Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA
1790 - December 20 - 1st successful US cotton mill to spin yarn (Pawtucket, RI)
Reinvent Rhode Island: The Industrial Revolution started in Rhode Island
Providence Journal (www.youtube.com)
The first American cotton mill began operation on December 20, 1790. The mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, had water-powered machinery for carding and spinning... Read MORE...
www.americaslibrary.gov
December 20, 1790
Comments
1790 - December 20 - 1st successful US cotton mill to spin yarn (Pawtucket, RI)
Reinvent Rhode Island: The Industrial Revolution started in Rhode Island
Providence Journal (www.youtube.com)
The first American cotton mill began operation on December 20, 1790. The mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, had water-powered machinery for carding and spinning... Read MORE...
www.americaslibrary.gov
December 20, 1790
Comments

Wa-Hoo Blood and Nerve Tonic
Made in Detroit, MI
The label boasts it to be "a positive cure for blood rheumatism, blood disorders, stomach troubles, liver and kidney complaint, sick headache, malaria, indigestion, dyspepsia, constipation, catarrah of the stomach, nervousness, skin diseases, salt rheum, scrofula and neuralgia."
The label also says, "Also female weakness and irregularities are promptly relieved and permanently cured." http://newsok.com/article/2134619
Found at Old Drugstore, St Augustine, Florida
Augusta, Maine, USA
1867 Destructive Fire in Augusta, Me.
AUGUSTA, Me., Thursday, Dec. 19. A large building, the property of the A & W Sprague Manufacturing Company, of Providence, R. I., and occupied by several firms for the manufacture of sash, blinds and doors, furniture and other wood works, a grist-mill, salt manufactory, machinist, &c., was totally destroyed by fire this afternoon. The total loss is about $80,000, with no insurance.
The New York Times - New York, New York - December 20, 1867
Comments
1867 Destructive Fire in Augusta, Me.
AUGUSTA, Me., Thursday, Dec. 19. A large building, the property of the A & W Sprague Manufacturing Company, of Providence, R. I., and occupied by several firms for the manufacture of sash, blinds and doors, furniture and other wood works, a grist-mill, salt manufactory, machinist, &c., was totally destroyed by fire this afternoon. The total loss is about $80,000, with no insurance.
The New York Times - New York, New York - December 20, 1867
Comments
1884 Photographic film is invented (George Eastman, United States)
Photographic. A certificate was filed yesterday in the county clerk's office showing that the capital stock of the Eastman Dry Plate and Film company $200,000, has been fully paid up. The trustees are Henry A. Strong, Edwin O. Sage, J. H. Kent, George Eastman and William H. Walker. The company is preparing to introduce its new discovery, paper dry plates.
Democrat and Chronicle - Rochester, New York - December 20, 1884
Comments
Photographic. A certificate was filed yesterday in the county clerk's office showing that the capital stock of the Eastman Dry Plate and Film company $200,000, has been fully paid up. The trustees are Henry A. Strong, Edwin O. Sage, J. H. Kent, George Eastman and William H. Walker. The company is preparing to introduce its new discovery, paper dry plates.
Democrat and Chronicle - Rochester, New York - December 20, 1884
Comments
Caraquet, Gloucester, New Brunswick, Canada
1887 - PLUNGED OFF A BRIDGE. EIGHT MEN PERISH UNDER AN ENGINE.
Moncton, N.B., Dec. 19. - A fearful disaster occurred last night near Caraquette Station, on the northern division of the Intercolonial Railroad. It is reported that a train went through a bridge and that ten men were killed. No particulars have yet been received.
Later - The disaster occurred at a point about forty miles from Bathurst, the capital of Gloucester County, one of the northern... Read MORE...
Logansport Journal - Logansport, Indiana - December 20, 1887
Comments
1887 - PLUNGED OFF A BRIDGE. EIGHT MEN PERISH UNDER AN ENGINE.
Moncton, N.B., Dec. 19. - A fearful disaster occurred last night near Caraquette Station, on the northern division of the Intercolonial Railroad. It is reported that a train went through a bridge and that ten men were killed. No particulars have yet been received.
Later - The disaster occurred at a point about forty miles from Bathurst, the capital of Gloucester County, one of the northern... Read MORE...
Logansport Journal - Logansport, Indiana - December 20, 1887
Comments
1800s Cooking Tips and Recipes
Adding Fruit to Cake - Currants, raisins and citrus will not settle to the bottom of either cake or pudding if they are thorougly floured and the batters are of proper consistency. When the batters are too thin, of course they will settle.
The Ladies" Home Journal, June 1898
Adding Fruit to Cake - Currants, raisins and citrus will not settle to the bottom of either cake or pudding if they are thorougly floured and the batters are of proper consistency. When the batters are too thin, of course they will settle.
