1956

Today in History 12/04 (George Washington)

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Engraving depicting George Washington bidding farewell to his officers at Fraunces Tavern in 1783 (© Archive Photos/Getty Images)(1783) George Washington says a tearful farewell to officers
United States Gen. George Washington gathers his men at a tavern in New York City to announce he’s retiring and plans to return to Mount Vernon. Washington is “suffused in tears” as he hugs each officer goodbye. His retirement won’t last long. In a few years, he’ll be elected as the first president of the US.
George Washington was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America and served as the nation’s first President. He commanded Patriot forces in the new nation’s vital American Revolutionary War and led them to victory over the British. Washington also presided at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which established the new federal government. For his manifold leadership he has been called the “Father of His Country”.
Lived: Feb 22, 1732 – Dec 14, 1799 (age 67)
Height: 6′ 2″
Spouse: Martha Washington (m. 1759 – 1799)
Structures: Mount Vernon
Children: Martha Parke Custis (Daughter) · Frances Custis (Daughter) · Daniel Parke Custis, Jr. (Son) · Daniel Parke Custis Jr (Son)
Buried: Mount Vernon
Highlights
  • 1759: Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis on January 6, 1759, the wealthy widow of Daniel Parke Custis.

  • 1774: In July 1774, George Mason arrived at Mount Vernon with a list of resolutions which he and Washington worked overnight to refine.

  • 1787: He appeared at the convention as a delegate from Virginia, and he was unanimously elected its president in 1787.

  • 1789: Washington was inaugurated on April 30, 1789 at age 57, taking the first presidential oath of office at Federal Hall in New York City.

  • 1779: He died peacefully with Martha calmly composed at the foot of his bed around 10 p.m. on Saturday, December 14, 1799 at age 67.

George Washington presiding the Philadelphia Convention
Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States by Howard Chandler Christy, 1940. Washington, presiding officer, stands at right.
wiki/George_Washington
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(1783) George Washington says a tearful farewell to officers.
Also on this day,

1945 | US joins UN as senate approves US participation in the UN
The Senate votes 65-7 to allow the United States to participate in the newly formed United Nations. The international organization, to be headquartered in New York City, aims to foster cooperation among nations, settle disputes peacefully to prevent wars, and establish wartime rules of conduct.
1956 | Supergroup jams as the ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ records in Memphis
Rockabilly hit-maker Carl Perkins is recording at the Sun Record Studios when he’s joined by up-and-comer pianist Jerry Lee Lewis. Later, stars Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash drop by, and the four musicians begin an impromptu jam session. The first recordings of the session won’t be released for another 25 years.
1991 | American hostage Terry Anderson is freed
Islamic militants free Anderson after nearly seven years of captivity in dismal conditions in Beirut. He is the last and longest-held Western hostage in Lebanon. After his release, Anderson will meet his child, born after his abduction, and win a multimillion-dollar settlement against Iran.

Today in History 12/04/17

World flags at the United Nations headquarters in New York (© Education Images/UIG via Getty Images)(1945) Senate approves US participation in the United Nations
The Senate votes 65-7 to allow the United States to participate in the newly formed United Nations. The international organization, to be headquartered in New York City, aims to foster cooperation among nations, settle disputes peacefully to prevent wars, and establish wartime rules of conduct.
The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization tasked to promote international cooperation and to create and maintain international order. A replacement for the ineffective League of Nations, the organization was established on 24 October 1945 after World War II in order to prevent another such conflict. At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; there are now 193. The headquarters of the UN is in Manhattan, New York City, and is subject to extraterritoriality. Further main offices are situated in Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna. The organization is financed by assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states. Its objectives include maintaining international peace and security, promoting human rights, fostering social and economic development, protecting the environment, and providing humanitarian aid in cases of famine, natural disaster, and armed conflict. The UN is the largest, most familiar, most internationally represented and most powerful intergovernmental organization in the world.
Website: www.un.org
Founded: Oct 24, 1945 · Lake Success, NY
Headquarters: New York, NY
Founders: United States · Argentina · Norway · Dominican Republic · Haiti · Guatemala · El Salvador · Denmark
Subsidiaries: World Health Organization · Food and Agriculture Organization · International Monetary Fund · UNICEF · International Telecommunication Union · World Intellectual Property Organization · United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees · World Food Programme · International Maritime Organization · United Nations Environment Programme

UN Member Countries World
Map of the current UN member states by their dates of admission. B 1945 (original members) T 1946–1959 G 1960–1989 O 1990–present Y non-member observer states

wiki/United_Nations
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Today in History 11/13 (Vietnam Veterans Memorial)

