1851

Today in History 12/24 (Library of Congress Fire)

Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson building in Washington DC circa 1915 (Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-DIG-ds-07072])(1851) Massive fire devastates Library of Congress
A large fire ravages the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, destroying about two-thirds of the collection, including books from Thomas Jefferson’s personal library. Congress will open its wallets to replace the lost volumes over the next several years.
The Library of Congress is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the de facto national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. The Library is housed in three buildings on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.; it also maintains the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper, Virginia. The Library’s functions are overseen by the Librarian of Congress, and its buildings are maintained by the Architect of the Capitol. The Library of Congress has claims to be the largest library in the world. Its “collections are universal, not limited by subject, format, or national boundary, and include research materials from all parts of the world and in more than 450 languages.”
Address: 101 Independence Ave, Washington, D.C. 20540
Customer service: (202) 707-5000
Founded: 1800 · Washington, D.C., United States
Founder: John Adams
Architects: Paul J. Pelz · John L. Smithmeyer · Edward Pearce Casey · Alfred Easton Poor
Awards: Peabody Award (2012)

Thomas Jefferson Building Aerial by Carol M. Highsmith
Thomas Jefferson Building and part of the John Adams Building (upper-right)
wiki/Library_of_Congress
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(1851) Massive fire devastates Library of Congress.
Also on this day,

1865 | Ku Klux Klan is founded in Tennessee
In the aftermath of the Civil War, several Confederate veterans establish the secret vigilante group to threaten and murder freed blacks and their supporters and to restore white supremacy. The name reportedly is derived from the Greek word for circle, “kyklos.” Soon the KKK will spread to every state in the American South.
1955 | NORAD’s newest mission: Tracking Santa
An ad in a Colorado newspaper gives children Santa’s phone number, but a misprint routes calls to a red phone at the NORAD air defense command center. Strait-laced Col. Harry Shoup adjusts on the fly and tells staff to give the kids Santa’s “current location.” A tradition is born.
1966 | Yule log debuts as a burning log starts a TV holiday tradition
New York’s WPIX, Channel 11, replaces its regularly scheduled programming with Christmas music and a shot of a log burning in a fireplace, shot in Gracie Mansion. Viewers cozy up to their TVs, and a tradition is born that will extend to other TV markets and beyond.

Today in History 12/24/17

Group of men wearing hats with 'KKK' in large letters circa 1870 (Public domain)(1865) Ku Klux Klan is founded in Tennessee
In the aftermath of the Civil War, several Confederate veterans establish the secret vigilante group to threaten and murder freed blacks and their supporters and to restore white supremacy. The name reportedly is derived from the Greek word for circle, "kyklos." Soon the KKK will spread to every state in the American South.
The Ku Klux Klan, commonly called the KKK or simply the Klan, is three distinct movements in the United States that have advocated extremist reactionary positions such as white supremacy, white nationalism, anti-immigration and—especially in later iterations—Nordicism, anti-Catholicism and antisemitism. Historically, the KKK used terrorism—both physical assault and murder—against groups or individuals whom they opposed. All three movements have called for the "purification" of American society and all are considered right-wing extremist organizations.
Founded: 1915
Founders: John C. Lester · J. Calvin Jones · Richard R. Reed · John B. Kennedy · Frank O. McCord · James R. Crowe

KKK night rally in Chicago
KKK night rally in Chicago, c. 1920 - Altar with K eagle in black robe at a meeting of nearly 30,000 Ku Klux Klan members from Chicago and northern Illinois.

wiki/Ku_Klux_Klan
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Today in History 12/12 (Joel Roberts Poinsett)