The Ladies" Home Journal, June 1898
St Louis, Missouri, USA
1897 - VAULTS SAVE. St. Louis' Largest Jewelry Firm From Being Wiped Out by Fire. BUILDING AND ALL GO. But Half of the Stock Was Saved by Being in Fire Proof Vaults. FAMILY'S NARROW ESCAPE.
St. Louis, Dec. 19. - Fire started in the basement of the building occupied by the Mermod & Jaccard Jewelry Company, at the corner of Locust street and Broadway, early this morning. The five story building is a total loss, $335,000, fully insured. It is thought the fire started in the boiler room.
W. A. Rutledge, the engineer, and his family lived on the fourth floor. The fireman dragged them... Read MORE...
The Morning Herald - Lexington, Kentucky - December 20, 1897
Comments
1897 - VAULTS SAVE. St. Louis' Largest Jewelry Firm From Being Wiped Out by Fire. BUILDING AND ALL GO. But Half of the Stock Was Saved by Being in Fire Proof Vaults. FAMILY'S NARROW ESCAPE.
St. Louis, Dec. 19. - Fire started in the basement of the building occupied by the Mermod & Jaccard Jewelry Company, at the corner of Locust street and Broadway, early this morning. The five story building is a total loss, $335,000, fully insured. It is thought the fire started in the boiler room.
W. A. Rutledge, the engineer, and his family lived on the fourth floor. The fireman dragged them... Read MORE...
The Morning Herald - Lexington, Kentucky - December 20, 1897
Comments
Huntington, West Virginia, USA
1904 - ALL FIREMEN CALLED OUT To Fight a Bad Blaze Back of the C & O Hospital
High Wind Was Blowing and the Fire Destroyed Three Buildings
A fire alarm from box twenty-eight called the department to the corner of Eighteenth street and Sixth avenue, where just back of the C & O hospital, fire was discovered in the barn belonging to Mrs. L. Buffington.
The department was soon on the scene, but the blaze had gained such headway that it was thought best to sound the second ... Read MORE...
The Huntington Advertiser - Huntington, West Virginia - December 20, 1904
Comments
1904 - ALL FIREMEN CALLED OUT To Fight a Bad Blaze Back of the C & O Hospital
High Wind Was Blowing and the Fire Destroyed Three Buildings
A fire alarm from box twenty-eight called the department to the corner of Eighteenth street and Sixth avenue, where just back of the C & O hospital, fire was discovered in the barn belonging to Mrs. L. Buffington.
The department was soon on the scene, but the blaze had gained such headway that it was thought best to sound the second ... Read MORE...
The Huntington Advertiser - Huntington, West Virginia - December 20, 1904
Comments
Lavaltrie, Québec, Canada (Saint-Antoine)
1913 - Counterfeit Money Source - Canadian Authorities Raid Shack in Little Village of Lavaltrie
Six Men are Captured
Complete Plant: Press. Plates and Paper: Building Resembles Arsenal.
MAKE NIGHT ATTACK
Officers Smash Door, Rush in Upon Occupants While They Sleep.
MONTREAL - By a raid on a shack in the woods five miles from the village of Lavaltrie, Friday, the police unearthed what is believe to be the source of one of the most important counterfeiting schemes discovered in this... Read MORE...
Idaho Statesman - Idaho - December 20, 1913
Comments
1913 - Counterfeit Money Source - Canadian Authorities Raid Shack in Little Village of Lavaltrie
Six Men are Captured
Complete Plant: Press. Plates and Paper: Building Resembles Arsenal.
MAKE NIGHT ATTACK
Officers Smash Door, Rush in Upon Occupants While They Sleep.
MONTREAL - By a raid on a shack in the woods five miles from the village of Lavaltrie, Friday, the police unearthed what is believe to be the source of one of the most important counterfeiting schemes discovered in this... Read MORE...
Idaho Statesman - Idaho - December 20, 1913
Comments
1800s Advice and Etiquette for Ladies
Remember that a lady-like deportment is always modest and quiet. If you meet a friend at table, and converse, let it be in a tone of voice sufficiently loud for him to hear, but not loud enough to reach ears for which the remarks are not intended. A boisterous, loud voice, loud laughter, and bold deportment, at a hotel, are sure signs of vulgar breeding.
The Ladies" Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness: A Complete Handbook for the Use of the Lady in Polite Society... by Florence Hartley, January 1, 1872
Remember that a lady-like deportment is always modest and quiet. If you meet a friend at table, and converse, let it be in a tone of voice sufficiently loud for him to hear, but not loud enough to reach ears for which the remarks are not intended. A boisterous, loud voice, loud laughter, and bold deportment, at a hotel, are sure signs of vulgar breeding.
