On August 21, 1858, Abraham Lincoln participated in the first of seven debates against Stephen Douglas. Part of a race for an Illinois seat in the US Senate, they became known as the Lincoln-Douglas Debates or the Great Debates of 1858.
William George Meany was born on August 16, 1894, in Harlem, New York City. One of the most influential labor leaders in US history, Meany is credited with successfully merging the American Federation of Labor, or AFL, and the Congress of Industrial Labor, or CIO.
On August 7, 1782, George Washington ordered the creation of the Badge of Military Merit to be awarded for bravery in battle. The predecessor of the Purple Heart, it’s one of the oldest military awards worldwide that is open to all who are wounded in battle.
On August 5, 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt signed legislation creating the National Cancer Institute. The institute researches cures and treatments for cancer and is the oldest and largest institute of the National Institutes of Health.
Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld was born on July 29, 1905, in Jönköping, Sweden. Serving as Secretary General of the United Nations from 1953 to 1961, he’s still considered one of the greatest diplomats in history.
On July 21, 1930, President Hoover signed legislation forming the Veterans Administration, often called simply, the VA.
On July 20, 1875, the first convention of the American Bankers Association (ABA) was held in Saratoga Springs, New York. The ABA works on behalf of banks of all sizes and is the largest financial trade group in the US.
On July 19, 1848, the Women’s Rights Convention, also known as the Seneca Falls Convention, opened in New York. The convention’s attendants issued a declaration calling for equal rights, including the right to vote.
American diplomat Hiram Bingham IV was born on July 17, 1903, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Over a short period during World War II, he helped more than 2,500 refugees escape France.