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The War of Independence was barely over when the young United States faced a secession movement. On this date in 1784, several counties in a territory appended to North Carolina sought admittance as a new state, called Franklin. These counties were on the eastern fringe of a large tract stretching from the Allegheny Mountains to the Mississippi. In 1785, Franklin fell short of the votes in Congress for admittance, but existed for a few years as an independent republic. Reabsorbed …

Two ordinary items used in many American households were created by New York City residents on this date in August. In 1865, the first liquid soap was patented by William Sheppard. His formula flowed from mixing a pound of regular soap with 100 pounds of ammonia solution, then dissolving it in water to the consistency of molasses. And in 1939, Julian Seth Kahn received a patent for an “apparatus for mixing a liquid with a gas” — a spray can …

Friday, August 19th. Even in this Internet world, many of us still receive printed catalogs through the mail. The first such catalog — more of a flyer — was sent out by Montgomery Ward this week in 1872. That first catalog consisted of only one page, featuring 163 items for mail order purchase. By 1904, the Ward’s catalog weighed in at four pounds. Montgomery Ward ceased producing its catalog in 1985, and the company itself eventually failed in the largest …

An emotional and legal battle that lasted many decades ended on this date in 1920, changing the course of U.S. social and political history. The event was the certification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. The amendment prohibits discrimination based on sex with regard to voting — in short, it extended to women the right to vote. Two days earlier, Tennessee had become the required 36th state to ratify the amendment, in spite of last minute efforts by some …

Hand-tools have a long history.  Evidence of hammer-stones and hand axes date from about 2.6 million years ago.  That’s well over 2 million years before the appearance of Homo sapiens about 200,000 years ago.  Nearly all of those millennia passed before the development of the monkey wrench.  On this date in 1835, the adjustable or screw wrench was patented by Solymon Merrick of Springfield, Massachusetts.  The modern looking wrench was soon followed by improved designs that are still in use …

It’s still summer break for many kids, but already in progress is one of the nation’s largest seasonal events; one that exchanges leisure for classroom study. It’s back to school time. From nursery school to college, over 77 million students are headed to the classroom — that’s more than one-out-of-four of the total U.S. population age 3 and over. Of the 8.5 million Americans ages 20 and 21, over 51 percent are enrolled in college.  Nursery school or kindergarten enrollment …