Category Archives: 19th Century

Historical Facts from 1801 to 1900 CE

May 14, 1878

Posted on May 14, 2020 by Joel Byers

On May 14, 1878, the last witchcraft trial was held in the United States in Salem, Massachusetts. It was called both, the ‘Salem Witchcraft Trial of 1878’ and the ‘Ipswich Witchcraft Trial’. It was a civil suit and not a criminal case. Lucretia Brown, a 50 year old spinster and adherent of Christian Science, accused … Continue reading →

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May 11, 1800

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Joel Byers

On May 11, 1800, French naturalist, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, gave a lecture at the France Museum of Natural History, of which he was a Professor of Zoology. The lecture was his first outlining of his theories of evolution. In it he stressed two main themes; the first was that the environment gave rise to changes in … Continue reading →

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May 7, 1866

Posted on May 7, 2020 by Joel Byers

On May 7, 1866, Prince Otto von Bismarck, the future Chancellor of Prussia and real life bad-ass, was ambushed and shot several times by would-be assassin Ferdinand Cohen-Blind. As Bismarck was walking home, Cohen-Blind shot him twice from behind, at which point the future Chancellor of Prussia spun around and began beating his attacker, who … Continue reading →

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May 5, 1809

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Joel Byers

On May 5, 1809, Mary Kies of Connecticut was the first American woman to be issued a patent. It was for the technique she came up with for weaving straw with silk and thread to make hats. Johann Fischart Rumpelstiltskin of Gnomes, Gnomes, and Elves of Austria immediately sent notice to Mrs. Kies that she … Continue reading →

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April 17, 1860

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Joel Byers

On April 17, 1860, New Yorkers learned that a new law went into effect. It required all tenement houses to have adequate fire escapes. Libertarians of that time protested and shouted that the City of New York should allow the ‘market’ to decide if fire escapes were needed. They said that if you allowed the … Continue reading →

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April 9, 1872

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Joel Byers

On April 9, 1872 Samuel R. Percy received a US patent for dried milk. This was a huge scientific invention in a time before wholesale refrigeration. Armies, prospectors, naval ships, and the poor finally had access to a milk substitute that was nutritious, light, and could be stored for months at a time. Mr. Percy … Continue reading →

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March 24, 1815

Posted on March 24, 2020 by Joel Byers

On March 24, 1815, the first pop group fan club was formed in America. The Handel & Hayden Society was formed in Boston, Massachusetts by Gottlieb Graupner, Thomas Smith Webb, Amasa Winchester and Matthew S. Parker to cultivate and improve a correct taste in the performance of Sacred Music, and to introduce into more general … Continue reading →

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March 20, 1885

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Joel Byers

On March 20, 1885, Jan Matzeliger of Lynn, Massachusetts patented the shoe lacing machine. He’d previously patented a machine that manufactured shoes, putting thousands of gnomes out of business. When Quamorra Leathertack of the International Brotherhood of Gnomist Machinists and Leatherworkers was informed of the shoe lacing machine, he lost it. He was quoted as … Continue reading →

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March 19, 1883

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Joel Byers

On March 19, 1883, Jan Matzeliger of Lynn, Massachusetts invented the first machine that manufactured entire shoes. This invention did two things. First, it made shoes much more affordable for the common man. Second, it put shoe making gnomes right out of business. Quamorra Leathertack of the International Brotherhood of Gnomist Machinists and Leatherworkers was … Continue reading →

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March 4, 1841

Posted on March 4, 2020 by Joel Byers

On March 4, 1841, William Henry Harrison gave the longest US presidential inauguration speech ever. It was 8,445 words long and lasted just under two hours. He died 31 one days later. He gave the longest inauguration speech ever and had the shortest term as President, ever. Karma? Maybe.

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