Susanna M. Salter was born March 2nd, 1860 in Lamira, Ohio. In 1872 she and her family moved to Kansas, settling near Silver Lake.
The year 1878 saw Susanna enter Kansas State University, then called Kansas State Agricultural college. The future mayor was admitted as a sophomore, having passed equivalency courses that let her skip her entire first year. Continue reading
Filed under Neglected History
Here’s a look at the six-Justice Supreme Court when the Court was first established.
CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN JAY
Served: October 19th, 1789 – June 19th, 1795. (Resigned)
Some Highlights: West v Barnes, the first case which saw arguments take place before the Supreme Court. You want a quick turnaround? The arguments were heard on August 2nd, 1791 and the decision was published the very next day! In the 1794 case Glass v The Sloop Betsy, Jay’s Court ruled that France could not use its American Consulate as a prize court. Chief Justice Jay adopted a professorial role of sorts, writing explanatory items on procedures and the rudiments of federal governance at every opportunity for the benefit of lower courts and practicing lawyers.
Comment: During the Revolutionary War, John Jay served as a colonel in the 2nd New York Regiment. Continue reading
Filed under Neglected History, opinion
THE LIVES OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (1974-1975) – This was a series of four 90-minute (with commercials) dramas depicting America’s magnificently unorthodox genius at various stages of his life. Eddie Albert and Melvyn Douglas (husband of Helen Gahagan Douglas) depicted Franklin in his 70s and 80s, with flashback storylines in each episode. The Lives of Benjamin Franklin won five Primetime Emmys including Outstanding Limited Series.
Glenn Jordan directed, while Edward Adler, Howard Fast and Loring Mandel wrote the episodes.
ONE: THE AMBASSADOR (Nov 21st, 1974) – The title is a bit deceptive as this episode’s emphasis is on the way cosmopolitan experiences in his youth prepared Benjamin Franklin for his later career in diplomatic posts, including Ambassador. Believe it or not Willie Aames portrays Franklin at age twelve.
Also starring in The Ambassador were Alexis Smith, Clive Revill, Gig Young, Rene Auberjonois, Frank Langella, Victor Buono and Edward Mulhare. Continue reading
Filed under Forgotten Television, Neglected History
We are less than a month away from America’s 250th birthday! I’ll be making additional seasonal posts between now and then but let’s open up the home stretch with some of the top neglected historical moments in U.S. history.
THE PENOBSCOT CAMPAIGN: AMERICA’S REVOLUTIONARY WAR TRAGEDY. The largest land and sea offensive launched by the U.S. during the war.
AND EVEN MORE NEGLECTED BATTLES OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. AND MORE HERE.
THE PETTICOAT REVOLUTION OF DECEMBER 5th, 1916. The most fascinating female maneuvering this side of the Aristophanes comedy The Assemblywomen (Ecclesiazusae).
NEGLECTED REVOLUTIONARY WAR BATTLES: LATE 1781.
NEGLECTED REVOLUTIONARY WAR BATTLES: MARCH 1777. The title says it all.
THE GREAT ADVENTURE (1963-1964). Dramatizations of fascinating moments in American history.
FIVE NATURAL DISASTERS IN AMERICAN HISTORY: 1811-1937.
D-DAY AND OTHER JUNE SIXTHS IN HISTORY.
THE BUFFALO SOLDIERS: BLACK WARRIORS OF THE OLD WEST.
GOVERNOR BENT ASSASSINATED: JANUARY NINETEENTH, 1847. Continue reading
Filed under Neglected History, opinion
A variety of colorful figures have served as Secretaries of State. Many of them may not be household names here in the 21st Century but they would definitely stand out on any staff. Here is an examination of twenty such figures in chronological order.
1. TIMOTHY PICKERING (1795-1800)
Served under: Presidents George Washington and John Adams
Noted for: Conspiring with Alexander Hamilton to undermine some of the policies of the Washington and Adams administrations. When Adams discovered this he ordered Pickering to resign, but Pickering refused, forcing Adams to fire him. Pickering remains the only Secretary of State to officially be fired by the President.
2. HENRY CLAY (1825-1829)
Served under: President John Quincy Adams
Noted for: Fighting a duel with Continue reading
Filed under Neglected History
America’s 250th birthday is coming up in July, so over the next few months Balladeer’s Blog will take a look at various anniversary years. Previously I did 1826, and 1876, so this time it’s 1926. Next will be 1976.
1926
U.S. President: Calvin Coolidge Vice President: Charles G. Dawes Speaker of the House: Nicholas Longworth Chief Justice: Former President William Howard Taft
Number of Senators: 96 Number of House Representatives: 435 Number of Supreme Court Justices: 9
JANUARY
1st – The ROSE BOWL GAME was broadcast on radio for the first time. This game pitted the undefeated UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE, then from the Southern Conference, against the undefeated UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON HUSKIES, then from the Pacific Coast Conference. The Huskies led 12-0 at Halftime, but the Crimson Tide came from behind to win the game 20-19 in what has been called “the football game that changed the South.”
6th – Mickey Hargitay, bodybuilder, movie star, husband of Jayne Mansfield and father of their daughter Mariska Hargitay, was born.
11th – The Whittemore Gang, led by Richard Reese Whittemore and his wife Margaret, robbed a Manhattan jewelry store of $175,000 worth of gems, equal to $3,205,000 here in 2026.
