Washingtons Sad Fourth of July
A 1754 account recalls George Washington defending Fort Necessity near Pittsburgh against Coulon de Villiers. The article chronicles Washington’s arduous march to Wills Creek after a night siege and his somber reflection on the day later linked to Independence Day.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pennsylvania
Pittsburg
Coulon de Villiers
Fort Duquesne
Jumonville
Alleghenies
Fort Necessity
Allegheny
Monongahela Rivers
Gov Dinwiddie
Virginia
George Washington
Washington
Adjack
Duquesne
Canada
Great Meadows
de Villiers
Laurel Hill
Wills Creek
State House
Philadelphia
How They Celebrated in the Belfry and Street
A playful catalog of sounds from the season’s revelry. Belfry bells, crackers, cannons, torpedoes, sky rockets, candles, pinwheels, and grandmas frame a family scene with parents guiding the excitement.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cook
Puss
Towser
Susie
Will
Edwin L. Sabin
St. Nicholas
Patriotism as Key to Prosperity and Liberty
The author extols patriotism as essential to national strength and revival. He cites ancient Greece, Florence, Switzerland, Holland, and England to illustrate how civic love of country sparks wealth, beauty, and liberty. A modern call urges a renewed patriotism alongside ethics and righteousness for the nation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Isles
Greece
Plato
Sappho
Florence
Italy
Switzerland
Holland
England
Fireworks for the Fourth Through History and Hype
The piece reflects on the Fourth of July fireworks fever from childhood memories to modern fears of danger. It credits early Chinese inventors and traces fireworks history to public celebration and patriotic sentiment, noting how safety concerns shape the display in urban life.
Pyrotechnic Craft and Sitka Fourth of July Celebration
The text describes a workshop where a maker builds a bomb with a mechanism that sparks and explodes, and artists design set pieces for pyrotechnic displays. It then reports a Sitka Fourth of July celebration with a canoe race, a Goddess of Liberty procession, a Russian maiden in a fire engine, and evening fireworks, noting an afternoon shower may have affected the collation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Europe
Italy
England
Henry VIII
Anne Boleyn
France
Fontainebleau
Long Island
Manhattan Beach
Sitka
Uncle Sam
Alaska
Immortal Names and Independence Day Reflection
The passage recalls the signers honored for their danger and duty, with ages averaging 43 and ten months. It notes Edward Rutledge at 27 and Benjamin Franklin at 70, lists occupations including doctors and lawyers, and mentions Carrollton identifications. Jefferson and Adams, authors and supporters of the Declaration, both died on Independence Day in 1826.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Edward Rutledge
South Carolina
Benjamin Franklin
Franklin
Charles Carroll
England
Carrollton
Jefferson
John Adams
United States
Wise counsel on avoiding conflict and mending quarrels
A timeless maxim urges harmony before disputes flare, advising wise men to patch up their quarrels preemptively and seek reconciliation to prevent escalation. The saying emphasizes proactive peacekeeping and prudent mediation.
Why No Quiet Fourth in American Independence
A Boston Globe reflection argues independence history defies quiet celebration. It notes Concord bridge firing, the loud ringing of the liberty bell, and the shouting Declaration of Independence as examples. The piece asserts Revolutionary actions and virtues demand public, not hush, remembrance.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
George
Concord Bridge
Philadelphia
Boston Globe
Donts for the Fourth Firework Safety Warnings
A cautionary list advises against mishaps on Independence Day. It warns not to handle cannon crackers, ride behind nervous horses, shock neighbors with gunfire, disturb families, surprise elders with explosives, or neglect the fire department number.
First Annual Celebration of American Independence Described
John Adams recounts the 1777 anniversary in Philadelphia with cannon salutes Hessian band music and parades. The city lit with candles bonfires and bells while soldiers toasted and muskets fired. Earlier commemorations began with July 4 1776 in Philadelphia New York followed by annual army celebrations and later pardons for condemned prisoners in 1779.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
United States
John Adams
Philadelphia
Delaware
Marine Committee
Adams
Trenton
Second Street
Marshall
Statehouse
John Nixon
New York
Washington
Declaration of Independence saved from British invasion
A 1812 peril near Washington nearly cost the Declaration of Independence as British forces advanced. Pleasonton moved the state papers to linen bags, hid them aboard a grist mill, then ferried them to Leesburg for safety, narrowly preserving the revolutionary archives.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
State Department
Stephen Pleasonton
Washington
Monroe
Pleasonton
Beaseley
London
Bordeaux
France
Baltimore
James Madison
Benedict
Patuxent
Gen. Armstrong
Greene
Department of State
Edgar Paterson
Virginia
Potomac
Chain Bridge
Georgetown
Mr. Pleasonton
Leesburg
Secretary of State
Elkhorn Tavern and Pea Ridge Battlefield History
Historic Pea Ridge battlefield in Benton County Arkansas figures as a key Civil War site saved St Louis from attack. The Elkhorn tavern, rebuilt after a fire, is famed for its elk horn crest and role near Sigel’s battery.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pea Ridge
Ark
St. Louis
Fayetteville
Arkansas
Benton County
Missouri
Indian Territory
Elkhorn Taverns
Sigel
Big Mountain
W. Y. Slack
Benjamin McCulloch
Texas
James McIntosh
Capt. Bledsoe
Sacramento
C. A. de France
Lubbock
Senator Berry
S. W. Peel
T. J. Patton
Elkhorn Tavern
James Hanover
Illinois
William Reddick
Cassedy
Cox
New York
Col
Hunt P. Wilson
van Dorn
Significance of the Day: the Fourth of July
A reverent essay on Independence Day describes the flag as a voice of liberty. It recalls the first American flag over the capitol and explains the meaning of red white and blue as symbols of union purity valor and justice.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Capitol
Washington’s Pay Compared With Modern Spending
The letter argues George Washington received no pension for his Revolutionary War duties while successors earned $17,000 to $19,000 yearly. It contrasts this with the cost of everyday items like a stick of candy or a square of gum, noting Washington’s lack of compensation for major campaigns such as Valley Forge Monmouth and the Delaware Crossing.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington
Valley Forge
Monmouth
Delaware Crossing
Absentee president miscounts funds after singing lessons joke
A Washington Star item recalls a president misallocating thirty thousand dollars for a quarter of singing lessons. The secretary pockets one hundred twenty five thousand dollars while the board splits between incompetence and unpredictability, in a satirical take on corporate governance.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington Star
Italian premier Sonnino resigns amid cabinet defeat
Rome reports Premier Sidney Sonnino's ministry quit after a 27 vote defeat in the chamber. The long time opposition leader, born 1847 in Florence, had warned of financial ruin in 1894 and built support via his editorials and a new financial program that Italy still owes its prosperity.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rome
Sonnino
Chamber of Deputies
Giolitti
Sidney Sonnino
Italy
Florence
University of
Pisa
Madrid
Berlin
Vienna
Versailles
Pariament
Treasury
French Inventor Aids Postcard Display In Europe
The article notes European collectors avid for picture postcards surpassing those in America. A French inventor devised a parchment roll apparatus where cards fit into slits for easy insertion and removal. A box holds 120 to 150 postcards.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Paris
Europe
Compressed Tablets Official in German Army Pharmacopoeia
Eighteen varieties of compressed tablets have been added as official remedies in the German army pharmacopoeia. The update signals a standardized approach to tablet medicines and dosage in military medical supply.
Predict End of World Figures at Exeter Hall Conference
London reports Terrible predictions from clerical prophets at the prophetic and second advent conference. They claim the world will end within 25 years with dates May 2 1929 or April 9 1931 and outline a sequence of wars translations and apocalyptic events led by antichrist. Rev. M Baxter notes many parliament members will be left behind.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Exeter Hall
Antichrist
Napoleon
Syria
France
Heaven
Mount Sinai
M. Baxter
Also Mentioned on This Page
Fks
Vanbraam
de Villier
Mary C. Ringwall
Los Angeles Times
America
Fairyland
Statesman
OLD Elkhorn Tavern
Bentonville
McCulloch
McIntosh
Slack
Gabinet
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!