Did ya Knows???

[Rhonda]

Did ya Knows???


In 1879, Thomas Edison first publicly demonstrated his electric incandescent light in New Jersey.


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In 1853, the United States bought some 45,000 square miles of land from Mexico in a deal known as the Gadsden Purchase.

In 1865, the Jungle Book was written by Rudyard Kipling, who was born this day, in Bombay, India. Educated in England, he returned to India as a journalist. His notoriety as a writer grew tremendously and in 1907, he received the Nobel Prize for literature. He popular works include: Kim, Wee Willie Winkie, Baa Baa Black Sheep, and Gunga Din. In his Ballad of East and West, Rudyard Kipling wrote: "Oh, East is East, and West is West, And never the twain shall meet, Till earth and sky stand presently, At God's great judgement seat."

In 1937, birth of No l Paul Stookey, American folk singer. Stookey was "Paul" of the 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary. Converted in the late 1960s, Stookey is now a Christian recording artist, and prefers using his "born again" name, No l.

In 1940, California's first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway connecting Los Angeles and Pasadena, was officially opened.


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In 1845, after nearly ten years of being its own nation, the Republic of Texas became the 28th State of the Union this day, December 29, 1845. It later joined the Confederacy, but was readmitted after the Civil War.

The Preamble stated: "We, the people of the Republic of Texas, acknowledging, with gratitude the grace and beneficence of God, in permitting us to make a choice of our form of government, do establish this Constitution." It later added: "Nor shall any one be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being."

In 1849, the Christmas hymn by Edmund Sears, "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," was first published in "The Christian Register." Sears' carol features the American emphasis in Christian living, that is, the social message of "peace on earth, good will toward men."

In 1851, the first American Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) was organized, in Boston.


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In 1847, birth of Samuel A. Ward, American music publisher. Ward composed the tune Materna, to which we sing today the patriotic hymn, "America, The Beautiful."

In 1856, while he was President, he married Edith Bolling Galt, who was a direct descendant of Pocahontas. Under his administration, the Panama Canal was completed, the Federal Reserve Bank was formed and America entered World War I.

His name was Woodrow Wilson, born this day, December 28, 1856. During World War I, he proclaimed: "I, Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim a day of public humiliation, prayer and fasting, and do exhort my fellowcitizens of all faiths and creeds to pray Almighty God that He may forgive our sins and give victory to our armies as they fight for freedom."


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