What happened this week in maps?!? There is so much history around the world that sometimes it is hard to keep up. We dive into a fun fact every week from all around the world to show just how amazing people are! Join us in our exploration and learn something new along the way.
On this week in 1496 Leonardo da Vinci tested a flying machine…It “flew” straight down.
On this week in 1878 the US Senate proposed female suffrage. But the 19th amendment, which codifies the right to vote regardless of sex, didnt pass until 1920.
On this week in 1535 Francisco Pizarro founded the city of Lima in Peru.
On this week in 1673 marked the beginning of Postal service between New York & Boston.
On this week in 1887 the first Groundhog’s Day was observed at Gobbler’s Knob, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
On this week in 1984 American astronaut Bruce McCandless makes 1st untethered space walk.
On this week in 1903 the 1st Teddy Bear was introduced in America. It was made by Morris & Rose Michtom.
On this week in 2006 At least six people staged Britain’s biggest robbery ever, stealing £53m (about $92.5 million) from a Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent.
On this week in 1692 Sarah Goode, Sarah Osborne, & Tituba arrested for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts
On this week in 1819 Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams, signed the Adams – Onis Treaty. Which ceded Florida to the United States in exchange for the US settling 5 million dollars worth of outstanding legal claims against the Spanish Crown.
On this week in 1946 Bikini Atoll islanders are evacuated by the US government to make way for a nuclear testing site.
This week in 1930 Mahatma Gandhi and his followers begin a 200 mile march to the salt beds of Jalalpur.
On this week in 1962 marked the first time that the Chicago River was dyed green in honor of St. Patrick’s Day
The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place not in Ireland but in America. Records show that a St. Patrick’s Day parade was held on March 17, 1601 in a Spanish colony in what is now St. Augustine, Florida.
On this week in 1931 Nevada legalized gambling!
On this week in 1784 Bangkok was abuzz as the Emerald Buddha was moved into its temple, Wat Phra Kaew, where it resides to this day.
On this week in 1912 the 1st Japanese cherry blossom trees were planted in Washington, D.C.
On this day in 1988 Eddie Hill became the world’s first driver to cover the quarter mile in under 5 seconds.
On this week a few years ago in 240 BC the first perihelion passage of Halley’s Comet was recorded. But back then I think it was just called “ Angry Sky Monster”
On this week in 1811 the 1st US pacific coast colonists arrived at Washington Territory’s Cape Disappointment.
On this week in 1872 the Jesse James Gang robbed a bank in Columbia, Kentucky. (1 person killed /$1,500 stolen)
On this week in 1782 John Adams secured the Dutch Republic’s recognition of the United States as an independent government, and a house he purchased in The Hague, Netherlands became the first American embassy.
On this week in 1872 the Jesse James Gang robbed a bank in Columbia, Kentucky. (1 person killed /$1,500 stolen)
On this week in 1990 West & East Germany agreed to merge currency & economies.
This week in 1906 an earthquake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, shook the town of San Francisco. The quake lasted for less than one minute, but almost 80% of the city was toppled.
On this week in 1990 NASA launched the Hubble Space Telescope into low earth orbit.
On this week in the 1940 people in the United States started celebrating “Cinco De Mayo” as a part of the Chicano movement. In the 1980’s beer companies capitalized on the celebratory nature of the day and began promoting the day.
Eventually Cinco De Mayo evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, first in areas with large Mexican-American populations.
Cinco De Mayo isn’t really celebrated in Mexico… Cinco De Mapo, however, is fast becoming one of Mexico’s #1 map based holidays.
This week in 1862 Mexican troops successfully repelled French soldiers at the Battle of Puebla. It was one of the few Mexican military victories during France’s short-lived colonization of Mexico.
On this week in 1976 The Revolution, the first steel roller coaster with a vertical flip, opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California.
On this week in 1893, Henri Desgrange, cyclist and founder of the Tour-de-France established the first world record for bicycle speed when he reached 21.95 miles per hour.
On this week in 1620 the 1st recorded sighting of a merry-go-round occurred at a fair in Philippopolis, Turkey.
This week in 1980 Mount St. Helens erupted blowing its top- leaving a massive crater; its summit is now some 1300 feet (400 meters) lower than before the eruption.
On this week in 1844 Samuel Morse tapped out “What hath God Wrought” in the world’s first telegraph message:
.– …. .- – / …. .- – …. / –. — -.. / .– .-. — ..- –. …. –
On this week in 1937 over 200,000 people celebrated the grand opening of the Golden Gate Bridge by crossing it on foot or on roller skates. Cars had to wait ‘til the next day.
On this week in 1792 Kentucky split from Virginia and was admitted to the Union as the 15th US state
On this week in 1859: Big Ben rang out over the Houses of Parliament for the first time. This was also the week Queen Elizabeth II was formally crowned as the Queen of England in 1953.
