Adopting the Stars and Stripes

June 14, 1777

The Second Continental Congress (not to be confused with the FIRST Continental Congress) resolved that the Stars and Stripes would be the official flag of the United States of America on this day in 1777. Although we often associate the Betsy Ross creation with our first flag (you know the one with the circle pattern of stars?), it was actually the flag below that Congress voted in. The stars are in a 3-2-3-2-3 pattern (it sounds a bit like a soccer formation to me) and was designed by one of the Congressmen.

Riot on Broad Street

June 11, 1837

Tension between the Irish Americans and the British Americans had been running high for quite

 some time on the eastern seaboard, leading to a brawl in the streets of Boston that is still 

considered to be the worst rioting the town has ever seen.

On June 11, 1837, firefighters were returning to the station after putting out a fire over in Roxbury. All of them happened to be Protestant Yankees, and the majority of them had stopped off in a local pub on the way back to the station. Heading down Broad Street right around the same time was a group of Irish Catholics, in the midst of a funeral procession.

Conflicted from the Start

May 31, 1913

May 31, 1913 marks the day that William Jennings Bryan announced the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. From this point forward, United States Senators would no longer be elected by their respective state legislatures. Instead, they would be elected by popular vote. 

Looking back from our vantage point, the change seems simple enough...logical enough. The controversy surrounding the Seventeenth Amendment, however, caused a "few" years to pass from the initial conversations to the actual ratification. In fact, it was debated first somewhere around the year 1787 by a Scottish-born man named James Wilson. Mr. Wilson was not only a member of the Constitutional Convention, he was one of the first six Supreme Court Justices appointed by George Washington.

Profit by Example

May 29, 1765

The Stamp Act of 1765 was not turning out to be a popular agenda in the colonies of North America. British Parliament had created the Stamp Act as a way to fund British troops stationed in the colonies at the close of the Seven Years' War. Americans argued that we didn't need any troops here; we would have no trouble defending ourselves against Native Americans without the aid of the Redcoats. If the British wanted troops here, they should be funded by London.

The Stamp Act required any printed material (including playing cards, magazines, newspapers, legal documents, etc.) in America to use the special stamped paper produced in London, and that it be paid for with British currency rather than the colonial American paper money. 

Manhattan for a Song

May 24, 1626

The borough of Manhattan has been described as the "economic and cultural center of the United States." Wall Street, which can be found in Lower Manhattan, is arguably the financial capital of the world. The cost of living in Manhattan is the highest of anywhere within the USA.

Ironic, then, that the entire island was purchased for a mere 60 Dutch guilders.

The Reno Gang in Scott County

May 22, 1868

The Reno brothers were born and raised in southern Indiana during the mid-1800's. "Honest Clint" and his sister Laura were the two siblings who never involved themselves with the crime sprees of their brothers. Frank, John, Bill (his involvement with the gang is uncertain) and Simeon, however, chose a path that began with cheating travelers out of money in card games and ended with a lynching in Hangman's Crossing, Indiana.