History

Today we honor the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., the civil rights leader who would have turned 90 this year. A federal holiday to honor King, who was assassinated in April, 1968 was first observed in 1986. Congress also designated a national day of service in 1994.

January 1, 1660. Samuel Pepys began writing his famous diary in which he chronicled life in London  - including the Great Plague during 1664 and 1665, and the Great Fire of 1666.

January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln, freeing the slaves in the states rebelling against the Union.

January 1, 1892. Ellis Island was opened in New York Harbor. Over 20 million immigrants were processed there until it closed in 1954.

Check out these new titles recently added to the Library's History shelves.

December 1, 1919.  Lady Nancy Astor became the first woman in the British House of Commons.

December 1, 1955.  Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat to a white man and move to the back section of a municipal bus. This action resulted in a year-long boycott of the city's  bus system by African Americans.

December 1, 1988.  Benazir Bhutto was nominated to become prime minister of Pakistan, later becoming the first woman to govern a Muslim nation

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - History