Roosevelt introduced the Emergency Banking Act, beginning 100 days of New Deal legislation (1933). Barbie made her debut at the American Toy Fair (1959). Villa attacked New Mexico (1916). Other events include the Amistad mutiny ruling (1841), Puyi becoming a puppet emperor for Japan (1932), Svetlana Stalin’s defection (1967), Edward R. Murrow criticizing Senator McCarthy on See It Now (1954), Napoleon marrying Josephine (1796), two ironclads colliding in the Civil War (1862), and the first “Adopt a Highway” sign appearing (1985).
President Franklin Roosevelt began 100 days of legislation leading up to the New Deal. (1933) Roosevelt introduced the Emergency Banking Act on this day, the first of many New Deal policies to be passed over the next 100 days. Among the reforms were the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the repeal of Prohibition, and the National Recovery Administration.
The Supreme Court ruled on the Amistad mutiny. (1841) The Amistad Mutiny consisted of a group of slaves capsizing the slave ship carrying them to America. The case gained widespread attention and the slaves were eventually acquitted and freed on the grounds that they had been illegally imprisoned to begin with.
Barbie has made her debut. (1959) Debuting at the American Toy Fair in New York City, Barbie was the first doll with adult features to be mass-produced in the United States. She was actually based on a racing doll, named Lady, sold as a gag gift in adult stores in Germany. Since her debut, more than 800 million Barbie and Barbie Friends dolls have been sold.
Pancho Villa attacked New Mexico. (1916) Villa led nearly 500 raiders to attack Columbus, New Mexico which led to President Wilson authorizing an American force of 6,000 troops to retaliate. The soldiers spent nearly a year trying to find Villa, and were finally called back when the United States entered World War I. Villa was assassinated by a fellow Mexican some years later.
The last emperor of China became a puppet emperor for the Japanese. (1932) On this day the last emperor of China, Puyi, was made emperor of the Japanese pseudo-state of Manchukuo. He held the title until the end of World War II, and was then imprisoned for war crimes by the Communists until 1959.
Svetlana Stalin defected to the West. (1967) she Svetlana was the daughter of Joseph Stalin, although she had not been on good terms with him since she dissolved her marriage to a Jewish man and sent him to a gulag. Her defection was one of a series of high-profile defections during the Cold War.
Edward R. Murrow criticized Senator McCarthy on See It Now. (1954) The show was hugely controversial, but resonated with many in America. McCarthy’s popularity was waning, and even the Republican Party had begun to criticize him in congressional meetings. He was censured in the same year by the Senate and died three years later.
Napoleon married Josephine. (1796) Josephine was Napoleon’s first wife, and thus the first Empress of France. When he bore him no children, he divorced her, but Josephine was still important in European monarchy because of her children and grandchildren from a previous marriage, many of whom became European leaders.
Two ironclads collided in the civil war. (1862) The “Battle of the Battleships” was the first of its kind in history. Both ships fired on each other for four hours, but neither was able to penetrate the other’s hull. Finally, Confederate CSS Virginia struck the pilot tower of the Union USS Monitor, temporarily blinding the captain and allowing Virginia to escape.
The first “Adopt a Highway” sign has appeared. (1985) The first “Adopt a Highway” program was initiated on Texas Route 69 as a program of the local Department of Transportation. Since that time, the program has spread across America and even to other countries, including Japan and New Zealand.
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