On This Day in History February 26

On this day in history, February 26, 1919, the Grand Canyon became a national park.

Located in northwestern Arizona, the Grand Canyon is the product of millions of years of excavation by the mighty Colorado River. The chasm is exceptionally deep, dropping more than a mile into the earth, and is 15 miles across at its widest point. The canyon is home to more than 1,500 plant species and over 500 animal species, many of them endangered or unique to the area, and it's steep, multi-colored walls tell the story of 2 billion years of Earth's history.

In 1540, members of an expedition sent by the Spanish explorer Coronado became the first Europeans to discover the canyon, though because of its remoteness the area was not further explored until 300 years later. American geologist John Wesley Powell, who popularized the term "Grand Canyon" in the 1870s, became the first person to journey the entire length of the gorge in 1869. The harrowing voyage was made in four rowboats.

In January 1908, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt designated more than 800,000 acres of the Grand Canyon a national monument; it was designated a national park under President Woodrow Wilson on February 26, 1919.

On this Day in History February 25

On February 25, 1964, 22-year-old Cassius Clay shocks the odds-makers by dethroning world heavyweight boxing champ Sonny Liston in a seventh-round technical knockout. The dreaded Liston was an 8-to-1 favorite. However, Clay predicted victory, boasting that he would "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" and knock out Liston in the eighth round. Victory took even less time. Liston, complaining of an injured shoulder, failed to answer the seventh-round bell. A few moments later, a new heavyweight champion was proclaimed.


Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. was born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1942. He started boxing when he was 12 and by age 18 had amassed a record of over 100 wins in amateur competition. In 1959, he won the International Golden Gloves heavyweight title and in 1960 a gold medal in the light heavyweight category at the Summer Olympic Games in Rome. Clay turned professional after the Olympics.

On February 25, 1964, a crowd of 8,300 spectators gathered at the Convention Hall arena in Miami Beach to see if Cassius Clay, who was nicknamed the "Louisville Lip," could put his money where his mouth was. Clay avoided Liston’s powerful swings while delivering quick and punishing jabs to Liston's head. Liston hurt his shoulder in the first round, injuring some muscles as he swung for and missed his elusive target, which led to the technical knockout in the seventh round.

To celebrate winning the world heavyweight title, Clay went to a private party at a Miami hotel that was attended by his friend Malcolm X, an outspoken leader of the African American Muslim group known as the Nation of Islam. Two days later, a markedly more restrained Clay announced he was joining the Nation of Islam and defended the organization's concept of racial segregation while speaking of the importance of the Muslim religion in his life. Later that year, Clay, who was the descendant of a runaway Kentucky slave, rejected the name originally given to his family by a slave owner and took the Muslim name of Muhammad Ali.

Muhammad Ali would go on to become one of the 20th century's greatest sporting figures, as much for his social and political influence as his prowess in his chosen sport. After successfully defending his title nine times, it was stripped from him in 1967 after he refused induction into the U.S. Army on the grounds that he was a Muslim minister and therefore a conscientious objector. That year, he was sentenced to five years in prison for violating the Selective Service Act but was allowed to remain free as he appealed the decision. His popularity plummeted, but many across the world applauded his bold stand against the Vietnam War.

In 1970, he was allowed to return to the boxing ring, and the next year the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Ali's draft evasion conviction. In 1974, he regained the heavyweight title in a match against George Foreman in Zaire and successfully defended it in a brutal 15-round contest against Joe Frazier in the Philippines in the following year. In 1978, he lost the title to Leon Spinks but later that year defeated Spinks in a rematch, making him the first boxer to win the heavyweight title three times. He retired in 1979 but returned to the ring twice in the early 1980s. In 1984, Ali was diagnosed with pugilistic Parkinson's syndrome and has suffered a slow decline of his motor functions ever since. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1996, he lit the Olympic flame at the opening ceremonies of the Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia. Ali's daughter, Laila, made her boxing debut in 1999.

At a White House ceremony in November 2005, Ali was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

National Tortilla Chip Day!

National Tortilla Chip Day is always celebrated on February 24th. 

Today is a holiday with a crunch. One might even suggest that it is a corny holiday. Well, that's okay because today is National Tortilla Chip Day. Just a few decades ago, Americans seldom ate Corn Chips and Salsa. It's popularity has grown immensely. Today is a tribute to that rising popularity of one of America's favorite munchies.

Did you know? The corn chip recipe was brought to the U.S. from Mexico by texas businessman Elmer Doolin.
Celebrate National Tortilla Chip Day with a handful of crunchy, tasty corn chips and your favorite salsa or dip.

On this Day in History: February 23

Do you like Tootsie Rolls?  On this day in 1896, Leo Hirshfield, an Austrian immigrant, opened a small candy shop in New York City and sold a variety of candies including Tootsie Rolls, using a recipe he brought with him from Europe.  He named the candy after his 5-year old daughter, Clara, whose nickname was "Tootsie,"

Tootsie Rolls are the number one-selling chewy chocolate candy in America.  They still use the same recipe Mr. Hirshfield used in 1896.  The recipe requires using some of the previous day's Tootsie Rolls in the day's mixture.  That means that theoretically, a bit of the very first Tootsie Roll from over a hundred years ago is in every Tootsie Roll produced today, and 64,000,000 are manufactured daily.  What else hasn't changed about Tootsie Rolls?  At least one variety still sells for just one penny.

February 22: On this Day in History the MIRACLE ON ICE

The Miracle on Ice refers to a hockey game played between the U.S.A. and the Soviet teams during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York on February 22. The Soviets had dominated men’s hockey since 1956, winning gold medals every Olympics except one in 1960 when they lost to the United States team.


The Soviets, deemed the best hockey team in the world, were classified as amateurs, but were essentially professional players who practiced in world class facilities. The U.S.A. team, in contrast, was comprised of college students and NHL aspirants. The Soviets entered the game expecting to dominate the U.S.A. as just a week earlier the Soviets had beaten the Americans 10-3 in an exhibition game at Madison Square Gardens.

The first period ended in a 2-2 tie. The second period ended with the Soviets ahead, 3-2. During the third period, the Americans scored twice giving them the lead. Ten minutes remained in the game and the American goal tender, Jim Craig, successfully defended the goal from an onslaught of Soviet shots. The American team went on to win the gold medal by defeating Finland, but it is the game against the Soviets that is deemed the Miracle on Ice.

The American team’s victory helped bolster Americans’ feeling of national pride and it is this hockey game that popularized the “USA, USA” chant now used at international sporting events. Sports Illustrated voted the Americans’ victory against the Soviets as the greatest sports moment of the twentieth century.

If you would like more information on the Olympic games, the library has a number of books spotlighting a variety of topics including the history of the games, sports and politics, and women in the Olympics. The books may be found in the GV721 area of the collection.

Chocolate Mint Day is Today!!

If you didn’t get enough sweets on Valentine’s Day and can’t wait for your Easter basket, have no fear. February 19th is chocolate mint day! Whether it is chocolate mint ice cream, candies, or desserts, they all taste great. The origin of the day is unknown, but probably was begun by a manufacturer of some chocolate mint delicacy.  Did you know that library personnel love chocolate mint?

Celebrate National Battery Day!

Today will give you a “charge” as it is National Battery Day. It doesn’t sound like much to celebrate, but think of all the ways your life is impacted by the battery. We use them in cars (and now hybrid cars), laptops, hand-held game devices, flashlights, watches, smoke alarms, and television remotes to name a few.


Why is today National Battery Day? Alessandro Volta, an Italian physicist was born on this day in 1745 and he is the inventor of the electric battery.