The Ladies" Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness: A Complete Handbook for the Use of the Lady in Polite Society... by Florence Hartley, January 1, 1872
Tracadie, New Brunswick, Canada (Tracadie-Sheila)
1958 - Santa Answers Appeal of Girl
TAMPA, Fla., Dec 20. (AP) - Note to Viola S. McGraw of Tracadie, New Brunswick, Canada: A Christmas package containing a doll, pajamas, socks, pencils, crayons and coloring books is on its way from Tampa.
Mrs Ida Hernandez fixed up the package after finding a note tied to the Christmas tree she purchased. Viola wrote:
"I am a very poor little girl 6 years old. Will you pleas send me some... Read MORE...
Spokane Daily Chronicle - Spokane, Washington - December 20, 1958
Comments
1958 - Santa Answers Appeal of Girl
TAMPA, Fla., Dec 20. (AP) - Note to Viola S. McGraw of Tracadie, New Brunswick, Canada: A Christmas package containing a doll, pajamas, socks, pencils, crayons and coloring books is on its way from Tampa.
Mrs Ida Hernandez fixed up the package after finding a note tied to the Christmas tree she purchased. Viola wrote:
"I am a very poor little girl 6 years old. Will you pleas send me some... Read MORE...
Spokane Daily Chronicle - Spokane, Washington - December 20, 1958
Comments
Warren, Michigan, USA
1964 - SIX PERISH IN HOUSE FIRE.
Warren, Mich. - Six of the nine children of ELBERT TURNER COX, 40, a steel-worker and part-time cab driver of Warren, Mich., a Detroit suburb, perished in a fire that destroyed their two-story frame home.
"Six of my babies are gone ... "
"I've lost six of my babies," COX cried on learning of the tragedy as he returned from work. His wife, MARIE, 35, was reported in critical condition.
The... Read MORE...
Waterloo Daily Courier - Iowa - December 20, 1964
Comments
1964 - SIX PERISH IN HOUSE FIRE.
Warren, Mich. - Six of the nine children of ELBERT TURNER COX, 40, a steel-worker and part-time cab driver of Warren, Mich., a Detroit suburb, perished in a fire that destroyed their two-story frame home.
"Six of my babies are gone ... "
"I've lost six of my babies," COX cried on learning of the tragedy as he returned from work. His wife, MARIE, 35, was reported in critical condition.
The... Read MORE...
Waterloo Daily Courier - Iowa - December 20, 1964
Comments
1860 Civil War - On December 20, 1860, a little over a month after Abraham Lincoln had been elected President, South Carolina seceded from the Union. Six more states followed by the spring of 1861.
www.civilwar.org/education/history/civil-war-overview/triggerevents.html
1946 December 20 - Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, featuring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers, and Thomas Mitchell, is released in New York.
www.wikipedia.org
www.civilwar.org/education/history/civil-war-overview/triggerevents.html
1946 December 20 - Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, featuring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers, and Thomas Mitchell, is released in New York.
www.wikipedia.org
America - Did you know? January 1, 1863 - Homestead Act becomes law, allowing settlers to claim land (160 acres) after they have lived on it for five years.
www.infoplease.com
Quebec - Did you know? A typical French-Canadian building is the farmhouse. It is based on structures in the French provinces of Normandy, Maine, and Anjou, where most of the French settlers in the St Lawrence valley originated. The typical house was made of wood and had low walls, a steep roof, small windows, and few interior divisions. It was adapted to the northern climate by raising the ground floor to accommodate heavy snow accumulation and by adding multiple chimneys and dormers. The farmhouse also came to be characterized by a verandah, extended belcast eaves supported by a row of narrow columns, and a roof covered in sheet metal.
Mutlicultural Canada: Quebec to 1800 (www.multiculturalcanada.ca)
www.infoplease.com
Quebec - Did you know? A typical French-Canadian building is the farmhouse. It is based on structures in the French provinces of Normandy, Maine, and Anjou, where most of the French settlers in the St Lawrence valley originated. The typical house was made of wood and had low walls, a steep roof, small windows, and few interior divisions. It was adapted to the northern climate by raising the ground floor to accommodate heavy snow accumulation and by adding multiple chimneys and dormers. The farmhouse also came to be characterized by a verandah, extended belcast eaves supported by a row of narrow columns, and a roof covered in sheet metal.
Mutlicultural Canada: Quebec to 1800 (www.multiculturalcanada.ca)
Picture of the Day
Visit Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada!
Discover the people who lived there, the places they visited and the stories they shared.

Elgin Street, Ottawa.
Visit Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada!
Discover the people who lived there, the places they visited and the stories they shared.

Elgin Street, Ottawa.