This Day in History June 18

June 18
1778 British Redcoats evacuate Phila
1812 War of 1812 begins as US declares war against Britain
1815 Battle of Waterloo; Napoleon defeated by Wellington & Blcher
1822 Part of US-Canadian boundary determined
1863 After long neglect, Confederates hurriedly fortify Vicksburg
1864 At Petersburg, Grant ends 4 days of assaults
1872 Woman's Sufferage Convention held at Merchantile Liberty Hall
1873 Susan B Anthony fined $100 for attempting to vote for President
1892 Macademia nuts 1st planted in Hawaii
1898 Amusement pier opens, Atlantic City, NJ
1903 1st transcontinental auto trip begins in SF; arrives NY 3-mo later
1928 Amelia Earhart is 1st woman (passenger) to cross Atlantic by air
1934 US Highway planning surveys nationwide authorized
1940 Winston Churchill urges perseverance so that future generations would remember that "this was their finest hour"
1942 Bernard W Robinson, becomes 1st black ensign in US Navy
1942 Eric Nessler of France stays aloft in a glider for 38h21m
1945 William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw) Brit radio traitor charged with treason
1948 American Library Association adopts the Library Bill of Rights
1948 National Security Council authorizes covert operations for 1st time
1948 UN Commission on Human Rights adopts Intl Decl of Human Rights
1953 Egypt proclaimed a republic, General Neguib becomes president
1956 Last of foreign troops leaves Egypt
1957 John Diefenbacker (C) takes office as PM of Canada
1959 1st telecast transmitted from England to US
1968 Supreme Court bans racial discrimination in sale & rental of housing
1972 BEA Trident crashes after takeoff from Heathrow killing 118
1977 Space Shuttle test model "Enterprise" carries a crew aloft for 1st time, It was fixed to a modified Boeing 747
1982 Voting Rights Act of 1965 extended by Senate by 85-8 vote
1983 7th Shuttle Mission-Challenger 2 launched-Sally Ride 1st US woman
1983 IRA's Joseph Doherty arrested in NYC
1986 52 die in plane/helicopter collision over Grand Canyon
1989 Comet Churyunov-Gerasimenko at perihelion
1991 Pres Zachary Taylors body is exhumed to test how he died

"1903 1st transcontinental auto trip begins in SF; arrives NY 3-mo later"

Saw a documentary on this a few years back. The driver and his mechanic made the trip, nothing pre planned, just loaded up and headed out...

They mostly followed rail road tracks, asked directions, got lost a lot! No drivable roads, no gas stations, tires were constantly flat, car ran on a dry cell battery ignition, which required a steady supply of fresh batteries. They would telegraph ahead to where they thought they would be to have supplies shipped ahead.

Constant break downs! They would have to get a farmer and his horse to drag them to the nearest blacksmith shop to hammer out a new part.

They would have to cross rivers, charge into the water full speed, block and tackle the car out the other side, drain the oil and gas, separate the water, put it back in! Once a rod went through the block doing the water charge... Had a blacksmith make a new one, hammer weld the block, back on the road!

The driver was Dr. Nelson Jackson, a newlywed. Being madly in love with his wife, he wrote her daily letters, detailing every event, so inadvertently documenting the entire trip! He kept the car running into the '40s, even used it as a daily driver! It's in the Smithsonian, hr donated it shortly before his death.

Very interesting documentary, caught it on PBS, not sure if it's available, if anyone can find it I'd sure like to see it again!

Wow! I can't imagine.

Is this the program you watched.
Poke here

Thanks! I believe it is, been a while since I've seen it, but looks familiar. I'll watch it tonight!

I just watched that show and couldn't stop. What a story. It was extremely interesting and the pictures taken on the trip were wonderful. It is well worth spending time watching. Mike