1825 - Women, feeling oppressed by their employers, gathered at Palmo’s Opera House in New York City, for speeches and music about their problems. (If they gathered for music about their problems, was this the 1800s version of Glee?)
1850 - Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel "The Scarlet Letter", was published for the first time. (And juniors in high schools everywhere groaned.)
1871 - The State of Delaware enacted the first fertilizer law. (ummmm. I don't even know what this means.)
1883 - Susan Hayhurst graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, becoming the first female pharmacy graduate. (Girl Power!)
1926 - The first liquid-fuel rocket was successfully launched by Prof. Robert Goddard at Auburn, Massachusetts. The rocket traveled 184 feet in 2.5 seconds. (Insert your own inappropriate joke here.)
1950 - Congress voted to stop federally taxing oleomargarine. (Well, I think we all say a little prayer at night in thanksgiving for this.)
1963 - Peter, Paul and Mary released the single, "Puff The Magic Dragon", which was banned by several radio stations whose management figured the song was about smoking marijuana. The group denied the allegations saying “It’s about a magic dragon named Puff.” (That quote makes my day.)
1974, 11:45 pm - I was born.
(Avoided being a leprechaun by 15 minutes.)
1976 - British Prime Minister Harold Wilson announced his intention to retire. He was succeeded by James Callaghan on April 5. (I've never heard of either of these people.)
1978 - Former Italian premier Aldo Moro was kidnapped by Red Brigades guerrillas, who demanded the release of all Communist prisoners. (I'm guessing Italy stepped up its secret service after this...)
And, a fellow Happy Birthday to James Madison, Pat Nixon, Jerry Lewis, Chuck Woolery, Jerry Jeff Walker, Erik Estrada, and (my little 5-year-old buddy), Kate White!
Thanks to http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/history/index.asp for all the useless trivia a girl could hope to find on her birthday!
