1846

Today in History 05/13/18

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General Zachary Taylor leading American troops into battle at Palo Alto during the Mexican-American War (© Nathaniel Currier)(1846) US declares war on its neighbor
The US annexation of Texas the previous year lit the tinder between neighboring nations, and now the conflict explodes into the Mexican-American War as the US Congress votes in favor of President Polk’s request for military action. The two-year conflict will end in Mexico’s defeat and the loss of about half its national territory.
The Mexican–American War, also known as the Mexican War in the United States and in Mexico as the American intervention in Mexico, was an armed conflict between the United States of America and the United Mexican States from 1846 to 1848. It followed in the wake of the 1845 American annexation of the independent Republic of Texas, which Mexico still considered its northeastern province and a part of its territory after its de facto secession in the 1836 Texas Revolution a decade earlier.
Start date: Apr 25, 1846
End date: Feb 03, 1848

Collection of pictures of the Mexican-American War
Clockwise from top left: Winfield Scott entering Plaza de la Constitución after the Fall of Mexico City, U.S. soldiers engaging the retreating Mexican force during the Battle of Resaca de la Palma, American victory at Churubusco outside Mexico City, U.S. Marines storming Chapultepec castle under a large American flag, Battle of Cerro Gordo
wiki/Mexican–American_War
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(1846) US declares war on its neighbor.
Also on this day,
1981 | Pope is shot
1995 | Everest climb
1938 | Jazz standard is born

Today in History 02/10/18

Illustration of Mormons on the trek from Illinois to Utah in 1846 (© Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)(1846) Mormons begin exodus from Illinois to the western US
Fleeing religious persecution that included the assassination of their leader, Joseph Smith, 1,600 members of what will become the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their new leader, Brigham Young, head west, where they will eventually settle in the Great Salt Lake Valley.
The history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is typically divided into three broad time periods: the early history during the lifetime of Joseph Smith which is in common with all Latter Day Saint movement churches, a “pioneer era” under the leadership of Brigham Young and his 19th-century successors, and a modern era beginning around the turn of the 20th century as the practice of polygamy was discontinued. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traces its origins to western New York, where Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, was raised. Joseph Smith gained a small following in the late 1820s as he was dictating the Book of Mormon, which he said was a translation of words found on a set of “golden plates” that had been buried near his home in western New York by an indigenous American prophet. On April 6, 1830, in western New York, Smith organized the religion’s first legal church entity, the Church of Christ. The church rapidly gained a following, who viewed Smith as their prophet.
Author: Joseph Smith
First published: 1897

LDS expansion western north america
Locations of major LDS settlements in North America prior to 1890. Included are major cities founded by LDS settlers who later abandoned the area.
wiki/History_of_The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints
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Today in History 12/28/17

US and Iowa state flags (© Brian Snyder/Reuters)(1846) Iowa becomes the 29th US state
President James K. Polk signs a law making an area that was part of the Louisiana Purchase the 29th state. Iowa, named for a Native American tribe, joins the nation as a slave-free state and will support the Union in the Civil War.
Iowa is a state in the Midwestern United States, bordered by the Mississippi River on the east and the Missouri River and the Big Sioux River on the west. Surrounding states include Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the east, Missouri to the south, Nebraska to the west, South Dakota to the northwest, and Minnesota to the north.
Population: 3.13 million (2016)
Area: 56,272 sq miles (145,743 km²)
Colleges and universities: Iowa State University · University of Iowa · University of Northern Iowa · Drake University · Grinnell College
Capital: Des Moines
Governor: Kim Reynolds
Senators: Joni Ernst · Chuck Grassley

Iowa in United States
Map of the United States with Iowa highlighted

wiki/Iowa
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Today in History 09/23/17

Voyager view of Neptune (Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech)(1846) Neptune is plotted, and discovered
French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier has used celestial mechanics to plot the coordinates of a faraway planet that can’t be seen by the naked eye, and today, German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle’s telescope spies Neptune almost exactly where Le Verrier calculated it would be.
The planet Neptune was mathematically predicted before it was directly observed. With a prediction by Urbain Le Verrier, telescopic observations confirming the existence of a major planet were made on the night of September 23–24, 1846, at the Berlin Observatory, by astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle (assisted by Heinrich Louis d’Arrest), working from Le Verrier’s calculations.
Neptune by Voyager 2
Neptune in 1989 by the Voyager 2 probe

wiki/Discovery_of_Neptune
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Today in History 05/13/17

