Research History

February 14, 2013 by Research History

St. Valentine’s Day Massacre

Categories: Historic Crimes, Tags: Al Capone, Moran gang, roaring 20s, St. Valentine's Day Massacre, the Clark Street garage shootings, the prohibition of liquor

It was about 10:30 in the morning on a cold Chicago day, Valentine’s Day to be exact, when seven men were gunned down gangster style in the Clark Street garage at 2122 N. Clark St.

All of the victims, but one, (an unlucky optician who enjoyed the company of criminals) were gangsters marked for killing by Al Capone.Though Capone was the one behind ordering the killings, he wasn’t present that day. Instead he was at his vacation place in Palm Island, Fla. He had a solid alibi. No one was ever jailed for the shootings; not even the henchmen who did Capone’s bidding.

The heinous slaughter accomplished Capone’s desired result, which was to permanently take-out his gang rivals, so that he could move into the top dog spot with full control in the infamous crime world of that era. Capone and his successors triumphed in winning mob rule that lasted for decades.

The massacre made headlines during that decade of the “Roaring ’20s”. A time when underground crime thrived during the prohibition of liquor. They made a killing, in more ways than one, in the illegal distribution of whiskey and beer. The gangster’s world became romanticized in books and movies and is still so even in the present day.

The grisly scene inside the SMC Cartage Company after gunmen dressed as policemen mowed down members of the Moran gang. (Chicago Tribune / February 14, 1929)

Source: Chicago Tribune

February 12, 2013 by Research History

Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday

Categories: presidential history, Tags: 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln biography, United States presidents

Today, February 12, we remember the birthday of perhaps the most popular American president that has ever served our United States. Lincoln lived an against-the-odds story. He started life off in a log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky, and yet, despite his humble beginnings, he succeeded in attaining the highest possible office.

He had a difficult childhood losing his mother, who died of tremetol, a.k.a. milk sickness, when he was just 9 years old. An interesting sidenote is that, according to An Evolutionary Psychology of Leader-Follower Relations , there is a real connection between losing a parent to death in one’s childhood and achieving eventual public eminence.

When Lincoln was 22, his father moved the family to Coles County, Illinois at which time he took on a number of manual labor jobs. As he advanced from rail fencing to shopkeeper, postmaster, and then a general store owner, he began developing vital social skills and a story telling ability that he would later become well known for.

In 1834 he discovered his political leanings as an elected member of the Illinois state legislature and also a member of the Whig Party. From there he made the decision to become a self-taught lawyer by studying William Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England. He reached his goal in 1837 and moved to Springfield, Illinois to practice law at the John T. Stuart law firm.

In the November 1860 presidential election, Lincoln won the vote by gaining 180 of 303 Electoral votes; though only gaining not quite 40 percent of the popular vote. He became the 16th president of the United States.

Abraham Lincoln. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 04:25, Feb 11, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/abraham-lincoln-9382540.

February 9, 2013 by Research History

Historic Blizzards of New York City

Categories: Weather, Tags: Blizzard of 1888, Blizzard of 1996, Blizzard of 2006, historic blizzards, record snowfall

New York City has seen its share of major snowstorms. The largest occurred, according to NYC.gov, on February 11 and 12, 2006. Over a 16 hour time period 26.9 inches of snow accumulated across the city. This nor’easter had winds of about 20-30 mph, where 2,500 city deployed workers labored to do snow clean-up.

The second largest snowstorm was on Jan. 7-8, 1996 measuring 20 inches of snow in Central Park. This nor’easter’s winds topped the first runner by hitting 50 mph gusts. It resulted in the closings, on January 8th, of Broadway shows, the public and parochial school systems and the Stock Market at mid-day.

Coming in as the third largest accumulation of snowfall was the March Blizzard of 1888. 21 inches fell in just a two day period. The gusts were so high at almost 75 mph that drifts reached 30 feet in some places.