Today in Herstory: Pilgrims and Popcorn, Outing a Whiskey distilling hemp farmer. The Greenback (Farm-labor) Party goes up in smoke and opening up trade with China. Before Walmart, there was Frank Winfield Woolworth. Edna St. Vincent Millay is born and the Boy in The Bubble dies. 

1630 Indians introduce pilgrims to popcorn. But it goes back farther then that

1732 Yes, it’s officially George Washington’s Birthday. The Father of our country was a major whiskey distiller and grower of Hemp. In 1799 he had 316 Slaves on his Mount Vernon Estate. He inherited 11 slaves at the age of 10. Gives new meaning to the death tax.

1784 The first US ship to trade with China, "Empress of China", sails from New York. The 2007 US trade deficit with China was -256,269.5 million. The most unbalanced trade relationship in the World.

1860 Shoe-making workers of Lynn MS, strike successfully for higher wages

1872 The first national convention of the Prohibition Party took place in Columbus Ohio.

1878  The Greenback Labor Party (farmers) formed in Toledo, Ohio. So why do third parties fail in the United States?

1879 Frank Winfield Woolworth opened a five cent store in Utica New York. By 1919 when he died there were over 1000 Woolworth’s in the US.

1907 The first cabs with taxi meters begin operating in London

1924 The First Presidential radio address was made by Calvin Coolidge.

1935 Airplanes are no longer permitted to fly over the White House. Here’s more on the changing nature of White House Security

1955 Maureen Connolly retired from tennis after a horse-riding accident

1984 The boy in the bubble (David Vetter) dies 15 days after being removed from his Immunity bubble for a bone marrow transplant.

Notable birthdays

1822 Isabella Beecher Hooker half sister of Harriet Beecher and active in women’s suffrage.

1838 Margaret Munson Sangster author best known as the editor of Harpers Bazaar and a number of children’s books.

1848 Annie LePorte Diggs Canadian-born American reformer and politician, an organizer and campaigner in the populist (temperance) Movement of the late 19th century.

1876-1898 Pauline Musters a Dutch woman is the shortest adult 23 inches tall. Here’s more on Dwarfism.

1892 Edna St. Vincent Millay poet and dramatist who was the first women to win Pulitzer prize for poetry.

1972 Claudie Pechstein Olympic speed skater