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An Army veteran stops to salute his fallen comrades on Memorial Day at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, in 2015 (© J. David Ake/AP )(1982) Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington, DC
Thousands of Vietnam War veterans march to the site and contemplate a wall of black granite sunk into the ground and etched with names of the more than 58,000 of their comrades killed in the war. Maya Lin’s stark design will prove controversial, but ‘The Wall’ will have a lasting impact.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a 2-acre U.S. national memorial in Washington D.C. It honors service members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in the Vietnam War, service members who died in service in Vietnam/South East Asia, and those service members who were unaccounted for during the war.
Website: www.nps.gov/vive
Address: 5 Henry Bacon Dr NW, Washington, DC 20050
Phone: (202) 426-6841
Established: Nov 13, 1982
Area: 86,111 sq feet
Annual visitors: 5.60 million (2015)

Names of Vietnam veterans at Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
One panel of ‘The Wall’, displaying some of the names of fallen U.S. service members from the Vietnam War.
wiki/Vietnam_Veterans_Memorial
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(1982) Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington, DC.
Also on this day,

1956 | Bus segregation overturned as US Supreme Court rules racial segregation on buses illegal
In Browder v. Gayle, the Supreme Court strikes down Alabama laws requiring racial segregation on public buses. The high court rules these laws violate the 14h Amendment, which provides for equal protection under the law. The Montgomery Bus Boycott will end soon after the decision.
1974 | Union activist Karen Silkwood dies in suspicious car crash
Karen Silkwood, a technician at a Kerr-McGee nuclear facility in Crescent, Oklahoma, dies in a one-car crash on her way to meet a journalist to reportedly show him documents that reveal safety issues at the plant. The documents, however, will not be in the car when her body is found.
1998 | President Bill Clinton settles sexual harassment lawsuit
President Clinton agrees to pay Paula Jones, an ex-Arkansas state worker, $850,000 to drop her lawsuit claiming that he exposed himself to her in a hotel room in 1991. The settlement follows a series of appeals and denials that included an argument before the US Supreme Court.

Today in History 11/13/17

Paula Jones leaves a Little Rock, Arkansas, office after depositions in her sexual harassment lawsuit against President Bill Clinton in 1998 (© Reuters)(1998) President Bill Clinton settles sexual harassment lawsuit
President Clinton agrees to pay Paula Jones, an ex-Arkansas state worker, $850,000 to drop her lawsuit claiming that he exposed himself to her in a hotel room in 1991. The settlement follows a series of appeals and denials that included an argument before the US Supreme Court.
Paula Corbin Jones is a former Arkansas state employee who sued U.S. President Bill Clinton for sexual harassment. The Paula Jones case precipitated Clinton's impeachment in the House of Representatives and the subsequent acquittal by the Senate on February 12, 1999. Charges of perjury and obstruction of justice were brought against Clinton. Eventually, the court dismissed the Paula Jones harassment lawsuit, before trial, on the grounds that Jones failed to demonstrate any damages. However, while the dismissal was on appeal, Clinton entered into an out-of-court settlement by agreeing to pay Jones $850,000.
Born: Sep 17, 1966 (age 51) · Lonoke, AR
Height: 5' 3" (1.59 m)
Spouse: Steven Mark McFadden (m. 2001) · Stephen Jones (m. 1991 - 1999)
Children: Preston Jones (Son) · Stephen Jones (Son)
Movies: The Hunting of the President · The Clinton Chronicles
Siblings: Charlotte Corbin Brown (Sister) · Lydia Corbin Cathey (Sister)
Highlights
  • 1991: Paula Jones married Stephen Jones on December 01, 1991; their marriage lasted 8 years till June 01, 1999.

  • 1994: Jones filed a sexual harassment suit against Clinton on May 6, 1994, two days before the three-year statute of limitations, and sought $750,000 in damages.

  • 1997: In December 1997, Jones reduced the damages sought in her suit against Clinton to $525,000 and agreed to remove Clinton's co-defendant and former bodyguard, Danny Ferguson, from the suit.

  • 1998: On April 2, 1998, before the case could reach trial, Judge Wright granted President Clinton's motion for dismissal, ruling that Jones could not show that she had suffered any damages.

  • 1999: The Paula Jones case precipitated Clinton's impeachment in the House of Representatives and the subsequent acquittal by the Senate on February 12, 1999.

  • 1999: In April 1999, Judge Wright found Clinton in civil contempt of court for misleading testimony in the Jones case.

wiki/Paula_Jones
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