In 1565, Spanish conquistador Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and his fleet sighted land before laying anchor off the north inlet of a tidal channel along the Floridian coast. A couple weeks later, he would return to that site and found a city, named for the saint whose feast day was that day his fleet laid anchor at the location—St. Augustine. The city is the oldest contiguously occupied city of European origin in the Americas.
In 1845, the first issue of Scientific American was published, initially as a weekly newspaper before its evolution in a monthly magazine. The early issues placed a heavy emphasis upon new and recent patents, specifically through reports upon the happenings of the U.S. Patent Office. The publication would evolve, switching to monthly in 1921 and passing between owners. It is still in publication.
In 1963, one of the most iconic events of the Civil Rights Movement occurred with the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, often referred to as the March on Washington. About 250,000 people gathered for the march, which made its way to the Lincoln Memorial upon the National Mall. From there, six speeches were given, including Dr. King’s now legendary I Have a Dream speech.
A Notable Birth
1917 – Jack Kirby (d. 1994, born Jacob Kurtzberg) was an American comic book creator who worked under several pseudonyms. His greatest contribution is the cavalcade of characters he created, either alone or with others, for Marvel Comics.
A Notable Death
1955 – Emmett Till (b. 1941) was an African-American youth whose death by lynching was part of a series of events that led to the Civil Rights Movement. His murder was especially notable due to the severity of violence committed and the fact the killers were acquitted.
