Benjamin Tyler Henry was born in Claremont, New Hampshire back in 1821.  He worked as an apprentice at the Robins & Lawrence Arms Company of Windsor, Vermont.  While working he met Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson.  Horace and Daniel started their own business which you know as Smith & Wesson. One of the new investors in the company was Oliver Winchester.  Of course, he would go onto open the Winchester Company.  Both of those are still in business to this day.  In 1860, he had moved up the ladder to became plant superintendent.  By 1866, he left the Winchester Repeating Arms Company where he continued to work as an individual gunsmith until his death in 1898.What you may not know about Benjamin is while he worked for Winchester, he applied for a patent for the very first reliable leve... 08/22/2020

Edith Holländer was born in Aachen, Prussia, German Empire back in 1900 to Abraham and Rosa.  She attended the Evangelical Higher Girl’s School graduating in 1916.  She met Otto and were married in 1925 at Aachen’s synagogue.The family moved to Amsterdam in 1933, to escape the rise of antisemitism.  In 1940, the German’s invaded the Netherlands, the family was hiding at the company Otto worked for.  In 1944, she was sent to the Westerbork concentration camp.  Her daughters where transported to Bergen-Belsen.  She died of starvation in 1945, just three weeks before the Red Army liberated the camp and just 10 days before her 45th birthday.While you may have never heard of Edith before surely, you’ve heard of one of her daughters, Anne Frank? Your day is worthwhile when you make someone sm... 08/18/2020

Richard Halsey Best was born in Bayonne, New Jersey back in 1910 to Frank and Euretta.  While I do not have any information about his childhood for this blog it really doesn’t matter.  He attended the United States Naval Academy graduating with honors in 1932.  He served for two years aboard the USS Richmond. In 1934, he transferred to the Naval Air Station in Pensacola as a naval student.  After training, he was assigned to the USS Lexington.  In 1940, he was assigned to the USS Enterprise being made flight officer for the Grumman F2F.  on December 7th, he was aboard the Enterprise when he learned of the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Shortly afterwards he was promoted to executive officer.  He saw action in the Marshall Islands, Kwajalein and Wake Island. However, he will be remembered for ... 08/01/2020

Anna Arnold was born in Marshalltown, Iowa back in 1899 to William and Marie.  The family moved to Anoka, Minnesota where she was active in the Methodist Church.   She graduated from high school, afterwards attending Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota.  She married Merritt, the couple had no children.After graduation, she taught English and History for two years at Rust College, in Holly Springs, Missouri.  She was named executive director of the YMCA in Ohio, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Brooklyn.  In 1946, she served as assistant dean of women at Howard University.  She died in 1990, she was 90.What you may not know about Anna Arnold Hedgeman is that she was the first African-American graduate to earn a B.A. in English.  The first African-American woman to hold a mayoral cabi... 07/15/2020

Margarita Carmen Cansino was born in Brooklyn, New York back in 1918 to Eduardo and Volga. Her parents wanted her to become a dancer, while she wasn’t fond of the idea she went along with it not to disappoint her parents.  By the time she was eight she was featured in La Fiesta, a short film for Warner Brothers.When she turned twelve her father started sexually abusing her, taking her to Tijuana, Mexico to perform on the stage dancing.  Because she was working all the time she never finished high school but did make it through the ninth grade at Hamilton High in Los Angeles.  When she was sixteen Winfield Sheehan the head of Fox Film Corporation saw her dancing and as they say the rest is history.In 1937, she started working for Columbia Pictures where she stared in several movies, she ... 07/12/2020

Joseph Woodrow Hatchett was born in Clearwater, Florida back in 1932.  He graduated from Florida A&M University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1954.  He served in the United States Army as a lieutenant.  After being discharged, he graduated from Howard University of Law in 1959.  He continued to serve in the United States Marine Corps reserve as a lieutenant colonel and judge advocate from 1977-1988.He has a lot of firsts so let’s cut to the chase.  In 1975, Governor Reubin Askew appointed him as an Associate Justice of the Florida Supreme Court, he retained that seat in a state-wide election, making him the first African-American to serve in that capacity post-Reconstruction.  He was the first African-American to serve in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.  Wh... 07/03/2020

Robert Haslam was born in London, England back in 1840.  While I don’t have the exact date, as a teenager he arrived in the United States, where he was hired by Bolivar Roberts.  His first job was to help build stations for the Pony Express riders.  After the Pony Express ended he worked as a rider for the Wells Fargo and Company. After the Civil War, he worked as a scout for the U.S. Army, later accompanying Buffalo Bill Cody on a diplomatic mission to negotiate the surrender of Chief Sitting Bull.   He also served as Deputy United States Marshall in Salt Lake City.  He died in poverty in Chicago in 1912, he was 72.What you may not know about Robert “Pony Bob” Haslam is that he will forever be in the history books for two things.  One, is he made a 120 ride in 8 hours and 20 minutes wh... 06/28/2020

