1836  the Whig party holds their first convention in Albany NY.

1870  The 15th Amendment (Black suffrage) passed. It is after all Black History Month

1913  the 16th amendment, allowing the introduction of an income tax, becomes part of the constitution. Some (like Grover Norquist) are calling for its repeal.

1947  the first black reporter Percival Prattis is allowed into the congressional press gallery. And the current status of the press room

1959 Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper arekilled when their plane crashes near Mason city, Iowa.

1960  James Brown records his debut hit Please, Please, Please. The singing ended in 2006.

1966 The first operational weather satellite, ESSA-1launched (US)

1969 The Palestine National Congress appointed Yasser Arafat head of PLO

1973 President Nixon signs Endangered Species Act into law. That’s right., these days Nixon would be considered a liberal.

1984 the first baby conceived by embryo transplant is born in Long Beach CA.

1998 Karla Faye Tucker murderer, executed at 38. Was the first woman executed in Texas. .

Notable Birthdays

1737  Elizabeth Graeme Ferguson early American writer, best remembered for her personal correspondence, journal, and salons and for her incongruously pro-British actions during the American Revolution. Didn’t leave much of an internet footprint. Aside from Google Books. Her property was seized after the Revolution.

1821  Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman in the U.S. to earn a medical degree

1874  Gertrude Stein - best known for running the best salon in Paris and her relationship with Alice.B. Toklas.

1894  Norman Rockwell - painter and illustrator most famous for his Saturday Evening Post Covers.

1947  Melanie 25 albums, a Grammy and an Emmy.

Quote for Today

A blank wall of social and professional antagonism faces the woman physician that forms a situation of singular and painful loneliness, leaving her without support, respect or professional counsel.

— Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell