The 2020 Women's History Month theme is “Valiant Women of the Vote.” The theme honors "the brave women who fought to win suffrage rights for women, and for the women who continue to fight for the voting rights of others."

March 2, 1903 – the Martha Washington Hotel opens in New York City, becoming the first hotel exclusively for women

Born on this day, March 2, 1887. Elizabeth Morrissey, public school and college educator, concentrated on labor issues including unemployment insurance in American Trade Unions, pressed women’s groups to get involved in social issues (d.1981)

March 2, 1950 – Karen Carpenter is born. The three-time Grammy-award winning singer and drummer brought attention to eating disorders, which affect 20 million women in the U.S.

Also on this day in history…

1791 – Long-distance communication speeds up with the unveiling of a semaphore machine in Paris.

1877 – U.S. presidential election, 1876: Just two days before inauguration, the U.S. Congress declares Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the election even though Samuel J. Tilden had won the popular vote on November 7, 1876.

1901 – United States Steel Corporation is founded as a result of a merger between Carnegie Steel Company and Federal Steel Company which became the first corporation in the world with a market capital over $1 billion.

1933 – The film King Kong opens at New York's Radio City Music Hall.

1937 – The Steel Workers Organizing Committee signs a collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Steel, leading to unionization of the United States steel industry.

1961 – John F. Kennedy announces the creation of the Peace Corps in a nationally televised broadcast.

1962 – Wilt Chamberlain sets the single-game scoring record in the National Basketball Association by scoring 100 points.

1983 – Compact discs and players are released for the first time in the United States and other markets. They had previously been available only in Japan.

1989 – Twelve European Community nations agree to ban the production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of the century.

1990 – Nelson Mandela is elected deputy President of the African National Congress.

1995 – Yahoo! is incorporated.

1998 – Data sent from the Galileo spacecraft indicates that Jupiter's moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice.

And if today is your birthday, Happy Birthday To You! You share this special day with…

1793 – Sam Houston, American soldier and politician, 1st President of the Republic of Texas (d. 1863)

1824 – Bedřich Smetana, Czech pianist and composer (d. 1884)

1859 – Sholem Aleichem, Ukrainian-American author and playwright (d. 1916)

1900 – Kurt Weill, German-American pianist and composer (d. 1950)

1904 – Dr. Seuss, American children's book writer, poet, and illustrator (d. 1991)

1905 – Marc Blitzstein, American composer and songwriter (d. 1964)

1917 – Desi Arnaz, Cuban-American actor, singer, and producer (d. 1986)

1922 – Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, American saxophonist (d. 1986)

1930 – Tom Wolfe, American journalist and author (d. 2018)

1931 – Mikhail Gorbachev, Russian lawyer and politician, President of the Soviet Union, Nobel Prize laureate

1936 – John Tusa, Czech-English journalist and

1942 – Lou Reed, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (d. 2013)

1948 – Rory Gallagher, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1995)

1952 – Laraine Newman, American actress and comedian

1953 – Russ Feingold, American lawyer and politician

1962 – Jon Bon Jovi, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor

1963 – Alvin Youngblood Hart, American singer and guitarist

1968 – Daniel Craig, English actor and producer

Almanac - Monday 3/2/20

KALW NEWSLETTERS