1827 Genoa, Italy. James Smithson died, leaving his fortune ‘to the United States of America, to found at Washington, an establishment for the increase and diffusion knowledge.’ He had never visited the US nor did he know any Americans, but he had read about this new country, while in the old country he had seen private natural history and manuscript collections discarded, broken up, or destroyed by those who did not appreciate them. A biography of Smithson is discussed in another post on this blog for those seeking Enlightenment. Deaths are not usually noted on this blog but Smithson warrants an exception.
1833 Canterbury, Connecticut. White woman Prudence Crandall was arrested and fined for teaching black women to read. A Quaker, Crandall was driven out of town in the backlash fomented by the Pox News of the day. She moved to Kansas.
1922 Chicago, Literature. The American Library Assocaition awarded the first Newbery Medal for children’s literature. Frederic Melcher, one-time book store owner, had long agitated for an award for children’s books to encourage originality and excellence in authors and to direct readers to valuable books. Others joined Mercher and it was named for John Newbery, an 18th Century English bookman, considered the first self-conscious children’s author. Newbery prize winners figured considerably in my earliest reading.
1924 New York City, Politics. The name of suffragette Lena Jones Wade Springs of Tennessee was placed in nomination for the Vice-Presidential place on the Democratic Party presidential slate. This was the first time a woman’s name had been mentioned in an American presidential nominating convention. Oscar Underwood of Alabama made this gesture. Springs received a few votes from the floor and the nomination later went to Charles Bryan of Nebraska, brother to the Great Commoner. This is the famous hung convention that went to 103 ballots for the presidential nomination John Davis was the eventual nominee. A biography of Underwood is discussed elsewhere on this blog.
1967 Enfield, England. Barclay’s Bank installed an ATM. Comedy actor Reg Varney inaugurated it, the first of its kind. The device accepted paper cheques with a magnetic strip authorised by a six-digit PIN. The engineers who developed it were inspired by vending machines dispensing chocolate bars. I used one like this in Boston in 1979 which had a tendency to mangle the checks.
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