Barbara Jane Harrison was born in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England back in 1945.  She graduated from Doncaster High School in 1962.  From 1962-64 she worked at Martins Bank before taking a job as a nanny in San Francisco.  While in San Francisco, she applied for a job with the British Overseas Airways Corporation as a flight attendant.  She was hired in 1966.After completing her training, she was assigned work onboarding for the Boding 707 fleet. On April 8th 1968, she was assigned to Flight 712 Whiskey Echo from Heathrow Airport to Sydney, Australia.Almost immediately after take-off the number 2 engine caught on fire and fell from the aircraft.  It was forced to make an emergency landing.  The chute inflated and passengers were getting off.  After the chute burned Barbara co... 06/23/2020

Anna Tuthill Symmes was born in Morristown, New Jersey back in 1775 to John and Anna.  Her mother died the next year.  Her father took her to her grandparents in Long Island where she was raised.  She attended the Clinton Academy and the private school owned by Isabella Graham in New York City.In 1794, Anna went with her father to the Ohio wilderness settling in North Bend, Ohio.  In 1795, she visited her relatives in Lexington, Kentucky where she met William.  Her father was deadset against the relationship, but that did not deter the lovebirds. They eloped in November of that same year.  The union must have been good as it produced 10 children and 40 grandchildren.William went on and won fame as an Indian fighter and a hero of the War of 1812.  She died in 1864, she was 88.What you ma... 06/16/2020

Bessie Lee Pittman was born in Pensacola, Florida to Ira and Mary.  At the tender age of 13/14 she married Robert giving birth to a son who died when he was five thus ending the marriage.   She worked as a hairdresser eventually winding up in New York City at the prestigious slon at Saks Fifth Avenue.In the 1930’s she started taking flying lessons at Roosevelt Airfield.  Within two years she obtained her commercial pilot’s license.  In 1934, she was only one of three women to compete in the MacRobertson Air Race.  In 1937, she was the only woman to set a new world speed record.  During WWII, she volunteered her services to the Royal Air Force reaching the rank of Flight Captain.  For her wartime service, she received the Distinguished Service Medal.In 1948, she joined the U.S. Air Force... 06/12/2020

John R. Hargrove was born in Atlantic city, New Jersey back in 1923 to Raymond and Georgine.  When he was six months old the family moved to Baltimore, Maryland.  He graduated from Douglass High School in 1941.  After graduation, he entered Morgan State College. he joined the United States Army Corps of Engineers from 1943 to 1946.After being discharged he continued his education at Howard University where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1947.  In 1950, he graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law with a Bachelor of Laws, being admitted to the bar the same year.  In 1963, he practiced law with the law firm of Howard and Hargrove until 1968.  He died in 1997, he was 73.What you may not know about John is that he was the first African American to be appointed Assist... 06/10/2020

Marion Hammer was born back in 1939.  She grew up on a farm owned by her grandparents around Columbia, South Carolina.  In order to help the family, put food on the table she became an experienced hunter.  After school, she would go hunting with a .22 bolt-action rifle bringing home squirrels and rabbits for dinner.Later in life she married, her husband was also an avid hunter.  She recalled once when she was headed to her vehicle she claims that she was followed by a vehicle containing 5 males the driver of that vehicle was apparently drunk. She didn’t back down but pulled out her .38-caliber revolver, pointed it at the vehicle.  The driver quickly put the car in reverse and left.She currently lives in Florida where she is a certified as a firearms instructor. She is credited for a lot... 06/01/2020

Susanna Hall was born in Stafford-upon-Avon back in 1583 to William and Anne.  At the time girls were not allowed in school, however it is believed that her parent taught her how to read and write.  In 1607, she married John, she was 24 and he was 32.  Her father had left her a dowry of 105 acres in Old Stratford.The union produced their one and only child Elizabeth in 1608.  In 1611, a man by the name of John Lane accused Susanna of adultery.  Susanna filed a slander suit against Lane.  It took three years before the suit was in front of the courts, Susanna won and Lane was found guilty of slander and excommunicated.  Her father died in 1616, because no male heirs were born the entire estate was hers.  She died in 1649, she was 66.What you may not know about Susanna is that her father ... 05/28/2020

