December 1, 1955 - Rosa Parks sparked the successful
Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott when she refused to give up her seat for a
white person on the bus. Parks was born in 1913 and died in 2005. She has been
called "The Mother of the Civil
Rights Movement."
December 2, 1939 - LaGuardia Airport began operations. The
first plane to arrive was a TWA DC5 which came from Chicago. It landed one
minute after midnight.
December 3, 1775 - The first official American Flag was
raised aboard the USS Alfred on the Delaware River.
December 4, 1906 - The first African-American fraternity,
Alpha Phi Alpha, was founded at Cornell University.
December 5, 1782 - The eighth President of the United
States, Martin Van Buren, was born. He was the first President born an American
citizen, the seven others having been born before the American Revolution.
December 5, 1784 - Phillis Wheatley, the first
African-American poet to be published, died. Born in Senegal, she was brought
to Boston and enslaved when she was seven years
old by the Wheatley family who, and this was very unusual, taught her
many subjects. After her poetry was published, she received great acclaim, even
traveling to London where she met the Lord Mayor. She wrote a poem praising
George Washington in 1776 and was invited to his home. The Wheatley family
emancipated her following her success.
December 5, 1933 - Prohibition ended. Liquor
could once again be legally sold. Enacted in 1917 and ratified in 1919, the
18th amendment to the Constitution had prohibited the manufacture, sale and transportation of
liquor. This Amendment was often disregarded including in establishments called
"Speakeasies." One was the 21 Club, still in existence at 21 West
52nd Street. It was repealed by the 21st amendment, the only amendment to be
repealed.
December 6, 1790 - The United States Congress moved the
capital of the new nation to Philadelphia from Manhattan. It had met on the
site of what is now Federal Hall. Every year on April 20th, George Washington's
inauguration is reenacted.
December 9, 1946 -
President Harry S. Truman's Executive
Order established the Committee on Civil Rights.
December 10, 1870 - The Territory of Wyoming granted women the right to vote.
December 12, 1787 - Pennsylvania ratified the Constitution.
December 12, 1870 - Joseph H. Rainey, a member of the Republican Party, was elected
to the House of Representatives. He was the first African-American to be elected to the House.
He served four terms representing South Carolina.
December 12, 1930 - A Noble Prize was awarded to Sinclair
Lewis who was the first American author to receive one for literature. Among
his works were Elmer Gantry and Babbit.
December 13, 1816 - The United States' first savings bank
opened in Boston, MA. (Editor's note: This would have really pleased the
Puritans who had settled there in 1630!)
December 14, 1799 - George Washington died at his home, Mt.
Vernon, Virginia. He had led the army during the American Revolution and was
the first President of the United States, a position he did not want. He wrote
to a friend that he was going to face "an ocean of difficulties." His
inauguration was on April 30, 1789 at the site of Federal Hall on Wall Street.
Martha Washington did not want him to become President, but she shortly
followed him to Manhattan.
December 15, 1791 - The Bill of Rights, consisting of the
first 10 Amendments to the United States Constitution, was passed. There are
now 27 amendments to the Constitution. One that did not receive ratification by
the majority of the states is the Equal Rights Amendment: unlike Australia!
December 16, 1775 - Author Jane Austen was born. "Pride
and Prejudice" is probably her most famous book. She helped support her
family with her writing. It has recently been revealed that she was not a good
speller and her grammar was not the best so her editor had quite a bit of work
to do!
December 17, 1903 - Wilbur and Orville Wright made their
first successful airplane flight on a field near Kitty Hawk, NC.
December 18 1865 - With the ratification of the 13th
Amendment to the Constitution by 23 states, slavery was abolished in the United
States.
December 20, 1780 - The Netherlands joined the Patriots in
their war against the British Government.
December 20, 1962 - Discrimination was outlawed in
federally-aided housing.
December 21, 1937 - Walt Disney's first full-length animated
film, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" opened in Los Angeles, CA.
December 24, 1784 - Congress voted to move the nation's
capital from Trenton, NJ to Manhattan. After being in Manhattan, the government
moved to Philadelphia and then Washington, D.C. John and Abigail Adams were the
first First Family to live in the White House. When in Manhattan, President
Washington and Vice President Adams and other members of the first government
lived in lower Manhattan.
December 24, 1851 - A fire destroyed two-thirds of the
Library of Congress -- 55,000 books. These included some of those which Thomas
Jefferson had sold to the Library to pay off some of his debts in 1815.
December 25, 1066 - William the Conqueror was crowned King
of England thus ensuring the Norman Conquest of England following the Battle of
Hastings. His family was actually Viking and the name "Norman" came
from "Northman" or "Norseman." He was a descendant of
Vikings.
December 25, 1831 - Louisiana and Arkansas became the first
states to make Christmas a legal holiday.
December 27, 1932 - Radio City Music Hall opened in
Manhattan. It was one of a number of buildings which were built during the
"Great Depression." It is particularly famous for its holiday show,
featuring the Rockettes.
December 31, 1904 -
For the first time, the ball dropped in Times Square to bring in the New
Year. The Square is named after The New
York Times. The New York Times is now in its new location on Eighth Avenue,
West of Times Square, but the tradition continues.
Until January 2015
Historically yours,
Phyllis
"Corporate Culture & Memory Marketing"
leverages the history & heritage of a company, its "DNA," its
who, what, why, where and how which makes up its culture. It leverages the
"DNA" as a marketing, public relations and advertising tool,
particularly at the time of an anniversary of a company or brand. It can raise
the comfort level of a consumer or business client/customer; appeal to feelings
of nostalgia particularly in regard to an old brand; and build on or rebuild a
reputation; and highlight its culture which is based on its history &
heritage, setting it apart from its competitors and all other companies. And
the past, which includes today when tomorrow comes can help predict the future;
and, also transmitting the history and culture to each party to a merger can
avoid costly problems including a breakup.
Services: Providing Content & Story Telling for on-line
and off-line media and...Consulting on the leveraging of history & heritage
and anniversaries; Research into a company's history; Writing and editing:
Curating for on-line and off-line exhibits and social media; Creating Knowledge
Banks of historic records including visuals; Conducting Oral History interviews
to fill in gaps; Creating Virtual Time Capsules for social media sites;
Creating orientation materials; and Assisting companies with corporate culture
clash after a merger by transmitting the "DNA" of each party to merger
to the other party.