The Province That Bet Everything on a Railway
On July 20, 1871, British Columbia became Canada's sixth province after Ottawa promised to absorb the colony's debt and build a transcontinental railway.
Tagged: 1800s
"It Is Well That War Is So Terrible"
On December 13, 1862, Union troops launched wave after wave of frontal assaults against Confederate defenses at Marye's Heights, in one of the Civil War's most one-sided battles.
The Mountain That Humbled Him: Pike Spots His Peak
On November 15, 1806, explorer Zebulon Pike recorded his first sight of the towering 'Grand Peak' of the Rockies — then tried to climb it before dinner, and failed.
One Vote Away: Andrew Johnson Survives Impeachment
On May 26, 1868, the Senate acquitted President Andrew Johnson on impeachment charges by a single vote — 35 to 19 — setting a precedent for every impeachment since.
Four Notes That Shook the World: Beethoven's Fifth Premieres
On December 22, 1808, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony received its world premiere at a freezing, marathon all-Beethoven concert in Vienna.
The Angel of the Battlefield Starts the American Red Cross
On May 21, 1881, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross at a meeting in her Washington apartment, bringing a European idea of neutral wartime aid to America.
Rivets, Denim, and the Birth of Blue Jeans
On May 20, 1873, a Reno tailor and a San Francisco merchant received U.S. Patent No. 139,121 for riveted work pants — the official birthday of blue jeans.
The Woman Who Patented First: Mary Dixon Kies, 1809
On May 5, 1809, Mary Dixon Kies of Connecticut received a U.S. patent for weaving straw with silk — the first patent ever issued to a woman in her own name.
The Day Napoleon Crowned Himself — in Front of the Pope
On December 2, 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of the French at Notre-Dame, with Pope Pius VII watching from the sidelines.
45 Men, One Keelboat, and an Unknown West
On May 14, 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition pushed up the Missouri River into the vast Louisiana Purchase — and into American legend.
The Penny That Invented the Post Office: Penny Black, 1840
On May 1, 1840, Britain's Penny Black went on sale — the world's first adhesive postage stamp, making mail affordable for ordinary people for the first time.
A Genius Is Born in Ulm, March 14, 1879
Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany, on March 14, 1879 — a slow-speaking boy who would rewrite physics with a patent-office desk and four extraordinary papers.
"What Hath God Wrought!" — The First Telegraph Message
On May 24, 1844, Samuel Morse tapped out 'What hath God wrought!' from the U.S. Capitol to Baltimore — the first official message on the first U.S. telegraph line.