1533 – Henry VIII divorced his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.

1814 – The allied European nations against Napoleon marched into Paris.

1822 – Florida became a U.S. territory.

1842 – Dr. Crawford W. Long performed the first operation while his patient was anesthetized by ether.

1855 – About 5,000 “Border Ruffians” from western Missouri invaded the territory of Kansas and forced the election of a pro-slavery legislature. It was the first election in Kansas.

1856 – A peace treaty was signed between England and Russia. (Treaty of Paris)

1858 – Hyman L. Lipman of Philadelphia patented the pencil.

1867 – The U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million dollars.

1870 – The 15th amendment, guaranteeing the right to vote regardless of race, was passed by the U.S. Congress.

1870 – Texas was readmitted to the Union.

1903 – Revolutionary activity in the Dominican Republic brought U.S. troops to Santo Domingo to protect American interests.

1905 – U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was chosen to mediate in the Russo-Japanese peace talks.

1909 – The Queensboro bridge in New York opened linking Manhattan and Queens. It was the first double decker bridge.

1909 – In Oklahoma, Seminole Indians revolted against meager pay for government jobs.

1916 – Pancho Villa killed 172 at the Guerrero garrison in Mexico.

1936 – Britain announced a naval construction program of 38 warships.

1939 – The comic book “Detective Comics #27” appeared on newstands. This comic introduced Batman.

1940 – The Japanese set up a puppet government called Manchuko in Nanking, China.

1941 – The German Afrika Korps under General Erwin Rommel began its first offensive against British forces in Libya.

1944 – The U.S. fleet attacked Palau, near the Philippines.

1945 – The U.S.S.R. invaded Austria during World War II.

1946 – The Allies seized 1,000 Nazis attempting to revive the Nazi party in Frankfurt.

1947 – Lord Mountbatten arrived in India as the new Viceroy.

1950 – The invention of the phototransistor was announced.

1950 – U.S. President Truman denounced Senator Joe McCarthy as a saboteur of U.S. foreign policy.

1957 – Tunisia and Morocco signed a friendship treaty in Rabat.

1958 – The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater gave its initial performance.

1964 – “Jeopardy” debuted on NBC-TV.

1964 – John Glenn withdrew from the Ohio race for U.S. Senate because of injuries suffered in a fall.

1970 – “Applause” opened on Broadway.

1970 – “Another World – Somerset” debuted on NBC-TV.

1972 – The British government assumed direct rule over Northern Ireland.

1972 – The Eastertide Offensive began when North Vietnamese troops crossed into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in the northern portion of South Vietnam.

1975 – As the North Vietnamese forces moved toward Saigon South Vietnamese soldiers mob rescue jets in desperation.

1981 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded in Washington, DC, by John W. Hinckley Jr. Two police officers and Press Secretary James Brady were also wounded.

1982 – The space shuttle Columbia completed its third and its longest test flight after 8 days in space.

1984 – The U.S. ended its participation in the multinational peace force in Lebanon.

1987 – Vincent Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” was bought for $39.85 million.

1993 – In Sarajevo, two Serb militiamen were sentenced to death for war crimes committed in Bosnia.

1993 – In the Peanuts comic strip, Charlie Brown hit his first home run.

1994 – Serbs and Croats signed a cease-fire to end their war in Croatia while Bosnian Muslims and Serbs continued to fight each other.

1998 – Rolls-Royce was purchased by BMW in a $570 million deal.

2002 – An unmanned U.S. spy plan crashed at sea in the Southern Philippines.

2002 – Suspected Islamic militants set off several grenades at a temple in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Four civilians, four policemen and two attackers were killed and 20 people were injured.

2009 – The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed that the new World Trade Center building would be officially known by its legal name of “One World Trade Center.”

on-this-day.com

In ,(2014) Alaska lost a legend when Ruth Schmidt passed away at the age of 97.

This post was written by Elaine Rose
CEO
Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest in 2014

In a time when many women weren’t encouraged to enter scientific fields, Ruth received her Master’s (in 1939) and Ph.D. (in 1948) from Columbia University before going on to become a prominent geologist. She moved to Alaska in 1956, and later founded the Geology Department at the University of Alaska, Anchorage.

An article in the Anchorage Daily News from April summed up just how impressive Ruth’s accomplishments were: “Recently, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists announced it would honor the organization’s first 100 female members to commemorate its centennial in 2017. The first woman featured is Ruth A.M. Schmidt.”

Ruth was a treasure to the state of Alaska, not just because of her professional accomplishments, but also because of her storied philanthropic work.

As her obituary notes, “she supported conservation, opera and symphony, social services, public media, science, and science education for women and minorities.”

There’s something else to add to the list: Ruth supported women’s health and reproductive justice.

We were overwhelmed and amazed when we learned that part of Ruth’s will included a bequest to Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest, the first-ever contribution of that type to our organization.

We want to thank and honor Ruth for her support of women’s health and reproductive freedom.

Because of Ruth’s generosity, we have been able to wage a stronger fight against the threats to women’s health posed by politicians who want to interfere in personal medical decisions. Coupled with the support of thousands of activists like you – as donors, volunteers, and community supporters – we’ve been able to advance a progressive agenda across Alaska, Idaho, and Washington fighting for women and families.

Ruth was a trailblazer for women, for science, for Alaska, and for reproductive health and rights.