Abraham Lincoln

On December 2, 1863, the Statue of Freedom was placed atop the US Capitol to a 35-gun salute. The ceremony was held in the midst of the Civil War – President Lincoln had insisted the Capitol be completed as a symbol of American unity.

On June 16, 1858, Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous House Divided Speech in Springfield, Illinois. The speech helped propel Lincoln onto the national stage, setting him on course to become one of America’s greatest presidents.

On May 7, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln accepted the “honor of citizenship” from San Marino. It was one of the earliest instances of US and San Marino relations, which wouldn’t be formally established for decades. 

Daniel Chester French was born on April 20, 1850, in Exeter, New Hampshire. French made over 100 statues, memorials, sculptures and reliefs during his career, most notably the statue at the center of the Lincoln Memorial and the Concord Minuteman.

On February 27, 1860, Abraham Lincoln gave one of the most important speeches of his career – the Cooper Union Address.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Carl Sandburg was born on January 6, 1878, in Galesburg, Illinois. He wrote his own “American fairytales” as well as children’s books and biographies on Abraham Lincoln.

On December 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union. Within months they were followed by 10 other states, forming the Confederate States of America, sparking the Civil War.

On November 25, 1758, British and Colonial American forces successfully took over Fort Duquesne from the French.  This came near the end of several years of fighting in the French and Indian Wars.

On October 3, 1789 and 1863, two sitting presidents called on Americans to celebrate a day of Thanksgiving in November.