On April 29, 1813, 211 years ago, J.F. Hummel received the first U.S patent for rubber.  While natural rubber—which comes from the rubber tree in the form of a sticky, milky white fluid called latex—had been used by ancient South...

Ninety-three years ago today, on April 26, 1931, baseball star Lou Gehrig hit a home run with a runner on base and two outs.  His hit cleared the outfield fence, but then bounced back into the hands of the centerfielder...

Seventy-one years ago today, on April 25, 1953, the scientific journal Nature published a series of five articles on the double-helix structure of DNA, a discovery resulting from the work primarily of James Watson, Francis Crick, and Rosalind Franklin.  DNA is the...

On April 24, 1800, 224 years ago today, President John Adams signed legislation appropriating the sum of $5,000 “for the purchase of such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress…and for fitting up a suitable apartment for...

Three hundred and eighty-nine years ago today, on April 23, 1635, Boston Latin School was the first school founded in colonial America.  It was initially funded by donations rather than tax dollars, and the first classes were held in the...

This evening, at sundown, Passover begins.  Passover is the Jewish holiday for remembering the Israelite exodus from Egypt.  The people of Israel had been slaves in Egypt for 430 years, before Moses gave Pharaoh the message from God that Pharaoh...

One hundred and twenty-six years ago today, April 19, 1897, the first Boston Marathon was held.  It is the world’s oldest annual marathon, a race in which competitors run 26.2 miles through the streets of Boston. The marathon race is...

Two hundred and forty-nine years ago today, on April 18, 1775, Paul Revere embarked on his Midnight Ride, alerting the American colonial militia that the British were coming.  We all know the story, about the lanterns in the Old North...

On April 17, 1521, the German priest and Augustinian friar Martin Luther appeared before the Diet of Worms.  The Diet was a gathering presided over by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in the Imperial Free City of Worms, located in...

On April 15, 1452, 572 years ago today, Leonardo da Vinci was born in the small town of Vinci, about 20 miles from Florence, Italy.  We all know the da Vinci name—he was one of the greatest geniuses ever to...