Community Corner
Losing The Crown Jewels, Finding America, First U.S. Insane Asylum, First Finding America Celebration
October 12 as seen through the scattered lens of history.
1216 - King John of England loses his crown jewels in The Wash, probably near Fosdyke, perhaps near Sutton Bridge
1492 - Christopher Columbus's expedition makes landfall in the Caribbean, specifically in The Bahamas. The explorer believes he has reached South Asia
1773 - America's first insane asylum opens for 'Persons of Insane and Disordered Minds' in Virginia
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1792 - First celebration of Columbus Day in the USA held in New York
1823 - Charles Macintosh, of Scotland, sells the first raincoat.
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1892 - The Pledge of Allegiance is first recited by students in many US public schools, as part of a celebration marking the 400th anniversary of Columbus's voyage.
1901 - President Theodore Roosevelt officially renames the "Executive Mansion" to the White House.
1933 - The United States Army Disciplinary Barracks on Alcatraz Island, is acquired by the United States Department of Justice
1999 - The Day of Six Billion: The proclaimed 6 billionth living human in the world is born.
2000 - The USS Cole is badly damaged in Aden, Yemen, by two suicide bombers, killing 17 crew members and wounding at least 39
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