Throughout your life there are things you learn about and forget. Then there are things you never learned about! I think the following falls into the later category. But on this date in 1933, there was an attempt made to assassinate Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Miami, Florida. Here’s what happened on that fateful day.
Needless to say, I haven’t posted at this site for eons! Hopefully, I can start it up again and post on a more regular basis.
So let’s begin with an On This Day In History. On January 23, 1907 Charles Curtis, of Kansas, became the first Native American to serve in the United States Senate. In 1929 Curtis became U.S. President Herbert Hoover’s Vice President. From Wikipedia….. I
On this day, January 12th in 1932 Hattie Caraway became the first woman elected to the United States Senate!! Caraway was the wife of Arkansas politician Thaddeus Caraway. Her husband was elected to the House of Representatives in 1912 and served as a Representative until 1921,. He became a Senator in that year and served in that capacity until he died in office in 1931. It had been a precedent at that time that the widows were appointed to temporarily take their husbands positions. Following that precedent Governor Harvey Parnell appointed Hattie Caraway to the vacant seat and she was sworn in to office on December 9th of 1931. Caraway with the backing of the Arkansas Democratic party easily won the special election held in 1932 for the remaining months of the term and became the first women elected to the Senate!
In November of 1971, I was 20 years old and entering my sophomore year at the University of Florida. On the 24th of that month……
A hijacker calling himself D.B.Cooper parachutes from a Northwest Orient Airlines 727 into a raging thunderstorm over Washington State. He had $200,000 in ransom money in his possession.
Among those born on June 14th is another unsung American heroes the Republican/Progressive,from Wisconsin Senator Robert La Follette. Yes, while it is hard to believe considering today’s Wisconsin, under the governorship of Scott Walker. Wisconsin was once a very progressive state! Well there is one really big black sheep Joseph McCarthy (at least in my opinion). In my lifetime, notable Senators from Wisconsin include: Gaylord Nelson, founder of Earth Day, William Proxmire creator of the Golden Fleece Award. Most the most recent carrier of the mantle of Progressives from Wisconsin is Russ Feingold. Feingold has recently reentered the political arena and will hopefully regain his seat in the Senate. Anyway, I sure hope so! But back to the politician whose birthday we celebrate today! Robert La Follette….
On June 3, 1864 one of the most lopsided battles of the American Civil War was fought near the Cold Harbor Tavern close to Mechanicsville, Virginia. The battle actually was fought from June 1 to June 12th. But on June 3rd the Union forces under the command of Ulysses Grant met the Confederate forces of Robert E Lee fought in one of the bloodiest and most lopsided days of the war. Over 7.000 Union troops were killed or wounded in a hopeless frontal assault against the fortified positions of Gen. Robert E. Lee‘s army in one hour on that day!
On June 2, 1886 Grover Cleveland became the first US president to be married in the White House and guess what it was kinda’ creepy! At the time of his marriage, Grover Cleveland was a forty-nine year-old bachelor. The woman he married Francs Folsom was 22 year-old. She was the daughter of Cleveland’s late best friend and law partner Oscar Folsom. Frances, at the time of their marriage, had known Cleveland from birth. In fact, she used to climb on his knee and call him “Uncle Cleve”. Frances’ father Oscar Folsom died when she was 11. Upon Oscar’s death, Cleveland became Frances legal guardian Cleveland remained close friends with her mother to the point that many thought Cleveland would marry her, but no! Instead Cleveland wed young Frances or Frank as Cleveland called her!
So while the Battle of Manassas or Bull Run, depending on whether you are from the South or North, is considered the first major battle of the U.S. Civil War, there were two land engagement prior to that battle. The first land engagement of the war happened on June 1, 1861 at the Fairfax Court House in Fairfax, Virginia. .
