Known as Georgia's 'First Mountain
City', Pickens County was formed from portions of Cherokee and
Gilmer Counties on December 5, 1853 and named after Andrew Pickens,
an American Revolutionary War Hero.
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While Jamestown was founded in 1607, the Virginia Colony was not created until 1624 when the British crown declared it a royal colony. The new Virginia Colony included Jamestown. Therefore, even though the Virginia Colony is often cited as the first British colony, it technically was not. While Jamestown holds the honor of being the first, both the Massachusetts Colony and the New Hampshire Colony were created before the official Virginia Colony.
The Industrial Revolution had a major impact on our world in the past and today. Learn about the inventors and inventions during the Industrial Revolution using this industrial revolution chart.
World War I, or as it was called at the time, the Great War, was the culmination of activity and competition between European nations. Many of the leaders of the various nations involved were personally related which made it somewhat of a 'family tiff' but a very costly one at that. Here is a list of the most commonly cited reasons for the causes of World War 1. America was decidedly isolationist throughout most of the war. However, Germany's stance of unrestricted submarine warfare that began in 1917 led to America getting involved in the war. The war began in 1914 and effectively ended with the armistice on November 11, 1918.
On this day, July 20, in 1969, the dream of many men and women throughout history came true: someone reached and walked on the moon. And no, it wasn't made of green cheese and did not have any forms of life or water on it. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin were the first two human beings to walk on the moon. What was even more amazing was that this was viewed on television by millions of people around the globe. Our view of the world would never be the same.
One day before America entered World War II with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Manhattan Project officially began with President Franklin D. Roosevelt's approval over the objections of some scientists including Albert Einstein. J. Robert Oppenheimer was the project's scientific director. On July 16, 1945, the worlds' first atomic detonation takes place in the 'Trinity Test' at Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Women on both sides of the ocean were fighting for the right to vote at the same time. In Great Britain, women such as Emmeline Pankhurst who died on July 14, 1858, suffered imprisonment and more as she protested for her cause. In America, the women's suffrage movement was often closely related to the Abolition movement. Even though women were fighting for their right to vote in the U.S. through the second half of the 19th century beginning with the Seneca Falls Convention, they did not get the right to vote in federal elections until 1920 with the passage of the 19th amendment.
"Appeasement does not work. As was the case in the 1930s, we see in Saddam Hussein an aggressive dictator threatening his neighbors." ~ George H. W. Bush. Read fast facts about the 41st president to learn more about the man and his presidency.
July 9 marked the birthday of Elias Howe, the inventor the sewing machine. Born in Spencer, Massachusetts in 1819, Howe lost a factory job in the Panic of 1837 and moved Boston, where he worked in a machinist's shop where he started with the idea of inventing a mechanical sewing machine. You can also read an overview of the Industrial Revolution here.
Mount Rushmore, the President's Mountain, is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. This monument was the brainchild of Doane Robinson who wanted to draw visitors to South Dakota. It took fourteen years to complete and was created by Gutzon Borglum, the same artist who created Stone Mountain, GA. Amazingly, no one died while the monument was being created. Learn more facts about Mount Rushmore.
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress accepted the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson. The declaration was a result of the War of Independence which had started over a year before it was written. Later, the document was sent to King George III to show the formal severing of colonial links with Britain. Happy Independence Day!
