This Day in History-June 23, 1944

June 23, 1944

Tornadoes hit West Virginia and Pennsylvania

A spate of tornadoes across West Virginia and Pennsylvania kills more than 150 people on this day in 1944. Most of the twisters were classified as F3, but the most deadly one was an F4 on the Fujita scale, meaning it was a devastating tornado, with winds in excess of 207 mph.



It was a very hot afternoon when atmospheric conditions suddenly changed and the tornadoes began in Maryland. At about 5:30 p.m., an F3 tornado (with winds between 158 and 206 mph) struck in western Pennsylvania and killed two people. Forty-five minutes later, a very large twister began in West Virginia, moved into Pennsylvania, and then tracked back to West Virginia. By the time this F4 tornado ended, it had killed 151 people and leveled hundreds of homes.



Another tornado that afternoon struck at a YMCA camp in Washington, Pennsylvania. A letter written by a camper was later found 100 miles away. Coal-mining towns in the area were also hit hard on June 23. There were some reports that a couple of tornadoes actually crossed the Appalachian mountain range, going up one side and coming down the other.



This remarkable series of twisters finally ended at 10 p.m., when the last one hit in Tucker County, West Virginia. In all, the storms caused the destruction of thousands of structures and millions of dollars in damages.

1930s Farm Life: Drought, Depression & Determinism‏

1930s Farm Life: Drought, Depression & Determinism

In the story, The Crossroads, farmer Eben Smith is distraught by government efforts to destroy his crops in a misled attempt to balance economic strife while countless people starved.





The Crossroads was originally published in 1941, shortly after L. Ron Hubbard went to serve as a Lieutenant in the Navy in the North Pacific during World War II. The tale, which may be surprising to some of you young sprouts out there, is based on real events that happened in the 1930s.



The Great Depression of the 1930s was not only longer and harder than any other in American history because of the stock market fallout on Wall Street, but it was exacerbated by one of the longest droughts on record, that by 1934 covered almost 80 percent of the United States.



Without rain, farmers couldn't grow crops, and without crops, bare soil was blown high into the air creating dust storms (canceling school in some cases).



This economic train wreck actually started during World War I. Agriculture was severely disrupted in Europe by the war, and farmers in America dramatically increased production and were therefore able to export surplus food to European countries. By the 1920s European agriculture had recovered and many American farmers continued to produce more food than could be consumed, making prices fall, causing many farmers difficulty in paying their mortgages...

Read the rest of the story here!

"The Apron Book" Giveaway!

Stir family memories with The Apron Book. Features heartwarming stories, 100+ photos and illustrations, instructions for four aprons and a bib apron pattern. Hardcover, 172 pages.

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This Day In History-June 17, 1885

The Statue of Liberty, a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States, arrives in New York City's harbor.



Originally known as "Liberty Enlightening the World," the statue was proposed by French historian Edouard Laboulaye to commemorate the Franco-American alliance during the American Revolution. Designed by French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the 151-foot statue was the form of a woman with an uplifted arm holding a torch. In February 1877, Congress approved the use of a site on New York Bedloe's Island, which was suggested by Bartholdi. In May 1884, the statue was completed in France, and three months later the Americans laid the cornerstone for its pedestal in New York. On June 19, 1885, the dismantled Statue of Liberty arrived in the New World, enclosed in more than 200 packing cases. Its copper sheets were reassembled, and the last rivet of the monument was fitted on October 28, 1886, during a dedication presided over by U.S. President Grover Cleveland.



On the pedestal was inscribed "The New Colossus," a famous sonnet by American poet Emma Lazarus that welcomed immigrants to the United States with the declaration, "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, / The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. / Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. / I lift my lamp beside the golden door." Six years later, Ellis Island, adjacent to Bedloe's Island, opened as the chief entry station for immigrants to the United States, and for the next 32 years more than 12 million immigrants were welcomed into New York harbor by the sight of "Lady Liberty." In 1924, the Statue of Liberty was made a national monument.

This Day In History! June 15, 1904

More than 1,000 people taking a pleasure trip on New York City's East River are drowned or burned to death when a fire sweeps through the boat. This was one of the United States' worst maritime disasters.



The riverboat-style steamer General Slocum was built in 1890 and used mostly as a vehicle for taking large groups on day outings. On June 15, the St. Mark's German Lutheran Church assembled a group of 1,360 people, mostly children and teachers, for their annual Sunday School picnic. The picnic was to take place at Locust Point in the Bronx after a cruise up the East River on the General Slocum.



At about 9 a.m., the dangerously overcrowded boat left its dock in Manhattan with Captain William Van Schaik in charge. As the boat passed 83rd Street, accounts indicate that a child spotted a fire in a storeroom and reported it to Captain Van Schaik. Reportedly the captain responded, "Shut up and mind your own business." But as the smoke became more obvious, crew members were sent to investigate. By this time, the storeroom, filled with a combination of oil and excelsior (wood shavings used for packing), was blazing out of control. The onboard fire hose, which had never been used, tested or inspected, did not work.



Captain Van Schaik made a fateful decision at this time. Instead of directing the boat to the nearest dock where firefighters could engage the fire, he pointed the boat toward a small island in the East River. He later told investigators that he did not want to risk spreading the fire to the dock and the rest of the city, but the strategy proved deadly for the passengers. Instead of grounding the boat on the sand, the boat crashed onto the rocks of the island s shore.



At this point, other factors also combined to exacerbate the situation. The lifeboats were so firmly tied to the steamer that they could not be released. The life preservers had not been filled with cork, but a non-buoyant material that made them weighty. The children who used them sank to the bottom of the river. Other children were trampled to death in the panic. More people were killed when the raging fire collapsed some of the decks, plunging them into the fire.



In all, 630 bodies were recovered and another 401 were missing and presumed dead. A cannon was brought to the scene and fired over the river the next day to loosen bodies from the river mud. The boat s crew, and officers in the Knickerbocker Company, owner and operator of the General Slocum, were charged with criminal negligence. However, only Captain Van Schaik received a prison sentence. He was supposed to serve 10 years, but was pardoned due to old age in 1908. President Theodore Roosevelt fired the chief inspector of the U. S. Steamboat Inspection Service in the aftermath of the accident; wholesale changes in the industry followed. A mass grave was set up in Queens for the victims and a yearly memorial was held to honor their memory.

General Slocum Disaster

What Is It? What's It Worth?

Written by Helaine Fendelman

Q My flask is marked on its cap with sterling, B & F, an anchor, a lion, and a small b in a square. Is it valuable?



—S.F., Feeding Hills, MassachusettesWhat it is: CUT-GLASS PERFUME BOTTLE



A What you have is a lay-down perfume bottle, not a flask. Amethyst crystal was cut in a pattern to reveal clear glass beneath. Both the bottle and its domed sterling cap are in perfect condition. Perfume bottles, which came in a variety of sizes, shapes, and materials, were luxury items produced by fine craftsmen: Women would bring their bottles to the store to have them filled with their favorite fragrance. The lion and anchor markings indicate that the piece was made in Birmingham, England, while the small b in a square signifies that it was crafted in 1901. Silversmiths in the town stopped indicating the names of glass manufacturers in 1850, so there is no way to identify the maker, although the glass is both elegant and of high quality.



What it's worth: $400

Thanks to CountryLiving.com