On This Day In History...

Happy November 25 from Jennifer Uhlarik. So…out of curiosity, have you ever looked at one of those “On This Day In History…” type of calendars and been amazed at all the things that took place on a given day? Sometimes I find it fun and interesting to look through those just to see what monumental (and not so monumental) events happened. I did that again recently and found that November 25^th had its share of newsworthy events.

For instance, on November 25, 1873, the last British soldiers departed from New York, leaving America’s shores after the end of the Revolutionary War. This event took place nearly three months after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the war, though the Brits had continued to control New York since they took the city in 1776. Upon their departure, George Washington triumphantly rode into New York to the cheers of New Yorkers.

Ulysses S. Grant

On this day in 1863, the Yankees won the Battle of Missionary Ridge. For two months following the Battle of Chatanooga, the Rebel army had the Union soldiers bottled up and unable to move. However, Union General Ulysses S. Grant arrived and things quickly changed. He sent the Union troops on the offensive, and within a couple of days, the Union forces were able to take Missionary Ridge.

November 25, 1876, marks the day that the U.S. Army retaliated against the Cheyenne for the massacre of Custer and his men at the Little Big Horn River.  General Ranald Mackenzie led a force of one-thousand soldiers and four hundred Indian scouts against Chief Dull Knife’s sleeping village along Wyoming’s Powder River. Many Cheyenne were killed within the first few minutes, their teepees burned, horses killed, and supplies looted. Some survivors escaped and walked half-naked through frigid temperatures to Crazy Horse’s village, some eleven days to the north. Despite their survival, Chief Dull Knife saw the ever-increasing influx of White settlers and soldiers and realized it would not end, so he began encouraging his people to surrender in order to preserve their lives.

This day in 1950 marked the coming of the “Storm of the Century,” which formed over North Carolina and traveled north across the next several days. With it came very strong winds and much snow, but also a wide range of temperatures. While Pittsburgh received 30 inches of snow, Buffalo, New York, experienced a balmy temperature of 50 degrees with winds topping 50 miles per hour.

John F. Kennedy's grave marker at Arlington Nat'l. Cemetery

And in 1963, President John F. Kennedy was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery after being shot three days prior. As many will recall, he was buried on his young son’s third birthday, and that same son, John Jr., saluted his fallen father in what has become one of the most iconic photos of our nation.

Of course there are many other events that happened on this day in history. I’ve highlighted only a few of the biggest ones. So now it’s your turn. Which of these events I’ve highlighted do you find most interesting?  What interesting even falls on your birthday, anniversary, or other special day?

Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a pre-teen, when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has won five writing competitions and finaled in two other competitions. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, teenaged son, and four fur children.