1962: The Rolling Stones perform for the first time

 Red_Dragon wrote: 
 a date which will live in infamy

1890: Wyoming is admitted as the 44th state

 buzz wrote: 
Ha, London actually. 

 black321 wrote: 
made in China?

On this day (-1) in 1835, as every schoolboy knows, the Liberty Bell cracked. It
cracked while tolling the funeral of Chief Justice John Marshall who had conveniently
died in Philadelphia thus making all this possible.
What most schoolboys missed, however, is that this was neither
the first nor the last time it cracked - the bell had little to do with American liberty -
and its most important role in American history may actually have been on D-Day in
1944.
The bell was ordered and cast in 1752 for the statehouse of the colony of
Pennsylvania. Of course times and government leaders were different back then. The
government was having a tough time meeting its budget (can you imagine?), so they
chiseled on the money for the bell (can you imagine?). Doubting the quality of
American craftsmanship they ordered the bell from overseas. But to make up for the
penny-pinching, perhaps, they decided to give it a grand theme. So they chose a
quote from Leviticus - "Proclaim liberty throughout the land ....." The quote was
clearly for show since they were all still good colonists aiding the British in the French
and Indian War.
Anyway the bell arrived from England at the end of 1752. The first time they rang it,
it cracked. They handed it over to American artisans who recast it and then it recracked.
They should have suspected shoddy workmanship when the bell first arrived. The bell
casters had misspelled the colony's name as "Pensylvania."
The bell then led a quiet life, at least until 1776 (July 8th strangely) when it was rung
along with every other bell in Philadelphia (celebrating the publication of some
document signed a few days earlier). Then, as noted above, it cracked for Marshall's
funeral. The crack worsened beyond repair during the 1846 celebration of
Washington's Birthday. Newspaper articles of this event inspired abolitionists to adopt
the Liberty Bell as the image of American liberty for everyone. Over the next century
that image grew so strong that the Liberty Bell became one of the most important
symbols to all Americans. Enough so that when American troops hit the beaches of
Normandy in 1944, in order to solidify public sentiment the bell was struck with a
mallet and the sound was carried via radio all across the country.

 JrzyTmata wrote: 
awesome

1540: Henry VIII dumps wife #4, Anne of Cleves

 JrzyTmata wrote: 

 Alexandra wrote: 
I know, it goes by so fast.  My daughter is a high school art teacher and all around nice person.

 JrzyTmata wrote: 
not judgin'! jus' sayin'

I liked big hair

 2cats wrote: 
 
I have one niece and one nephew born that year too!
 
Nephew is a Latin teacher in high school and a new daddy - and niece just got her PhD in Anthropology from Yale, for cryin' out loud!

 
Damn kids growing up so fast!

 2cats wrote:  Me too! In May.

 JrzyTmata wrote: 
Daughter born that year.

 Red_Dragon wrote: 
don't judge!

 JrzyTmata wrote: 
ah... polyester & big hair

 Red_Dragon wrote: 
1980

 JrzyTmata wrote: 
year?

 JrzyTmata wrote: 
 

Jrzy and buzz go on their first date