This Month in History
- In 1793, Jean-Pierre Blanchard flew from Philadelphia to New Jersey achieving the first hot air balloon flight in the United States.
- In 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first female in the U.S. to receive a medical degree.
- After being kidnapped and forced into slavery for 12 years, Solomon Northup was rescued and able to return to his family in 1853. His life and memoir contributed to the Abolitionist Movement.
- Karl Benz patented the first gas-powered automobile in 1886.
- In 1929, Agnes Bojaxhiu arrived in Calcutta to begin her life as Mother Teresa.
- Barbara Hanley became Canada’s first female mayor in 1936.
- In 1979, U.S. President Jimmy Carter honored the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. proposing to make his birthday a national holiday.
- Miracle on the Hudson occurred in 2009 – when pilot Chesley Sullenberger III was able to land an Airbus A320 on the Hudson River after the jetliner lost power. All on board survived.