During this week in 1494 Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, an agreement that divided the new world along a meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde islands. Portugal laid claim to land east of the line and Spain to the west.
On this week in 1992, while at the Earth Summit, Canada’s International Centre for Ocean Development and the Ocean Institute of Canada proposed that June 8th be recognized as World Ocean Day – “World Oceans Day” was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008. The international day strives to foster public interest in the protection of the ocean and the sustainable management of its resources
During this week in 1898 the Yukon Territory of Canada was established, and Dawson was chosen as its capital.
On this week in 1777 The Continental Congress approved the Stars and Stripes as the first national flag of the United States, The official description was as follows: “The flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation.” The layout of the stars, however, was left undefined, and many patterns were used by flag makers.
During this week in 1633 Galileo Galilei, under threat of execution, recanted his “heretical” position that the Earth orbited the Sun – a position that was at odds with the catholic church’s teachings (The Vatican apologized in Oct 1992 for how it handled this particular situation).
On this week in 2006 Pluto’s newly discovered moons are officially named Nix and Hydra.
During this week in 1820 the tomato was “proven” to be non-poisonous when Colonel Robert Gibbon ate one on the steps of a courthouse in Salem, New Jersey.
During this week in 1890 Idaho was admitted as
43rd US state in the Union.
On this week in 1919 The Treaty of Versailles, ending WWI and establishing the League of Nations, was signed in France
During this week in 1933 Congress passed the first
minimum wage law (33 cents per hour).
On this week in 1785 US Congress unanimously resolved to name US currency the “dollar” and adopted decimal coinage
On this week in 1772, Captain James Cook began his 2nd voyage aboard the Resolution to the South Seas in search of “Terra Australis” (Latin: “Southern Land”)
On this week in 1969 the Apollo 11 lunar module carrying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the surface of the Moon; Aldrin and Armstrong walked on the moon- Michael Collins remained in orbit.
On this week in 1880 the first commercial hydroelectric power plant in the world began generating electricity at the Wolverine Chair Factory in Grand Rapids, Michigan
On this week in 1492, Christopher Columbus sets sail on his first voyage with three ships, Santa María, Pinta, and Niña from Palos de la Frontera, Spain in search of the “Indies”.
On this week in 1965 Singapore separated from the Federation of Malaysia and gained its independence.
In this week in 1248 Construction of the new Cologne Cathedral began with the laying of the foundation stone by Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden – They finished it a few years later -(completed 1880)
On this week in 2006 : The International Astronomical Union defined the term “planet” for the first time and demoted Pluto to the status of a “dwarf planet.” According to the new definition, there are currently eight planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) and four dwarf planets (Ceres, Pluto, Makemake and Eris) now known in our solar system.
On this week in 1836 The city that we now call Houston was founded by Augustus Chapman Allen and his brother John Kirby Allen.
On this week in 1630 Puritans founded the city of Boston!
On this week in 1821: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras & Nicaragua declare their independence from the Spanish Empire via the Act of Independence of Central America
On this week in 1876 Melville Bissell of Grand Rapids, Michigan patented the 1st carpet sweeper. His cat was not happy about it
On this week in 1825 George Stephenson’s “Locomotion No. 1” was the 1st steam locomotive to carry passengers on a public rail line. This first commute took place on the Stockton & Darlington Railway in England
On this week in 1915 the Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado & Utah was established.
On this week in 1581 the 1st staged ballet, “Ballet Comique de la Reine”, was performed in Paris at the Hôtel de Bourbon, adjacent to the Louvre Palace
On this week in 1861 the First US transcontinental telegram was sent from San Francisco to Washington, D.C.
On this week in 1856 French Magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin performed for Algerian Marabouts in Algeria to convince them that French magic is the stronger than theirs
On this week in 1889 North Dakota became the 39th & South Dakota became the 40th state in the United States.
On this week in 1731 Benjamin Franklin opened the first library in the North American colonies. Its name-The Library Company of Philadelphia.
On this week in 1980 US spacecraft Voyager 1 sent back the 1st close-up pictures of Saturn during its planetary fly-by.
On this week in 1789 North Carolina, home of the Map Shop, ratified the constitution and became 12th US state.
On this week in 1913 Gulf Refining Company opened the nation’s first drive-in service station at the corner of Baum Boulevard and St. Clair Street in Pittsburgh.
On this week in 1776 the First US fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa, was formed at William & Mary College.
On this week in 1928 Clip-on tie designed … We’re Knot kidding!
On this week in 1909 University of Copenhagen rejected American Explorer Frederick A Cook’s claim that he was 1st to the North Pole.
On this week in 1946 The Flamingo Hotel & Casino, the first “modern style” casino officially opened in Las Vegas, NV.
