Good morning and welcome to The Most Interesting Thing. Explore the past to understand the present, one day at a time.

Read time ~5 min

• Abraham Lincoln is Elected President of The United States (1864)

• Christianity is the Official Religion of Rome (392)

• The First Library in North America (1731)

• The Bug Zapper is Invented (1910)

• Gordan Ramsey is Born (1966)

Event

Setting The Scene

Today, we’re turning back the clock 159 years, back to 1864. The United States is three years into the Civil War, just one year removed from the Battle of Gettysburg, a turning point in the war. On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, the British Empire remains the world’s largest colonial power while the Crimean War between a group of European powers and Russia had recently ended.

Let’s focus our attention on the United States, where Abraham Lincoln is elected for his second term as President on November 8, 1864. His reelection would have significant impacts on the course of the nation and the American Civil War.

What Happened?

The reelection of Lincoln meant a continuation of the Civil War, and more importantly, the commitment to the Union’s cause and the abolition of slavery. Lincoln wanted to ensure a Union victory and he would not rest until that was achieved. Just a year prior, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing those enslaved in Confederate-held territory. In his second term, Honest Abe would pass and ratify the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery throughout the United States once and for all.

Impact

Abraham Lincoln’s leadership over the course of his presidency solidified his place in American history as one of the nation’s greatest and most influential presidents. He committed to the principled of liberty, equality, and a “new birth of freedom”, which continues to inspire future generations in their pursuit of civil rights and social justice.

What else happened?

World History

• Roman Emperor Theodosius declared Christianity the official state religion (392)

• Stockholm Bloodbath Begins (1520)

• Adolf Hitler proclaims fall of Stalingrad from Munich Beer Garden (1942)

U.S. History

• William Penn presents Charter of Privileges, guaranteeing religious freedom for the colony of Pennsylvania (1701)

• Benjamin Franklin opens the First Library in North America (1731)

• 1st Washington State Election in which women could vote (1901)

Inventions

• German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen produces and detects electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range today known as X-rays or Röntgen rays (1895)

• Inventor and manufacturer Harvey Hubbell receives the first U.S. patent for a separable electric attachment plug (1904)

• William H. Frost receives the first U.S. patent for an electrical insect destroyer, aka a bug zapper (1910)

Birthdays

• Margaret Mitchell (1900)

• Jack Kilby (1923)

• Gordon Ramsay (1966)

Deaths

• Doc Holliday (1887)

• Otto Frederick Rohwedder (1960)

• Alex Trebek (2020)