This day in history ............

(1851) November 14th ............

On this day in 1851, Moby-Dick, a novel by Herman Melville about the voyage of the whaling ship Pequod, is published by Harper & Brothers in New York. Moby-Dick is now considered a great classic of American literature and contains one of the most famous opening lines in fiction: "Call me Ishmael." Initially, though, the book about Captain Ahab and his quest for a giant white whale was a flop.

After Moby-Dick's disappointing reception, Melville continued to produce novels, short stories (Bartleby) and poetry, but writing wasn't paying the bills so in 1865 he returned to New York to work as a customs inspector, a job he held for 20 years.

Melville died in 1891, largely forgotten by the literary world. By the 1920s, scholars had rediscovered his work, particularly Moby-Dick, which would eventually become a staple of high school reading lists across the United States. Billy Budd, Melville's final novel, was published in 1924, 33 years after his death

[From the History Channel]

This day in history ............

November 14th ............
[From the History Channel] Just a few more happenings:

American Revolution Benjamin Franklin takes sides, 1776
Automotive Last day for Texas' celebrated drive-in Pig Stands, 2006
Civil War Lincoln approves Burnside's plan, 1862
Cold War United States gives military and economic aid to communist Yugoslavia, 1951
Crime Ivan Boesky confesses to illegal stock trading activity, 1986
Disaster Volcano erupts in Colombia and buries nearby towns, 1985
General Interest Apollo 12 lifts off, 1969 ... Walesa released from jail, 1982
Hollywood Cary Grant stars in Hitchcock’s Suspicion, 1941
Music American classical composer Aaron Copland is born in Brooklyn, New York, 1900
Old West Franklin Leslie kills Billy "The Kid" Claiborne, 1882
Presidential Kennedy publishes article on television and American politics, 1959
Sports Plane crash devastates Marshall University, 1970
Vietnam War Major battle erupts in the Ia Drang Valley, 1965 ... Marine general killed in Vietnam, 1967
World War I Ottoman Empire declares a holy war, 1914
World War II Germans bomb Coventry, 1940

I receive "This day in history" emails and thought I'd share. I'd like to see other contributions from members ... it might be interesting as long as they limit the size somewhat. You could always include a link if the contribution would be too big in it's entirety.

It would be helpful if you could include a link .. it will make it easier for others to read additional information. (It's not meant to lend accuracy to what you post .. it's just for information sake).

You might try This Thread, 1200+ replys

Originally Posted by George

You might try This Thread, 1200+ replys

Except that thread is military history. This one is general history of the world.

I think this is a great idea.

Originally Posted by AFSteliga

Except that thread is military history. This one is general history of the world.

You are correct ...

I thought that the subject line "THIS DAY IN HISTORY (GENERAL HISTORY)" more than hinted to the fact that this was NOT a thread about just Military History (even though there might be an entry that references a date in history, when it was the military that made history).

I envisioned something similar to the Military History that was mentioned ... but ... more geared to just plain old fashioned history.

If you do post a day in history, don't limit it to just the USA ... the world is a large place, and history is made that does NOT just directly affect America.

I look forward to seeing whether others will be as interested in a thread about general history as I am.


HINT: Try to keep your entries rather short ... it makes it easier to digest. For an example, look at my first two posts. The first entry, was just a portion of a History.Com entry. The second was ALSO taken from History.Com. Both were limited to a single screen.

BTW - I apologize for making three straight posts .. but .. I wanted to start this thread with good entry examples.

World Events on November 14
1994 1st trains for public run in English Channel Tunnel
1993 Puerto Rico votes against becoming the 51st U.S. state
1977 Egypt President Sadat repeats willingness to visit Israel to Cronkite
1965 U.S. government sends 90,000 soldiers to Vietnam
1896 Power plant at Niagara Falls begins operation

This day in history ............

November 15th ............
[From the History Channel]

On this day in 1867, the first stock ticker is unveiled in New York City. The advent of the ticker ultimately revolutionized the stock market by making up-to-the-minute prices available to investors around the country. Prior to this development, information from the New York Stock Exchange, which has been around since 1792, traveled by mail or messenger.

The ticker was the brainchild of Edward Calahan, who configured a telegraph machine to print stock quotes on streams of paper tape (the same paper tape later used in ticker-tape parades). The ticker, which caught on quickly with investors, got its name from the sound its type wheel made.

The last mechanical stock ticker debuted in 1960 and was eventually replaced by computerized tickers with electronic displays. A ticker shows a stock's symbol, how many shares have traded that day and the price per share. It also tells how much the price has changed from the previous day's closing price and whether it's an up or down change. A common misconception is that there is one ticker used by everyone. In fact, private data companies run a variety of tickers; each provides information about a select mix of stocks.

This day in history ............

November 15th ............
[From the History Channel] Just a few more happenings:

American Revolution Articles of Confederation adopted, 1777
Automotive Craig Breedlove sets new land-speed record, 1965
Civil War The March to the Sea begins, 1864
Cold War Nikita Khrushchev challenges United States to a missile "shooting match", 1957
Crime Accused of rape, James Montgomery's struggle for justice begins, 1923
Disaster Plane crashes into Sri Lankan plantation, 1978
General Interest Brazil's last emperor deposed, 1889 ... Erwin Rommel is born, 1891
Hollywood Elvis makes movie debut in Love Me Tender, 1956
Literary Final installment of A Tale of Two Cities is published, 1859
Music Leonard Bernstein's Philharmonic debut makes front-page news, 1943
Old West Zebulon Pike spots an imposing mountain, 1806
Presidential President Carter hosts shah of Iran, 1977
Sports Craig Breedlove sets new land-speed record, 1965
Vietnam War Chairman of the Joint Chiefs heckled at university, 1966 ... Second moratorium against the war held, 1969
World War I Georges Clemenceau named French prime minister, 1917
World War II Himmler orders Gypsies to concentration camps, 1943