On this day in 1924, President Calvin and First Lady Grace Coolidge tend to their son at Walter Reed Army hospital. Their teenaged son was deathly ill and not expected to survive.
It was an unexpected and shocking tragedy that left the Coolidges devastated.
The 16-year-old boy had been playing tennis on the White House lawn just a few days earlier when he got a seemingly harmless blister. He wasn’t wearing socks that day. Unfortunately, the blister got infected. It’s the type of injury that would be quickly treated with antibiotics today, but back then the infection was life threatening.
The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-coolidge-jr
At about this time in 1905, Wilbur Wright makes a record-setting airplane flight. His Flyer III would stay in the air for more than 38 minutes. The 24-mile flight was the longest one yet.
Perhaps most importantly to Wilbur and his brother Orville, the flight proved their Flyer III to be a “practical” airplane—the first aircraft to make such a demonstration.
As with any great entrepreneurs, the Wright brothers’ story is one of hard work, success—and failure. Naturally, those early failures proved critical in making the later successes possible.
FULL STORY: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-wright-practical-aircraft
At about this time in 1787, a signer of the Declaration of Independence passes away. It’s been said that Thomas Stone died of a broken heart.
You’ve probably never heard of Stone. He wasn’t a big, famous personality like Benjamin Franklin. He didn’t do anything flashy, like Caesar Rodney did when he made a midnight ride from Delaware to Philadelphia, making it just in time to vote in favor of the Declaration. Stone didn’t go on to become President like John Adams or Vice President like Elbridge Gerry. Instead, Stone was simply a Patriot who worked hard, served his country, and put his life on the line by signing the Declaration of Independence—a document that King George III viewed as treason.
How wonderful to live in a country where such a statement can be made. He “simply” put his life on the line. Nothing too flashy?!
The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-thomas-stone-signer
On this day in 1920, a future U.S. Coast Guardsman is born. John “Jack” Cullen is best known for his role in finding and stopping Nazi saboteurs as they attempted to invade America during World War II.
He received a Legion of Merit for his actions.
Cullen was once described as “a thoroughly wholesome, typically American boy” with “a modest demeanor.” When the Japanese attacked at Pearl Harbor, he did what so many in that generation did: He signed up to help.
Before too long, Cullen was a Coast Guardsman stationed near Amagansett, New York.
The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-john-cullen