Duane D. Hackney was born in Flint, Michigan back in 1947.  He graduated from the Beecher High School in 1965.  After graduation, he joined the United States Air Force.  he was trained as a pararescue specialist.  On his first mission a .30-caliber slug buried itself in his leg. To avoid being grounded he had one of his buddies take it out with a probe.That set the tone for the rest of his time in Vietnam.  All in all, he saw more than 200 combat mission in his three and a half years there.  He was shot down five times during his tour.  In 1991, he retired as a Chef Master Sergeant.  Sadly, he died in1993 from a heart attack, he was only 46.What you may not know about Duane is he was and still is the most decorated enlisted man in the UASF history.  He received 28 decorations for valor ... 05/25/2020

Dilek Gürsoy was born in Neuss, Germany back in 1976.  Her father died of cardiac arrest when she was 10. She attended the Martin-Luther-Grundschule school then completing high school at the Quirinus-Gymnasium in Neuss.She continued her education, graduating from the University of Düsseldorf.  After graduation, she worked as an assistant physician working her way to assistant medical director.  In 2019, she was named “Medizinerin des Jahres 2019 (Physician of the Year 2019) by the German Medical Club. Since March of 2019, she has worked as a consultant surgeon and director of LVAD program at the Hellos-clinic in Siegburg, Germany.What you may not know about Dilek is that she was the first female surgeon in Europe to implant an artificial heart into a patient.Your day is worthwhile when ... 05/17/2020

Louis M. Green was born in Cincinnati, Ohio back in 1917.  He graduated from North College High School in 1935.  (This one is going to be short).  Can’t tell you much about him but in 1959, he operated over 43 McDonald’s Restaurants in the Ohio and Northern Kentucky region.  He sold all of them back to McDonald’s except for two in Northgate and Tylersville.In 1994, his son Paul took them over. He died in 2011 he was 93.What you may not know about Louis is that in 1962 he contacted CEO Ray Kroc with a new never been tried before sandwich for McDonald’s.  Mr. Kroc was not impressed, so let’s say a bet was made.  Of course, Louis won and the new sandwich was made available to all McDonald’s.  He died in 2011, he was 93. Louis introduced the Filet-O-Fish sandwich, one of my favorites.Your d... 05/12/2020

Catharine Littlefield was born in Washington County, Rhode Island.  In 1772, she met her future husband which was a dozen years her senior.  They were married in 1774, a year later her husband was called to war.  She did not want to be a domesticated housewife, so she joined him at his headquarters whenever possible.After the war, her husband returned home to share in the responsibility of raising their children. However, during the war he had make a promise to the soldiers he commanded.  He purchased clothing and promised to personally guarantee several thousands of dollars to the merchants who provide the clothing. They had to sell the plantation to cover the debt.  Her husband died of heatstroke in 1786, leaving her and their children penniless.  She married Phineas Miller in 1796, w... 05/05/2020

Michele Lynn Lujan was born in Los Alamos, New Mexico back in 1959 to Llewelyn and Sonja.  She graduated for St. Michael’s High School.  Continuing her education at the University of New Mexico where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1981.the following year she married Gregory, but continued her education earning a Juris Doctor degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law.She served as the Director of New Mexico’s Agency on Aging under three Governors.  In 2004, she was named as New Mexico’s Secretary of Health until 2007.  In 2012, she was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives. In 2016, she assumed the governorship of New Mexico.  What you may not know about Michele Lynn Lujan Grisham is that she is the first Democratic woman elected as governor of New ... 05/02/2020

Joseph Greer was born in Philadelphia back in 1754 to Andrew and Ruth.  The family moved to Staunton, Virginia.  Joseph was well known as an Indian trader and had a vast knowledge of the Appalachian back country.  During the American Revolutionary War, he served as a Kings Mountain Messenger.After the war, he used his land grant to purchase several thousand acres near what is not Petersburg, Tennessee.  He also operated a general store in Knoxville, which was the State Capital at that time.  In 1804, he sold his business and moved to his farm in Cane Creek Valley.  He died in 1831, he was 76.What you may not know about joseph is that he is most famous for delivering the message to the Continental Congress for the American victory over the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780.... 04/27/2020

John Greenwood was born in Boston, Massachusetts back in 1760.  He was best friends with Samuel Maverick a victim of the Boston Massacre. Things were not well at home, so at 16 he was sent to live with his uncle in Falmouth, Maine. When he learned about the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775 he left his uncles and walked alone for 150 miles stopping along the way at taverns to play music for the soldiers.  When asked where he was going, he replied “I’m going to fight for my country.”  He served under Captain Theodore Bliss’s company of the 26th Massachusetts regiment from 1775 to 1778.He served as a fifer (a non-combatant military occupation). What you may not know about John is that he was also a dentist and inventor.  While you may not know John surely, you’ll recognize one of hi... 04/26/2020