A.K.A.

February 2, 1848

Mexico won its independence from the Spanish Empire back in 1821 during the Mexican War of Independence. In 1845 (during his last weeks in office), President John Tyler signed legislation that authorized the annexation of the Republic of Texas, a move that was viewed by the Mexican government as an act of war; Mexico never viewed the Republic of Texas as an independent country. The United Kingdom and France both tried to persuade Mexico to stay out of war with the United States, but to no avail. In April of 1846, Mexican forces attacked Americans near the Rio Grande (in close proximity to future President Zachary Taylor's camp) in a raid known as the Thornton Affair. Within a month, Congress passed (and President James Polk signed) a declaration of war. By July, Mexican Congress had done the same.

Georgia State of Mind

January 2, 1788

Although we tend to think of American Civil War stories when discussing the  history of the State of Georgia, there was a lot of action in the Peach State during the American Revolution as well. 

Georgia Patriots raided the magazine in Savannah in 1775, dividing the stolen powder with South Carolina. After driving out the royal governor, James Wright, following Savannah’s Battle of the Rice Boats in February of 1776, Archibald Bulloch was named commander in chief of the militia. Delegates were sent to the Philadelphia convention in time to sign the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. 

Ten...Nine...Eight...

January 1, 1908

In 1904, Longacre Square in New York City was renamed Times Square in honor of (or at the urging of) the New York Times. “Lobster Palaces” quickly gained popularity, spots like Rector’s on the corner of Broadway and 44^th, allowing NYC’s middle class to enjoy the delicacies and grandeur only known to the upper echelon until this point.