On May 3, 1911, Wisconsin passed America’s first worker’s compensation program. This law provided financial security for workers injured on the job. By 1948, all the then-48 US states had passed such laws. Alaska and Hawaii had workmen’s compensation laws when they joined the Union.
On May 2, 1749, the House of Burgesses approved the creation of a town that would become Alexandria, Virginia. George Washington helped plan the town’s street systems and Alexandria was part of the US capital for several years.
On April 30, 1957, the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee opened its first meeting. The committee receives tens of thousands of stamp proposals every year and passes on their recommendations to the US Postmaster General who makes the final decision.
On April 27, 1936, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Soil Conservation Act. The act established the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) to reduce and repair the damage caused by soil erosion. The SCS’s work was expanded and continues today as the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
On April 22, 1919, the Ohio Society for Crippled Children was founded. This later grew to become Easterseals, the nation’s largest nonprofit healthcare organization, which serves more than 1.5 million people every year.
On April 17, 1961, a group of Cuban exiles launched an operation in Cuba known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion. It was an important event in the Cold War and led to major changes between the US, Cuba, and the Soviet Union.
On April 5, 1792, George Washington used the first presidential veto in our country’s history. It was to turn down a bill that he felt unconstitutionally gave some states more members in the House of Representatives than the Constitution would allow.
Dorothea Lynde Dix was born on April 4, 1802, in Hampden, Maine. She spent much of her life improving and establishing new mental asylums. Dix also served as the Superintendent of Army Nurses during the Civil War.
US Chief Justice Earl Warren was born on March 19, 1891, in Los Angeles, California. He’s considered one of the nation’s most influential Supreme Court justices, with his time on the court referred to as a “Constitutional Revolution.”