Did You Know?
On this day in 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated, and appointed Frances Perkins as his Secretary of Labor. As the first woman appointed to a presidential cabinet position, Frances Perkins helped implement the New Deal, fought to establish the minimum wage, and contributed to the creation of the Social Security system.
On this day in 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth. In just four hours and fifty-five minutes, Glenn circled the globe three times, reaching a velocity more than 17,500 miles per hour. Glenn’s service has been recognized with several awards, including the Distinguished Flying Cross and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.
On this day, in 1995, Eileen Marie Collins became the first woman to pilot a Space Shuttle, aboard the STS-63 Discovery from February 3-11. This was the first flight of the joint Russian-American Space Program. Collins, who was a licensed Air Force pilot, is a veteran of four space flights and has logged hundreds of hours in space.
On this day in history, Hattie Caraway became the first woman elected to the Senate. Following her husband’s death at the end of his second term as the junior senator from Arkansas, Hattie was appointed to succeed her husband by Governor Parnell. On January 12, 1932 she became the first woman to be elected to the U.S.
On December 17, 1903, at 10:53 AM, Orville and Wilbur Wright launched the first airplane flight, on their new innovation, “The Flyer.” The two brothers travelled from their hometown Dayton, Ohio to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in order to test their invention. The first flight lasted 12 seconds. A coin toss decided that Wilbur Wright would be the first to fly their new creation.
Did you know that victims of Superstorm Sandy who need more cash to rebuild their home or business can now apply for a low-interest disaster loan? Due to a recently passed law, which was passed unanimously by Congress, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has reopened the application period for Superstorm Sandy victims seeking financial assistance.
On November 20, 1789, New Jersey became the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights. This was a critical first step towards advancing the goals of the revolution which the Declaration of Independence had started. Critics of the U.S.
If you are a veteran experiencing trouble receiving your benefits or entitlements, the Department of Veterans Affairs will be holding a claims clinic in Newark on Monday, November 9, 2015 from 10:00am – 2:00pm to assist you. Just as the military pledges to leave no soldier behind on the battlefield, we will leave no veteran behind when they return home.
On September 12, 1992, Dr. Mae Jemison became the first African American woman in space. She was the first African American woman admitted into NASA's astronaut training program in 1987. In 1992, Dr. Jemison was sent into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor and spent eight days in space with a crew of six other astrounauts.
On August 11, 1911, Harriet Quimby became the first American woman to be a licensed pilot. After taking flying lessons, Quimby received her pilot’s license from the Aero Club of America. Not only was she the first woman in America to receive her aviation license, but she was also the first woman in the world to cross the English Channel.