Category: Quick hits

On this date in 1785, the first city directory in the United States was published. Fittingly, it was in the young country’s place of birth — Philadelphia. The directory’s title was “Macpherson’s Directory, for the City and Suburbs of Philadelphia.” It contained 6,250 resident names. The 1790 Census found Philadelphia’s population to be just over 28,500, making it America’s second largest urban place, behind perpetual first place New York City. Today, Philadelphia is the nation’s fifth largest city, with a …

On this date in 1882, the world’s first hydroelectric power plant began operating on the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin. Inspired by Thomas Edison, a man named H.F. Rogers built the facility, using a water wheel to power the lights in the two mills of the Appleton Paper and Pulp Company, a nearby building, and his home. Soon, hydroelectric power plants were spurring industrial growth in many parts of the country. Now, water-generated electricity accounts for 7 percent of power …

Through the centuries of coffee’s popularity, if someone ordered the beverage, there was no question about what kind. Today, many Americans prefer their coffee decaffeinated. That option dates to the start of the last century, when Ludwig Roselius, a coffee merchant in Bremen, Germany, succeeded in removing caffeine from coffee beans. He moved to the U.S. before World War I, and his decaffeinated coffee became available in stores in 1923. Roselius sold his process and trade name to General Mills …

On this date in 1772, America’s first medical licensing law was enacted by the colony of New Jersey. A licensing board was set up with three members, and the practice of medicine was forbidden without the approval of the panel. The licensing board was comprised of two New Jersey Supreme Court judges, and a third member chosen by the judges. Exempted from its oversight were colonists who pulled teeth, bled patients, or gave free care or assistance. Medical education and …

Three important dates in American newspaper history occurred in September. These anniversaries span more than three centuries. On September 15, 1982, USA Today began publishing. Critics at the time said the idea of a national newspaper was doomed to failure — now, USA Today is one of the country’s largest-selling dailies. On September 18, 1851, the New York Times issued its first edition. And, on this date in 1690, the first newspaper in America was published for one day in …

One of our favorite foods is being celebrated — it’s National Chicken Month, nicely complementing September’s Mushroom and Rice Month. The versatility of chicken — served in numerous ways ranging from Southern fried style to sandwiches to salads — drives a demand that has reached over 8.5 billion birds a year in the U.S. alone. This is almost a 50 percent increase from the broiler production in 1990. Americans eat about 56 pounds of chicken per capita annually, at a …

Forget what you may have heard about Abner Doubleday and Cooperstown. The national pastime of baseball evolved out of older bat and ball games. An important step in that evolution occurred on this date in 1845, when the Knickerbocker Baseball Club of New York was formed. It was the first organized club, and its rules have shaped today’s game. Practice and intrasquad games under the rules occupied the Knickerbockers until the first contested baseball game on June 19, 1846 in …

We pretty much take for granted that the municipal water that comes out of the faucets in our homes is safe to drink. But it wasn’t always that way. A dramatic example is the nation’s first water filtration system in Lawrence, Massachusetts, which began operating on this date in 1893. The system was a sand filter of nearly three acres, designed by Hiram Francis Mills, which trapped typhoid fever-causing bacteria from water piped from the polluted Merrimack River. In the …

This is National Singles Week, often called “Unmarried and Single Americans Week,” noting that many who are unmarried do not identify with the world “single,” since they may be parents, have partners, or are widowed or divorced. The idea for the observance started in Ohio in the 1980s. There are 103 million unmarried adult Americans, more than 44 percent of all U.S. residents 18 and older. Seventeen million of them are seniors over the age of 65. The number of …

We are at the midpoint of the weeklong National Rehabilitation Awareness celebration. One of its goals is to salute the determination of the nation’s 57 million residents who confront their disabilities as they go about their daily lives. Another is to say thanks to the thousands of rehabilitation professionals, such as the nation’s nearly 200,000 physical therapists, who help those in need adapt to and overcome their disabilities. About 19 percent of the population is living with some form of …

On this date in 1787, the Constitutional Convention wrapped up in Philadelphia with the delegates accepting the document and sending it on to the states for ratification. Less than two years later, the new U.S. government had to take out a loan. This week in 1789, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton was in negotiations to borrow nearly $192,000 from the Bank of New York and the Bank of North America. The money was needed to pay the salaries of President Washington …

One of the nation’s largest corporations is 105 years old today, although in common with other centenarians, it has its ailments. General Motors was conceived by William Durant of Flint, Michigan. Durant co-founded Chevrolet — named after noted racing car drivers Louis and Gaston Chevrolet, originally from Switzerland, and Durant promoted Buick to prominence on early racetracks. Over the years, Durant headed — and then lost control of General Motors not once, but twice. Besides Oldsmobile, GM has made several …

When Henry Bliss stepped off a streetcar at Central Park West and 74th Street in New York, on this date in 1899, automobiles were a novelty. Thus, he didn’t look, and was run over by an almost silent electric taxi. The accident was the first fatality in the U.S. involving an automobile. At the time, there were fewer than 8,000 motor vehicles in the whole country. As the number of registered automobiles climbed rapidly, so did the number of deaths. …

This was a day that didn’t exist in Colonial America in 1752, as the familiar calendar underwent what is called the “Gregorian correction,” switching from the ancient Julian calendar to adjust for errors accumulated over centuries. After September 2nd, the next day was September 14th, and there was rioting by those who felt cheated and demanded the 11 days back. The British parliament’s Calendar Act of 1750 had also changed New Year’s Day from March 25th to January 1st. As …

To highlight its importance, both as a crop and as part of the changing U.S. diet, this is National Rice Month. Globally, rice is the world’s most important cereal grain. Reflecting both our increasing cultural diversity and awareness of good nutrition, Americans have more than doubled their annual consumption of rice from 1980, from 9½ to 21 pounds each. Rice has been grown in America since the late 17th century, and is currently a $3 billion a year crop. While …