Someone decided we needed a headcount. The first United Stated Census was completed and tallied on this date, August 2, 1790. The population was 3,939,214 in total. This included 697,624 slaves.
It did not contain much information, really. The only name which appeared was “the head of household.” Other than that, it was a tally of free white males over and under 16, free white females, all other persons, and finally, slaves.
But there we were, at our start—nearly four million people clamoring in the eastern states — still only the original thirteen. And 18% of the population were slaves.
In the following year, 1791, also on this date, Samuel Briggs and his son were granted a US patent for a nail-making machine. Now, this might seem like a little bit of nothing, but the invention was incredibly significant.
Prior to Briggs’ invention, nails had to be pounded out, made one by one, by the likes of a blacksmith or a nailor. Think of the significance such a machine would make, spitting out nails in bulk. The time to build buildings would have been decreased innumerably. If I had a hammer.
And then, in 1819, people finally became tired of crashing to death in their hot air balloons. Because on August 2, 1819, the first successful parachute jump occurred in the United States. A Frenchman named Louis-Charles Guille jumped over Jersey City. And yes, it was from his balloon.
There’s so much happening in the world at any given time. And the length and breadth of the events are numerous.
On a tragic note, the Battle of Bad Axe occurred on this date in 1832. It took place in Wisconsin, where 1,300 Illinois militia defeated the Sauk & Fox Native Americans ending the Black Hawk War. More American Indians were being pushed from their land, further and further west.
On a side note, I just heard a lengthy interview with an American Indian. He was asked about the Cleveland Indians being called the Guardians. He said he wished they were still the Indians, as all the Indians refer to themselves as Indians. It is a term of pride and good spirit. He doesn’t know any Indians who call themselves, or others, Native Americans. I thought this was interesting.
Onward to an event of a lighter note. Oh, yes. Wait a minute Mr. Postman. On August 2, 1858, New York City and Boston had their first mailboxes installed on city streets. I’m not sure what the residents did prior to getting their mailboxes. I guess it was “pick up only” at the local post office. But this is also the date when the dogs and mail carriers first started their ongoing feud. The cause remains unknown.
Go down, down the rabbit hole here, because, on this day in 1865, Lewis Carroll published “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” Mad as a Hatter. Smiling like a Cat.
And, finally, for this turn in today’s history, the beginning of the decline of America. The day the lazy bone got its hold on the general population. For this date, August 2, 1892, is when George A. Wheeler was granted a US patent for a prototype of the escalator. No more taking the steps. Now, Americans could magically be lifted along.
In truth, the elevator had come along a decade earlier, so that may have been the start of our need for ease. Although, in the days of the skyscrapers, elevators and escalators are always a welcome sight.
Regardless, no matter how we look back, we can see, there have always been plenty of ups and downs.
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“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
― Mark Twain
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“Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”
― George Orwell, 1984
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“It’s enough for me to be sure that you and I exist at this moment.”
― Gabriel García Márquez
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It all counts. And we were counted too.
