Today In History; December 2

Legend has it that on the night of December 2, 1777, Philadelphia housewife and nurse Lydia Darragh single-handedly saves the lives of General George Washington and his Continental Army when she overhears the British planning a surprise attack on Washington’s army for the following day.

During the occupation of Philadelphia, British General William Howe stationed his headquarters across the street from the Darragh home, and when Howe’s headquarters proved too small to hold meetings, he commandeered a large upstairs room in the Darraghs’ house. Although uncorroborated, family legend holds that Mrs. Darragh would eavesdrop and take notes on the British meetings from an adjoining room and would conceal the notes by sewing them into her coat before passing them onto American troops stationed outside the city.

On the evening of December 2, 1777, Darragh overheard the British commanders planning a surprise attack on Washington’s army at Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania, for December 4 and 5. Using a cover story that she needed to buy flour from a nearby mill just outside the British line, Darragh passed the information to American Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Craig the following day.

The British marched towards Whitemarsh on the evening of December 4, 1777, and were surprised to find General Washington and the Continental Army waiting for them. After three inconclusive days of skirmishing, General Howe chose to return his troops to Philadelphia.

It is said that members of the Central Intelligence Agency still tell the story of Lydia Darragh, one of the first spies in American history.

Other Memorable Or Interesting Events Occurring On December 2:

1697 – St. Paul’s Cathedral opens in London;

1763 – Oldest existing U.S. synagogue, Touro shul of Newport RI is dedicated;

1802 – Britain sells Suriname to the Netherlands;

1804 – Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned Napoleon I, the first Frenchman to hold the title in a thousand years;

1805 – Napoleon defeats Russia & Austrians at Austerlitz;

1812 – James Madison re-elected president of the U.S.;

1816 – First U.S. savings bank opens in Philadelphia, PA, the “Philadelphia Savings Fund Society”;

1823 – ‘Monroe Doctrine’ declared by President James Monroe in his annual address to congress;

1845 – President James Polk belligerently reasserts the 1823 Monroe doctrine & calls for aggressive expansion into the west; Polk’s program created the outline of the modern United States;

1859 – John Brown, militant abolitionist, is executed in Charlestown, Va on charges of treason, murder and insurrection;

1864 – Confederate General Archibald Gracie Jr. is killed in the trenches at Petersburg, Va by an artillery shell explosion;

1901 – Gillette patents the first ‘Disposable Razor’;

1917 – Russia reaches armistice with the central powers a day after Bolsheviks seize control of Russian military headquarters at Mogilev;

1927 – Ford Motor Company unveils second Model A Automobile, the successor to its Model T; the first one sold for $385.00;

1939 – New York Municipal Airport, LaGuarda Field, goes into operation as an airliner from Chicago landed one minute past midnight;

1942 – Enrico Fermi produces first nuclear chain reaction;

1954 – U.S. Senate votes 65-22 to condemn Senator Joseph R McCarthy for conduct unbecoming of a senator;

1959 – The Malpasset Dam in France collapses killing 400 and causes a devastating flood in Frejus, a town which dates back to Caesar’s time;

1961 – Already in strained relations with the U.S., Cuban leader Fidel Castro openly declares himself a Marxist-Leninist sealing bitter ‘Cold War’ animosity;

1963 – South Vietnamese leaders order temporary halt to the strategic ‘Hamlet Program’;

1970 – Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), begins operations;

1971 – United Arab Emirates declares independence from the United Kingdom;

1972 – The ‘Temptations’ earn their final #1 hit with “Papa was a rolling stone”;

1974 – Cowhide, not just horsehide, was authorized to make baseballs;

1982 – First permanent artificial heart successfully implanted in retired dentist Barney Clark at the University of Utah; he lived for 112 days with the Jarvic-7 heart;

1990 – First parliamentary election held in newly reunified Germany;

2001 – Enron files for chapter 11 bankruptcy in New York city sparking one of the largest corporate scandals in U.S. history;

2002 – Toyota delivers first ‘market ready’ hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles in California; Toyota says the vehicle is expected to go on the market in 2014 or 2015, however there is still a lack of refueling infrastructure;

2010 – U.S. House of Representatives voted to ‘censure’ Rep. Charles Rangel, D-NY, for financial and fundraising misconduct.

Today’s Thought:

Life has many choices; Eternity has but two; Which of those two will be your choice ?

Today’s Quizzical Question:

Why is the ‘0’ the last # on your phone keypad?; should it not be before the ‘1’ ?

Today’s Observation:

Ever notice how a book gets fatter after you’ve read it several times (?).

Today’s Funny Sign:

(in a farmers field) – The farmer allows walkers to cross the field for free, but the bull charges !

Today’s ‘Where Did That Title Come From’:

In the late 1700’s, many houses consisted of a large room with only one chair. Commonly, a long wide board folded down from the wall, and was used for dining. The ‘head of the household always sat in the chair while everyone else ate sitting on the floor. Occasionally a guest, who was usually a man, would be invited to sit in this chair during a meal. To sit in the chair meant you were important and in charge. They called the one sitting in the chair the ‘chair man.’ Today in business, we use the expression or title ‘Chairman’ or ‘Chairman of the Board’.  (I never knew!)

Today’s ‘You Know When’:

You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams !

Today’s Funny:

Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off ? – He’s ALL RIGHT now !!!

Today’s Quote:

“To be Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”  – C.S. Lewis

Today’s Cute Puppy Picture:

Today’s Inspirational Image:

Until Tomorrow – God Bless to All !!!