General Zachary Taylor leading American troops into battle at Palo Alto during the Mexican-American War (© Nathaniel Currier)(1846) US declares war on its neighbor
The US annexation of Texas the previous year lit the tinder between neighboring nations, and now the conflict explodes into the Mexican-American War as the US Congress votes in favor of President Polk’s request for military action. The two-year conflict will end in Mexico’s defeat and the loss of about half its national territory.
The Mexican–American War, also known as the Mexican War, the U.S.–Mexican War, the U.S.–Mexico War or the Invasion of Mexico, was an armed conflict between the United States of America and the United Mexican States from 1846 to 1848. It followed in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas, which Mexico considered part of its territory in spite of its de facto secession in the 1836 Texas Revolution.
Start date: Apr 25, 1846
End date: Feb 03, 1848
Mexican–American War (without Scott's Campaign)

wiki/Mexican–American_War
Pope John Paul II lies wounded after being shot in St. Peter's Square Wednesday, May 13, 1981, by Turkish terrorist Mehmet Ali Agca (© AP)(1981) Pope John Paul II shot in assassination attempt
Four bullets hit Pope John Paul II as he enters Rome’s St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. While the Pope is rushed to the hospital, police capture Mehmet Ali Ağca, of Turkey. The Pope will later forgive his would-be assassin, asking for his crime to be pardoned, and meeting with him in prison.
The first attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II took place on Wednesday, 13 May 1981, in St. Peter’s Square at Vatican City. The Pope was shot and wounded by Mehmet Ali Ağca while he was entering the square. The Pope was struck four times, and suffered severe blood loss. Ağca was apprehended immediately, and later sentenced to life in prison by an Italian court. The Pope later forgave Ağca for the assassination attempt. He was pardoned by Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi at the Pope’s request and was deported to Turkey in June 2000.
Date: May 13, 1981

wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II_assassination_attempt
File photo of British mountaineer Alison Hargreaves in 1993 (Chris Bacon/AP)(1995) Everest summited by unassisted female climber
Accomplished mountaineer, and 33-year-old mother of two, Alison Hargreaves makes history as the first woman to conquer Mt. Everest without the help of Sherpa guides or bottled oxygen. Sadly, she will perish after summiting another Himalayan giant, K2, exactly three months later.
Alison Jane Hargreaves was a British mountain climber. Her accomplishments included scaling Mount Everest alone, without supplementary oxygen or support from a Sherpa team, in 1995. She soloed all the great north faces of the Alps in a single season—a first for any climber. This feat included climbing the difficult north face of the Eiger in the Alps, in 1988. Hargreaves also climbed 6,812-metre Ama Dablam in Nepal.
Born: Feb 17, 1962 · Derbyshire, England
Died: Aug 13, 1995 · K2, Pakistan

wiki/Alison_Hargreaves
Louis Armstrong playing the trumpet (© Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)(1938) Armstrong records ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’
Jazz trumpeter and singer Louis Armstrong records the traditional gospel hymn in a Dixieland-jazz style. Though it isn’t the first jazz version of the song, Armstrong’s recording will turn it into a jazz standard that will be covered by hundreds of artists and find a place in pop culture and sports.
“When the Saints Go Marching In”, often referred to as “The Saints”, is an American gospel hymn. Though it originated as a Christian hymn, it is often played by jazz bands. This song was famously recorded on May 13, 1938 by Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra. The song is sometimes confused with a similarly titled composition “When the Saints are Marching In” from 1896 by Katharine Purvis and James Milton Black.
Album: Hello Louis – The Hit Years (1963-1969)
Artists: Louis Armstrong · Fats Domino · Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra · Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars
Release year: 1939
Duration: 2:45
Genre: Jazz, Contemporary Jazz

wiki/When_the_Saints_Go_Marching_In
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