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16 EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON A MONDAY
Mondays. Some consider Monday the least favorite day of the week. But what if we told you that important things get done on Monday? In fact, we found 16 things that happened on a Monday. Sixteen things that changed the world. Sixteen times people got things done. On. A. MONDAY! We bet you can do it, too!
1. July 1, 1776
The Second Continental Congress began meeting amid the Revolutionary War on May 10, 1775. Their meetings varied from creating a Continental Army to signing treaties. However, on Monday, July 1, 1776, they met for a particular reason. This event brought together 12 of the 13 colonies to debate and revise a document drafted by Thomas Jefferson – The Declaration of Independence. Three days later, on July 4, 1776, Congress adopted the Declaration, but it wouldn’t be until July 6th that most of the delegates would sign it.
2. May 14, 1804
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson requested $2,500 in a secret message to Congress. The money was to fund an expedition to explore and locate the Northwest Passage. The United States closed on the Louisiana Purchase just months after, adding to the expedition’s value. A year later, on Monday, May 14, 1804, Captain Meriwether Lewis, Lieutenant William Clark, and their crew departed from St. Louis. The Corps of Discovery included a 45 person crew who traveled for more than two years and approximately 8,000 miles. Their historic journey is marked today by the journals they kept, the people they met, and the trails they blazed.
3. December 1, 1913
Henry Ford changed mass production forever when he installed the first moving assembly line on Monday, December 1, 1913. The innovative businessman increased production by almost tenfold. A car that once took 12 hours to build now only took an hour and a half. The result of his ingenuity meant the automobile would become more affordable, and the horse and buggy were soon in everyone’s rearview mirror (something that wasn’t patented for another eight years). The automobile industry would gradually overtake horse and buggy production.
4. March 20, 1854
Frustrated by the Whig party’s inability to address slavery, former members and Free-soilers meet in Ripon, Wisconsin, on March 20, 1854. They formed the Republican Party to prevent the spread of slavery westward. Supporters soon join in droves, giving the party the strength to win the 1860 presidential election with their candidate Abraham Lincoln.
5. March 20, 1916
E=mc². On Monday, March 20, 1916, German-born physicist Albert Einstein publishes his Theory of General Relativity in the scientific journal Annalen der Physik. His simple theory explains the relationship between energy and matter. It impacted the understanding of light, space exploration, communications, and much more.
6. March 20, 1922
On Monday, March 20, 1922, the United States Navy commissions its first aircraft carrier, the USS Langley. The Navy named the aircraft carrier after American aviation pioneer Samuel Pierpont Langley.
7. March 23, 1857
Elisha Otis installed the first public elevator on Monday, March 23, 1857, in the E.V. Haughwout & Co. building located at 488, 490, and 492 Broadway in New York City. The five-story building in SoHo occupied three floors of ornate china, glassware, and textiles. Workers in the top two floors created custom cut glass and painted dinnerware. Elevators have been saving us steps on tired Monday mornings ever since.
8. May 10, 1869
In Promontory, Utah, the final spikes complete the first transcontinental railroad. Arizona Governor Leland Stanford and Union Pacific Vice-President Thomas Durant drove the final golden and ceremonial spikes linking the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads. It took six years to complete and improved travel speed to the rapidly growing western states.
9. March 9, 1959
Ruth Handler introduces Barbie at the American International Toy Fair in NYC. The fair attracted approximately 1,500 exhibitors. Another toy exhibited at the fair included the Tic Toy Clock manufactured by Hubley. The colorful clock kept real time. The company designed the toy for the curious child who always takes things apart. In the midst of the Space Race, toy manufacturers also featured space and science-related toys, including rockets, telescopes, and a child-size jet plane. In a nod to adding the 49th and 50th states to the Union, one manufacturer displayed a game about the states with Alaska and Hawaii included.
10. April 13, 1964
Sidney Poitier wins Best Actor for his role in the film Lilies of the Field. Poitier is the first African American man awarded an Oscar. Poitier had previously won a Golden Globe for the 1961 drama A Raisin in the Sun. The accomplished actor went on to earn awards across a variety of media and the 1995 Kennedy Center Honor.
11. July 1, 1968
The United States institutes the ZIP Code. The cleverly worded acronym stands for Zone Improvement Plan. The USPS encouraged people to use the code when sending mail to get it there faster.
12. February 8, 1971
The Nasdaq Composite stock market index debuts with 50 companies and a starting value of 100.
13. February 21, 1972
President Richard Nixon becomes the first U.S. President to visit China. During the 8-day visit, Nixon met with the Chairman of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, Mao Zedong, and China’s PRC Premier, Zhou Enlai.
14. August 8, 1988
The Chicago Cubs play their first night game at Wrigley Field 112 years after their inception. When darkness set in on Monday, August 8, 1988, 91-year-old Harry Grossman threw the switch that brought light to the theater below. However, they never completed the game due to rain at 3 1/2 innings. It’s also interesting to note that the first night game ever played at Wrigley Field came in 1943 during World War II when the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League played their All-Star game under temporary lights.
15. June 26, 2000
After almost ten years of work, researchers release the first draft of the human genome.
16. June 21, 2004
Test pilot Mike Melvill flew SpaceShipOne into suborbital flight, becoming the first civilian to pilot an aircraft into space.
So, the next time you think Mondays are a waste of time, take a look at all the things that have been accomplished on Monday already!
