On September 18, 2017, Hurricane Maria continued to grow in severity as it headed towards the US Territory of Puerto Rico. The island’s Public Safety Commissioner was quoted in the Moultrie Observer as warning those in the path of the hurricane that they had to evacuate, or else they would die. That day, it reached category 5, the most destructive category of hurricane possible, reaching wind speeds of 174 miles per hour. That night, it would make landfall on the island of Puerto Rico and parts of the Northeastern Caribbean.
The damage of this hurricane was the harshest of that hurricane season, one that had been particularly active. Maria accounted for 3,059 deaths and $91.6 Billion in damages to the island, making it the deadliest and costliest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in history. This hurricane affected the entire population of Puerto Rico and has had long lasting effects on their infrastructure and society.
No one told the cast of the now famous sitcom ‘Friends’ that their life would be this way! The NBC Sitcom loved around the world first aired on September 22, 1994, and was an instant fan favorite, gathering 21.5 million viewers for their premiere. The main cast of the show included Jennifer Aniston as Rachel, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe, Matthew Perry as Chandler, David Schwimmer as Ross, Courtney Cox as Monica, and Matt Leblanc as Joey. The show followed the group of friends through their adulthood in New York City, telling their stories of life, love, and finding your chosen family. The title of the first episode was “The One Where Monica Gets A Roommate”, and each episode followed this similar format of being named “The One Where/With”. The show lasted for 10 seasons, and the final episode was aired on May 6th, 2004. Despite the show’s ending, it continues to be watched and enjoyed by millions of people each year.
My search tip of the week is to utilize all elements included in newspapers! When Friends first aired, people were unaware of how popular the show would become, and there was not much news about its pilot episode. It’s not like articles were being printed on the front page of the news announcing its premiere. At most, it was featured on the pages which included that week’s TV Guide. Luckily, most of our partner archives include the entirety of the newspapers included in their collections, which means I was able to find the paper for the exact day the episode aired in the Cedar Rapids Public Library CHA. From here, I found the TV guide and was able to locate the listing for the first episode of Friends. In addition, they also included a note off to the side that included the genre and cast as it was the first time it was being aired.
In September of 1978, President Jimmy Carter hosted Egypt President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the Presidential Country Retreat in Camp David, Maryland. There, he encouraged conversations between the two leaders of the Middle Eastern countries in hopes of encouraging peace negotiations. For background, conflict had been happening between the two countries for decades before this meeting. On September 17, 1978, they signed the Camp David Accords, which was a significant step towards a peace treaty. The goal of the accord was to establish a framework for achieving peace in the Middle East, and encouraged the move towards a treaty. It was broadly successful, as Israel and Egypt signed a treaty following the march. Furthermore, President Jimmy Carter gained the admiration of many, especially those in Maryland following his successful meeting as detailed in the Bay Times on October 4th, 1978.
Throughout history, the United States has enacted the military draft six times, from the Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War to help their cause. However, it wasn’t a constant requirement that had been in place the entire time. As the United States prepared for war, the president would sign a Selective Service Act, which would require a certain amount of the population to register for the draft.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt did exactly that on September 16th, 1940, signing the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940. The act was passed likely in anticipation of an upcoming conflict in Europe as a precautionary matter. Initially, only males between the ages of 21 and 36 were required to register, but as the threat of war became more imminent, this age range was broadened to any males between the ages of 18 and 45. When the act was signed, it detailed that any individuals drafted to the military would serve for 12 months in active duty, followed by 10 years on reserve or until they aged out of the requirement. The designated date for selective service registration was set on October 16th, which led to the Governor of Massachusetts encouraging voters to register early, as that was also the last day of voter registration. By having people register early, they hoped to help streamline the process of registering for the selective service. The Selective Service provided many soldiers to the United States to aid with World War Two, but opinions on the service and its impacts vary between individuals.
The battle of Antietam was the deadliest one-day battle in US Military History and a pivotal point in the American Civil War. As Confederate General Robert E. Lee was wrapping up his mostly unsuccessful Maryland Campaign, he brought his troops to one final battle in Washington county, Maryland. The battle began at dawn and ended late into the afternoon, during which 132,000 troops were engaged between both sides. The battle ended in a Union Victory, but it did not come without a cost. A total of 22,717 deaths came as a result of the conflict, 12,401 of which were members of the Union forces. However, this battle was incredibly important in the outcome of the Civil War, as it demonstrated the ability of the Union to hold its own against the Confederacy on the Eastern front. In the confederate states, their confidence wavered, one individual sharing in the Middlesex Journal that this was yet another demonstration of the confederacy’s inability to follow up a victory. In Contrast, the Battle of Antietam motivated the Union and provided the perfect moment of hope for President Abraham Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
Join me again next week to discover more of history’s hidden gems and timeless tales.
Explore the “Read All About It” archives to read stories that spotlight our partners and their communities, announcements from our team, updates on current projects, and so much more. Discover articles about engagement, outreach, primary sources, community, digitization, education, and other topics of interest. Delve into the happenings in this week in history and take a deep dive into the events and people who helped shape our communities, our nation, and the world.
Hear Ye, Hear Ye, READ ALL ABOUT IT!
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