12th – The radio comedy program Sam ‘n’ Henry debuted on WGN in Chicago. Two years later the title would be changed to Amos ‘n’ Andy but it’s inane under any name.
13th – 91 coal miners were killed in a mine explosion in Wilburton, OK.
15th – The silent film The Sea Beast starring John Barrymore opened. Continue reading
Filed under Neglected History
Balladeer’s Blog hopes all of you are having a respectful Memorial Day. I always feel it’s an appropriate time to look at neglected conflicts or battles. The military members who died in those actions are sometimes overlooked in the big picture.
THE TOP FOUR FORGOTTEN MILITARY UNITS FROM AMERICAN WARS – Looking at the Oneida Indians First Allies Unit from the Revolutionary War, Doniphan’s Thousand from the Mexican War, the “Yankee Samurai” (Nissei Battalion of 2,000 Japanese-Americans) from World War 2, and the racially integrated 1st Rhode Island Regiment from the Revolutionary War.
THE TOP FOUR FORGOTTEN CONFLICTS IN U.S. HISTORY – A look at the forgotten Revolutionary War battles after Yorktown (1781-1782), the Mexican War (1846-1848), the Nicaraguan Conflict (1926-1928), and the Philippine War (1899-1902).
FORGOTTEN U.S. NAVAL BATTLES OF WORLD WAR ONE – There were clashes between German U-Boats and the U.S. Navy ships transporting the American Expeditionary Force to Europe, the years-long underwater mining campaign, the German attack on Orleans, MA, the attack on Austria-Hungary’s naval base at Durazzo, Albania and much more.
Continue readingFiled under Neglected History
TECHNICAL PROBLEMS CONTINUE BUT AT LEAST I CAN DO RERUNS FROM YEARS AGO.
Balladeer’s Blog once again takes a look at a currently neglected conflict and some of the military personnel who served in it. Here’s a look at some of the Congressional Medal of Honor recipients from the Relief Expedition during the Boxer Massacres in China (1900).
CALVIN P. TITUS
Branch of Service: Army
Rank: Standard Bearer/ Musician.
Citation: “For gallant and daring conduct in the presence of his colonel and other officers and enlisted men of his regiment on 14 August 1900, while serving with Company E, 14th Infantry, at Peking, China. Musician Titus was first to scale the wall of the city.” He raised the American Flag from the top of that wall. (Pictured above.) NOTE: Titus previously served in the Philippine War (1899-1902) and subsequently in the Mexican Expedition (1916-1917) and Occupied Germany after World War One.
Filed under Neglected History
THE PESHTIGO FIRE – This piece of neglected history may be one of the most Balladeer’s Blog-ish topics in Balladeer’s Blog’s sixteen-year history. On October 8th, 1871 Peshtigo, Wisconsin burned down in a monumental conflagration that killed OVER FIVE TIMES AS MANY PEOPLE AS THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE KILLED!
Both fires happened on the same day, but Chicago’s greater renown caused its disaster to overshadow what happened in Wisconsin to this very day.
The Peshtigo Fire is still the deadliest wildfire in known American history. The flames spread throughout the Door Peninsula and even spread to the Upper Peninsula. Roughly 1.2 million to 1.5 million acres were destroyed and estimates of the death toll go as high as 2,500 people. Continue reading
Filed under Neglected History
With Memorial Day Weekend fast approaching, Balladeer’s Blog does a seasonal look at a neglected aspect of American military history. Spare some thoughts today for the men who perished in this action.
AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES IN RUSSIA – The battles fought by these Americans carried over from the end of World War One into the early stages of the Russian Civil War. The Allied Nations of the First World War were fighting alongside the White (anti-Bolshevik) Russian Forces for a time.
Like any of my fellow World War One geeks I could drone on about it for hours, but I’ll try to keep this brief and on-point. The Red (Communist) Russians had taken Russia out of the war by signing a treaty with Germany. This had left German forces free to reinforce their armies on the Western Front, had jeopardized a large amount of Allied supplies which were already in the Russian port city of Archangel (Arkangelsk in Russian) on the White Sea AND jeopardized the safety of the Czech Legion along the Trans-Siberian Railroad.
With the World War still raging, the other Allied Nations prevailed on President Woodrow Wilson to divert some American forces intended for the Western Front to Archangel and beyond, joining a combined army of Brits, Poles and White Russians. The fighting in North Russia dragged on past the end of the global conflict in November of 1918 into June of 1919. The fighting in Eastern Russia dragged on until January of 1920. In other words, if the Americans sent to Russia had instead gone to their original destination of France, their combat operations would have ended on November 11th, rather than continuing for more than a year of further bloodshed and loss of limbs from frostbite. All the more reason to remember the often-neglected troops who served there.
On July 17th, 1918, American General John J “Black Jack” Pershing ordered 5,000 soldiers drawn from the 339th Infantry Regiment, the 1st Battalion of the 310th Engineers and assorted other units from the 85th Division to re-train for new battle conditions and head for Archangel. Those Americans became known as the Polar Bear Expedition. Meanwhile, 8,000 American soldiers were sent to Vladivostok, Russia as the American Expeditionary Force in Siberia. Continue reading
Filed under Neglected History
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