Every day owns some historical scrip; because of this, various newspapers carry columns of “What Happened on This Day.” So I’ve decided that for today, I’ll offer my own version. It is probably one that won’t be found in local rags.
For instance, on this day in 1381 King Richard II of England met the leaders of the Peasants’ Revolt. They had a variety of familiar issues: taxation, political tensions, war and finances. While not well recognized today, the Peasants’ Revolt was significant back then and has been studied inside and out by historians.
In 1642, the first compulsory education law in America was passed by Massachusetts. Keep in mind this was more than a century before the American Revolution.
In 1789, Captain William Bligh reached the Dutch settlement of Timor after traveling 3618 nautical miles in an open boat over six weeks’ time. He was the Captain of the HMS Bounty, when his first mate, Fletcher Christian, and others mutinied and put Bligh and those loyal to him into the open seas, hoping they would perish.
In 1834, sandpaper was patented by Isaac Fischer Jr. But the emery board wasn’t invented until 1910.
In 1923, “Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane” was the first country music song to be recorded.
And now we’re to the current day when the newspapers take over. But if you really want to cull the richness of any day, Google® “This Day in History” and see what the papers leave out.
Leave a Reply