The noting of historical anniversaries teaches us history and marks the passage the of time. But what about historical figures and events beyond those that get their own holidays such as Columbus Day or Martin Luther King Day? Want to know what else happened on this or any other day in history? Follow me.
Today in History draws upon the extensive online American Memory collection of the Library of Congress. Each day it covers a couple of events from American history, with lots of links back into the collection for more depth. Because of the unique nature of the primary sources contained in the American Memory, the daily anniversaries covered here are most likely different from those in today's other sites.
The History Channel brings us not just one generic This Day in History, but nine topical ones on subjects as diverse as Automotive History, Civil War History, Crime History, Literary History, Technology History and Wall Street History. It's this variety that makes this series my pick of the day! From the entry page, you can browse the files by any date (such as your birthday) to learn of important headlines and birthdays throughout the centuries. I learned that I share a birthday with Tony Curtis (of Hollywood fame) and Jefferson Davis (President of the Confederate States of America, 1861- 1865.)
With the entire archive of the New York Times behind it, this site has lots to offer. Each day a single story is featured, along with a thumbnail of the front page from that day. Click on the newspaper to see the a larger (but not completely legible) image of the day's front page. Most stories include original photos, illustrations or political cartoons. To peruse the archive, follow the link to "Go to a Previous Date."
"Those were the days, my friend. We thought they'd never end..." This site features one historical event in depth, and then lists dozens of others with short descriptions. And just in case the day you're interested in was yesterday (or tomorrow), from the main page you can access four days of tidbits. If that's not enough, the archives are available in chronological order as well as through a search function.
The following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!
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