Joel Roberts Poinsett (Courtesy of Wikipedia)(1851) Politician and diplomat Joel Poinsett dies
Joel Poinsett, who had served in the US House of Representatives and as Minister to Mexico, dies of tuberculosis. Poinsett had seen the Flor de Nochebuena, or Christmas Eve flower, in Mexico and sent samples of the plant back to the US—where it would become known as the poinsettia.
Joel Roberts Poinsett was an American physician and diplomat. He was the first U.S. agent in South America, a member of the South Carolina legislature and the United States House of Representatives, the first United States Minister to Mexico, a Unionist leader in South Carolina during the Nullification Crisis, Secretary of War under Martin Van Buren, and a co-founder of the National Institute for the Promotion of Science and the Useful Arts.
Lived: Mar 02, 1779 – Dec 12, 1851 (age 72)
Party: Democratic Party
Spouse: Mary Izard Pringle
Education: University of Edinburgh · Royal Military Academy, Woolwich
Children: William Allston Pringle (Son) · Edward J. Pringle (Son)
Parents: Dr. Elisha Poinsett (Father) · Katherine Ann Poinsett (Mother)
Highlights
  • 1800: In 1800 Poinsett returned to Charleston hoping to pursue a military career.

  • 1807: In January, 1807, Czar Alexander and Poinsett dined at the Palace.

  • 1816: In July 1816, Poinsett traveled to New York to meet Carrera.

  • 1818: After being re-elected to the South Carolina House in 1818, he became a member of the Committee on Internal Improvements and Waterways.

  • 1828: On 12 January 1828, in Mexico City, Poinsett signed the first treaty between the United States and Mexico, the Treaty of Limits, a treaty that recognized the U.S.-Mexico border established by the 1819 Adams–Onís Treaty between Spain and the U.S.

  • 1851: He died of tuberculosis, hastened by an attack of pneumonia, in Stateburg, South Carolina, in 1851, and is buried at the Church of the Holy Cross Episcopal Cemetery.

Joel Roberts Poinsett, Secretary of War
TITLE: Joel Roberts Poinsett, Secretary of War CALL NUMBER: PGA – Fenderich, no. 182 (B size) [P&P] REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-USZ62-23834 (b&w film copy neg.) RIGHTS INFORMATION: No known restrictions on publication. MEDIUM: 1 print. CREATED/PUBLISHED: [no date recorded on shelflist card]
wiki/Joel_Roberts_Poinsett
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(1851) Politician and diplomat Joel Poinsett dies.
Also on this day,

1925 | World’s first motel opens in San Luis Obispo, California
Arthur Heineman opens the Motel Inn in a town midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. As people began driving longer distances, Heineman sought to offer travelers a spot for the night beyond camping. Now, they could drive up to his “motor hotel” or “motel” and sleep in comfort.
1980 | Armand Hammer buys Da Vinci notebook for $5 million
At an auction in London, the oil tycoon outbids the room for a Leonardo da Vinci notebook, from around 1508, that contains notes and drawings about water and its properties. In 1994, the notebook will be on the block again, but this time it’ll go for $30.8 million.
2003 | Keiko, the orca star of ‘Free Willy,’ dies in Norwegian fjord
After a $20 million project to reintroduce him to the wild, Keiko succumbs to pneumonia off the coast of Norway. In captivity since he was a pup, Keiko never reintegrated with wild orca pods and continued to seek out human contact during his year and a half in the open ocean.

Today in History 12/12/17

This photo from 1942, provided by Boys Town, shows Boys Town founder Father Edward Flanagan, center, being surrounded by his charges (© Boys Town/AP)(1917) Father Edward Flanagan establishes Boys Town near Omaha
The 31-year-old Irish priest opens the doors to a Victorian mansion as a home for troubled boys. He starts out with just six kids, but numbers will quickly grow. Thanks to help from local citizens, Flanagan will move the home to a large facility outside of Omaha to serve more children.
Boys Town, formerly Girls and Boys Town and Father Flanagan's Boys' Home, is a non-profit organization dedicated to caring for its children and families, with national headquarters in the village of Boys Town, Nebraska. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated as a National Historic Landmark on February 4, 1985.
Founder: Edward J. Flanagan
Address: 14100 Crawford Street, Boys Town, NE 68010
Phone: (402) 498-1141
Opened: 1917
Tax ID: 47-0376606
CEO: Steven E. Boes (Since 2005)

Boys Town NFS
Nebraska Family Services building in "Boys Town", Nebraska, just outside Omaha. AKA Father Flanagan's Boys' Home , W. Dodge Rd., Boys Town, Nebraska. This is the general place that the movieBoys Town was based on. A National Registered Historic Place and National Historic Landmark.

wiki/Boys_Town_(organization)
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