Revolutionary War, Henry Knox served as an artillery officer and later became the Chief of Artillery for the Continental Army under General George Washington. He played a pivotal role in securing much-needed artillery and ordnance for the American forces. One of his most famous achievements was leading the transportation of captured British cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston, where they were used to force the British evacuation from the city in 1776. First Secretary of War: After the war, Knox was appointed as the first Secretary of War in the newly formed United States government under the Articles of Confederation. In this role, he was responsible for organizing and overseeing the milita...

 OTD  July 25 is the 206th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 159 days remain until the end of the year. Events 315 – The Arch of Constantine is completed near the Colosseum in Rome to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge. 1567 – Don Diego de Losada founds the city of Santiago de Leon de Caracas, modern-day Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela. 1609 – The English ship Sea Venture, en route to Virginia, is deliberately driven ashore during a storm at Bermuda to prevent its sinking; the survivors go on to found a new colony there. 1788 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completes his Symphony No. 40 in G minor (K550). 1868 – The Wyoming Territory is established. 1897 – American author Jack London embarks on a sailing trip to take part in the Klondike's gold rush, from which he wrote his first successful stories. 1915 – RFC Captain Lanoe Hawker becomes the first British pursuit aviator to earn the Victoria Cross. 1965 – Bob Dylan goes electric...

 OTD  July 24 is the 205th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 160 days remain until the end of the year. Events 1148 – Louis VII of France lays siege to Damascus during the Second Crusade. 1487 – Citizens of Leeuwarden, Netherlands, strike against a ban on foreign beer. 1701 – Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founds the trading post at Fort Pontchartrain, which later becomes the city of Detroit. 1847 – After 17 months of travel, Brigham Young leads 148 Mormon pioneers into Salt Lake Valley, resulting in the establishment of Salt Lake City. 1911 – Hiram Bingham III re-discovers Machu Picchu, "the Lost City of the Incas". 1935 – The Dust Bowl heat wave reaches its peak, sending temperatures to 109 °F (43 °C) in Chicago and 104 °F (40 °C) in Milwaukee. 1950 – Cape Canaveral Air Force Station begins operations with the launch of a Bumper rocket. 1959 – At the opening of the American National Exhibition in Moscow, U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khr...

  The Battle of Abukir, also known as the Battle of the Nile, was a significant naval engagement that took place on August 1, 1798, during the French Revolutionary Wars. The battle occurred near the mouth of the Nile River, close to the town of Abukir, Egypt. It was a major clash between the French Navy, commanded by Vice Admiral François-Paul Brueys d'Aigalliers, and the British Royal Navy, led by Rear Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson. In 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte led the French military campaign to conquer Egypt and establish a French presence in the Middle East, which was part of his broader plan to disrupt British trade routes to India and weaken British influence in the region. After successfully landing an expeditionary force in Egypt, Napoleon sought to consolidate his position and thwart any potential British interference. The French fleet, under Brueys, anchored in a strong defensive position in Abukir Bay. Brueys formed his ships in a crescent formation, with their bows pointing...

 OTD  July 22 is the 204th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 161 days remain until the end of the year. Events 1319 – A Knights Hospitaller fleet scores a crushing victory over an Aydinid fleet off Chios. 1813 – Sir Thomas Maitland is appointed as the first Governor of Malta, transforming the island from a British protectorate to a de facto colony. 1829 – In the United States, William Austin Burt patents the typographer, a precursor to the typewriter. 1903 – The Ford Motor Company sells its first car. 1914 – Austria-Hungary issued a series of demands in an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia demanding Serbia to allow the Austrians to determine who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Serbia accepts all but one of those demands and Austria declares war on July 28. 1926 – Fox Film buys the Movie Tone sound system patents for recording sound onto film. 1962 – Telstar relays the first publicly transmitted, live trans-Atlantic television program, featuring Walter Cronkite...

 Isaac Singer Isaac Merritt Singer was a significant figure in the sewing machine industry. He was an inventor and entrepreneur, known for his contributions to the development of the sewing machine and the establishment of the Singer Corporation, which became one of the world's leading manufacturers of sewing machines. In 1851, Isaac Singer patented the first practical sewing machine, which featured a continuous feed and a foot pedal mechanism. This design revolutionized the way clothing and other textiles were made, significantly increasing production speed and efficiency. Singer's sewing machines quickly gained popularity and became a commercial success. He was not only an inventor but also a shrewd businessman. Singer's company utilized innovative marketing techniques, such as installment payment plans and widespread advertising, to make sewing machines affordable and accessible to a broader range of consumers. The Singer Corporation was officially founded in 1851, and i...