Category: Quick hits

During the course of recorded history going back to ancient Egypt, men have felt cultural pressures to shave their facial hair. Styles regarding beards and moustaches come and go, but in recent times, most men in the U.S. prefer to shave every day. For centuries, their only recourse was the straight razor, which provided a close shave but had to be handled carefully to avoid cuts. On this date in 1901, an American named King Camp Gillette applied for a …

One of the most important technological breakthroughs was made on this date in 1942, one that would change the course of world history. At the University of Chicago, a group of scientists led by physicist Enrico Fermi succeeded in producing the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. This first simple reactor, built in great secrecy under the stands of the university’s football stadium, helped provide the knowledge that led to the development of the first atomic bombs less than three …

Colleges and universities with both male and female students are the norm today — but in 1833, only a few women went to college and the idea of coed classes was a social innovation. On this date that year, Oberlin College in Ohio opened its doors to both sexes. At the time, the school had 44 students — 29 men and 15 women. Now, Oberlin has a student body of close to 3,000 and boasts one of the most comprehensive …

Given what seems to be the ever-growing profusion of coffee vendors, imagine what a crisis it would be if coffee were suddenly rationed. That’s exactly what happened this month in 1942, because the Second World War had interrupted shipments and people were hoarding coffee. But rationing lasted only until the next summer. It’s thought that coffee was introduced into America by Captain John Smith, one of the founders of the Jamestown Colony in Virginia. Its popularity jumped after both the …

Today is Thanksgiving Day, one of the most traditional of American holidays, thought to have begun in 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The holiday became national in scope in 1863, and the fourth Thursday of the month has been the official day since 1941. It’s a time for family gatherings that combines solemnity and joy — and often involves watching football. In many of the nation’s 115 million households, people will share a special meal, typically turkey with all the traditional …

The first traffic signal with indicators for stop, go and caution was patented this month in 1923. The green light went to African-American inventor Garrett Morgan, who decided to do something after witnessing a collision between a car and a horse-drawn wagon on a Cleveland street. At the time, there were already more than 15 million motor vehicles on the nation’s roads. Morgan’s three-position signal was manually operated by a traffic officer during peak hours. This invention, with its staffing …

It’s a time to celebrate one of life’s simple, viscous pleasures — it’s Peanut Butter Lovers Month. The stuff of one of America’s favorite sandwiches, peanut butter was first offered to the public at the St. Louis Exposition in 1904. But as we currently know it — with the peanuts roasted and the product churned like butter to be smooth and so the oil won’t separate — peanut butter didn’t appear on grocery shelves until 1922. While we each eat …

This month marks the 150th anniversary of absentee ballot voting in the U.S. This measure was introduced during the Civil War to permit Union army soldiers in the field to choose between re-electing Abraham Lincoln or sending his opponent George McClellan to the White House. But on this date in 1896, Vermont became the first state to enshrine in law the concept of voting away from home, though the voter had to be within the state. All that was required …

The first automatic toll collection station went into service this month in 1954. It was installed at the Union Toll Plaza on New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway. Motorists dropped coins into a wire mesh hopper, triggering a green light that told them to go ahead. The idea soon caught on at toll roads around the country, reducing the number of booth attendants and propelling cars and trucks on their way. There are fewer than 3,000 miles of toll roads in …

One of the most renowned of America’s historically black colleges was founded on this date in 1866 as the Howard Theological Seminary. Named after Civil War general and post-war Freedmen’s Bureau director Oliver O. Howard, the seminary changed its name to Howard University just two months after its founding. While not the first college to admit black students, nor the first to be established for blacks, Howard was the first to offer full undergraduate, graduate and professional training to African-Americans. …

Today is Geographic Information System Day, falling squarely in the middle of Geographic Awareness Week. Both the GIS industry, and geographers overall, hope to increase understanding of geospatial issues and the relationships between people and their environments. Concurrent with these occasions is the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Census Bureau’s Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing, or TIGER. This mapping system, developed for the 1990 Census and refined ever since, created the first seamless, digital map of the …

We still use the word “dial” to refer to the act of calling someone on the phone — even though likely most of us now have never used a rotary phone or seen one, except in old movies and TV shows. Push-button, or touch-tone, phones made their debut on this date in 1963. At the time, the service was an extra cost option and was available only in two cities in Pennsylvania. It didn’t take long, however, for the speed …

We still use the word “dial” to refer to the act of calling someone on the phone — even though likely most of us now have never used a rotary phone or seen one, except in old movies and TV shows. Push-button, or touch-tone, phones made their debut on this date in 1963. At the time, the service was an extra cost option and was available only in two cities in Pennsylvania. It didn’t take long, however, for the speed …

The often impressive or alarming appearing swings in the New York stock exchange must be kept in perspective. In the long run, the market has made steady advances. Recently closing at over 17,000, it was on this date 42 years ago that the Dow Jones Industrial Average first topped the 1,000 level. Developed by Charles Henry Dow, the index was first published in 1896 with a mark of 40.94. For decades, the index contained mostly stocks in the manufacturing sector. …

Even the most mundane items we take for granted have to be invented by someone. This month 110 years ago, that someone was Connecticut inventor Harvey Hubbell. In November 1904, he received a patent for the world’s first detachable electric plug: the two-, now sometimes three-prong plug familiar to us today. Remarkable as it sounds, at the time electric terminals would extend out from a wall, and any electrical device had to be hardwired to them. A time consuming process …

November is National Family Caregivers Month, honoring the great number of relatives, friends and neighbors involved in caring for those Americans needing assistance in the home. The nonprofessional caregivers render an important and devoted service, not just to the recipients, but society. In an aging nation, volunteer caregiving lessens the strain on the country’s medical system and provides an estimated $450 billion worth of service annually. Up to 40 percent of American adults are involved in some level of caregiving …

Today is Veterans Day, originating on this date in 1919 on the first anniversary of the end of World War I — then known as Armistice Day. In 1954, its name was changed to Veterans Day, and its scope widened to honor veterans from all eras. Across the country, there are over 21 million military veterans. Very nearly half — 9.6 million — are age 65 and older. The veteran population includes 1.6 million women. More than 7 million are …