This Week in US History

February 6

1862   The Union wins its first major victory in the Civil War, with the capture of Fort Hood on the Tennessee River.

1971   Apollo 14 astronaut Alan Shepard hits three golf balls on the moon.

February 7

1812   The last of the New Madrid earthquakes, a series of violent quakes that changes the course of the Mississippi River, occurs near New Madrid, Missouri.

1964   The Beatles arrive in New York for their first U.S. tour and an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, touching off Beatlemania.

(http://www.iamthebeatles.com/article1036.html)

February 8

1693   The College of William and Mary, second oldest college in the United States, is chartered.

1910   The Boy Scouts of America is founded in Washington, D.C.


 Beyond the Easel — self-portrait by Norman Rockwell (1894–1978) with Boy Scouts,

for the 1969 calendar of the Boy Scouts of America

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_Scouts_of_America)

February 9

1825   The House of Representative elects John Quincy Adams president after no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes.

1942   Daylight saving time (then called "war time") goes into effect to conserve fuel during World War II.

February 10

1903   Teddy bears (named after Teddy Roosevelt, our 26th president) begin appearing in stores in early 1903.

Steiff bears from 1903 and 1905

(http://www.theteddybearmuseum.com/history.htm)

1942   Glenn Miller receives the first-ever gold record for selling 1.2 million copies of "Chattanooga Choo Choo."

February 11

1809   Robert Fulton patents his steamboat.

The 1907 replica of the North River Steamboat at anchor
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_River_Steamboat)

1933   President Hoover designates Death Valley in California and Nevada as a national monument; one of its unique characteristics is that it contains the lowest spot in the United States, 282 feet below sea level.

February 12

1909   The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded.

1973   Hanoi begins to release American POWs following the end of the Vietnam War.

Blessings,

Ellen