President Zachary Taylor
From Hostetters 1892 Almanac This Month in History
July 1, 1867
Thomas Francis Meagher fell from a steamboat and presumably drowned. Meagher was born in Ireland in 1823. He was Secretary of the Territory of Montana in 1865, and Governor of the Montana Territory in 1865-66. A strange fact about his death is that he joins a list of at least 34 other U.S. politicians who have died by drowning.
July 9, 1850
President Taylor died. Our twelfth President died in office at the age of 65. Taylor was nicknamed Old Rough and Ready and had a strong military background fighting Indians, and protecting borders against them. He won major victories in the Mexican War. Prior to his sudden death in 1850, he had stated that any uprising against the Union would be met with opposition with Taylor himself leading the army. Though Taylor was raised on a plantation in the south, and had slaves of his own, he did not politically support slavery. He was more determined in keeping the Union together than supporting slavery rights.
July 22, 1877
Pittsburgh Railroad Riots came to a peak in Pittsburgh as dissatisfied workers took a strike to a much more dangerous level. 25 people were killed and many more injured as the railroad strikers and sympathizers attacked the property of the railroads including locomotives, rolling stock, repair shops , etc. The strike began after workers were not able to meet with the management of the railroads to discuss the issues of wage reduction, possible further loss of jobs and unsafe working conditions. When the railroad strikers met up with other industry workers, the riot activity reached a fever pitch. The railroads convinced the governor to call in federal troops to end the riots. It was still many decades later before labor and management could truly begin to make progress toward the fair treatment of workers.
July 24, 1847
Mormons emigrate to Salt Lake City Utah. Over 70,000 adherents of the faith attempted to flee what they felt was religious persecution following the assassination of the founder of the Church of the Latter Day Saints, Joseph Smith Jr. The route was approximately 1,300 miles.
Additional bits of interesting thought from the Hostetters Illustrated Almanac:
An adhesive mucilage for labels, suitable for bottles or glass, may be prepared by soaking glue in strong vinegar; then heat to boiling and add flour. This is very adhesive and does not decompose when kept in wide-mouthed bottles.
1892 humor:
A Scranton mother whose son had toothache took him to a faith-healer. Look me in the eyes, said the doctor, fixing a fascinating gaze on the weeping youth, Now your toothache has entirely disappeared. You haven’t a bit of toothache about you.
You lie!, I have, yelled the boy with a fresh howl. The mother took him to a dentist.
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Sweet, Sweet Road Rage
An elderly lady was stopped to pull into a parking space when a young man in his new red Mercedes went around her and parked in the space she was waiting for. The little old lady was so upset that she went up to the man and said, I was going to park there! The man was a real smart aleck and he said, That’s what you can do when you’re young and quick.
Well, this really upset the lady even more, so she got in her car and backed it up and then she stomped on the gas and plowed right into his Mercedes. The young man ran back to his car and asked, What did you do that for? The little old lady smiled and told him, That’s what you can do when you’re old and rich!
Published in U S Legacies Magazine July 2004
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