On This Day April 3rd
OTD
April 3rd is the Ninety-third Day of the year in the Gregorian
calendar; 272 days remain until the end of the year.
Events
1043 – Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England.
1721 – Robert Walpole becomes, in effect, the first Prime Minister
of Great Britain, though he denied that title.
1860—The first successful United States Pony Express run begins in
St. Joseph, Missouri, and ends in Sacramento, California.
1882 – American Old West: Robert Ford kills Jesse James.
1885 – Gottlieb Daimler was granted a German patent for a light,
high-speed, four-stroke engine, which he used seven months later to create the
world's first motorcycle, the Daimler Reitwagen.
1888 – Jack the Ripper: The first of 11 unsolved brutal murders of
women committed in or near the impoverished Whitechapel district in the East
End of London occurs.
1968 – Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I've Been to the
Mountaintop" speech; he was assassinated the next day.
2010 – Apple Inc. released the first-generation iPad, a tablet computing
Birthdays
1781 – Swaminarayan, Indian religious leader (d. 1830)
1783 – Washington Irving, American short story writer, essayist,
biographer, and historian (d. 1859)
1823 – William M. Tweed, American politician (d. 1878)
1837 – John Burroughs, American botanist and author (d. 1921)
1916 – Louis Guglielmi, Catalan composer (d. 1991)
1934 – Jane Goodall, English primatologist and anthropologist
1942 – Wayne Newton, American singer
1962 – Mike Ness, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
Holidays And Observance
Pony Express Day
The Pony Express was a mail service
that specialized in delivering mail, newspapers, and other packages through
horse-mounted riders. This revolutionary mail delivery service operated between
California and Missouri for 18 months — from April 3, 1860, until October 24,
1861, when its operations were shut down. The Pony Express was established
following California’s population explosion and newfound prominence due to the
Gold Rush.
The massive influx of prospectors, investors, and businessmen to
California necessitated the existence of a fast route to deliver mail and other
communications to the Pacific Coast. The Pony Express, founded by three
businessmen — Alexander Majors, William Russell, and William B. Waddell — who
were already freight and drayage tycoons, played a pivotal role.
Officially known as Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company,
the Pony Express employed 6,000 men and had 75,000 oxen, warehouses, and
thousands of wagons at the peak of its operations. The company became the
West’s most direct means of east-west communication before establishing
the transcontinental telegraph, underscoring its significance in connecting the
two coasts.
During its 18-month operation, the Pony Express revolutionized
communication by reducing the time for conveying messages to travel between the
Atlantic and Pacific coasts to about ten days — a feat that was considered
remarkable at the time. The Pony Express preferred to employ young, light, and
resilient riders, as the owners believed that lighter riders would enable the
horses to run faster and carry more cargo. While the average coast-to-coast
trip on horseback took ten days, the trip that delivered Lincoln’s Inaugural
Address took less time — just seven days and 17 hours! However, this incredible speed
and efficiency couldn't save the Pony Express from financial
struggles, leading to its closure when the faster transcontinental telegraph
service was established. Nevertheless, it pioneered establishing a
unified transcontinental communications system that could operate around the
year.
Others Include.
American Circus Day
Armenian Appreciation Day
Child help National Day of Hope
Don't Go to Work Unless it's a Fun Day
Fan Dance Day
Find a Rainbow Day
Fish Fingers and Custard Day
Global Day of the Engineer
National Chocolate Mousse Day
National Day of Hope
National Film Score Day
National Walking Day
Paraprofessional Appreciation Day
Pony Express Day
Tweed Day
Weed Out Hate Day
World Party Day
Comments
Post a Comment