Trivia People

Topsy the elephant is electrocuted at Luna Park at Coney Island, New York on January 4, 1903. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

On this date in 1903, Topsy, an Asian elephant was euthanized by electrocution at Coney Island, New York.

Here are some things you may not have known about the incident.

Topsy was brought to the United States and performed in the Forepaugh Circus, where she gained a reputation as a bad elephant after killing a spectator in 1902. The next year, she was sold to Coney Island’s Sea Lion Park, which was redeveloped as Luna Park by new owners Frederick Thompson and Elmer Dundy. At Luna Park, Topsy was used to move timbers and power a carnival ride. Her trainer, William “Whitey” Alt, once stabbed Topsy with a pitchfork in an effort to get her to pull the ride. As a result, the police were called to investigate. This led Alt to remove Topsy’s harness and let her run wild in the streets. Alt, who blamed the incident on alcohol, was arrested. In December 1902, a drunken Alt rode Topsy down the streets of Coney Island and used the elephant as a battering ram to get through the door of the police station, leading the officers to hide in the jail cells. Alt was fired after that incident.

The owners, now without an elephant trainer, decided to euthanize Topsy by hanging her, and selling tickets so the public could watch. The president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals intervened, calling hanging a “needlessly cruel mean of killing” the elephant. After negotiations, he and the owners decided Topsy should be strangled with large ropes tied to a steam-powered winch, poisoned and electrocuted. On Sunday, January 4, an estimated 1,500 spectators and 100 news photographers descended on Coney Island. Topsy was fed potassium cyanide, a poison, electrocuted with 6,600 volts and then strangled by the apparatus for 10 minutes. Topsy was pronounced dead at 2:47 p.m.

On site that day was a film crew from the Edison film company. They recorded the event and weeks later released a 74-second movie of the proceedings. Contrary to claims, Thomas Edison did not organize the electrocution. 15 years earlier, Edison had been involved in the electrocution of animals to demonstrate the danger of alternating current as part of the War of Currents. Edison, a proponent of direct current, had already merged his company with General Electric and sold all of his stock.

Our question, which is generally larger, the Asian elephant or the African elephant?

Today is Independence Day in Burma. It’s National Trivia Day, World Braille Day and National Spaghetti Day. It’s the birthday of Louis Braille, Isaac Newton and comedian Dave Foley.

Now a new feature where we look back on entertainment charts of the past.

10 years ago, the top song in the U.S. was “Don’t Forget About Us” by Mariah Carey; the No. 1 movie was “Hostel” and “Mary, Mary” by James Patterson topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

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Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topsy_(elephant)

https://en.wikipedia.

The current Times Square Ball as seen in 2010. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

Today is New Year’s Day, which is marked in New York City by the ball drop in Times Square.

Here are some things you may not have known about the Times Square Ball.

The first ball drop was held on New Year’s Eve 1907. It was organized by Adolph Ochs, the owner of the New York Times, as a permanent celebration after years of fireworks shows at the newspaper’s headquarters.

The original ball was designed by Artkraft Strauss, which created many of Times Square’s famous neon signs and marquees. The ball was made of wood and iron and lit with 100 light bulbs. Eight years after the first ball drop, the New York Times moved its headquarters to West 43rd Street, but maintained the celebration. In 1920, a second ball, made solely of iron was introduced. A third ball was built in 1955 made of aluminum. That ball was retired in 1998 in place of a larger ball made by Waterford Crystal. The fifth ball was used for one year in 2008. The current ball was introduced in 2009 and features more than 32,000 LED lamps and weighs nearly six tons. It’s also weatherproof, so it stays atop One Times Square year round.

More than a million people pack into Times Square each year. The coldest temperature for the ball drop was in 1917 when it was one-degree fahrenheit. 1965 and 1972 were the warmest, when it was 58 degrees at midnight. It has only snowed seven times in the past 109 years, the most recent being 2009. In 2014, the New York Department of Sanitation estimated that it cleared more than 50 tons of garbage from Times Square in the eight hours following the ball drop.

Our question, What was the name of Guy Lombardo’s band that played “Auld Lang Syne” at midnight every year on CBS between 1956 and 1976?

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Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Square_Ball

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artkraft_Strauss

 

Russian President Boris Yeltsin speaks atop a tank outside the White House in defiance of the August 1991 coup. (Photo from Kremlin.ru via Wikimedia Commons)

Today is the 24th anniversary of the final winding down of the USSR.

Here are some things you may not have known about the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

The collapse of the Soviet Union began in earnest in 1985 with the election of Mikhail Gorbachev as general secretary of the Communist Party. He aimed to revive a sagging Soviet economy, but needed to change the underlying political and social structure. The first step in this was replacing more conservative members of the party. Instead of creating economic stimulus, these moves stoked nationalists in the constituent republics. The instability in the USSR also led indirectly to the Eastern Bloc revolutions of 1989.

In 1986, the Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania began pushing for independence from Moscow. In 1988, Estonia passed a law resisting the control of the federal government. Nationalist movements also began to gain popularity in the central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

In 1989 the central government allowed limited democratic elections, largely picking from Communist Party candidates. 1989 also saw protests against the Communist government of China and all-out revolutions in the Warsaw Pact countries of Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Romania. Followed by revolutions the next year in East Germany and Bulgaria. In 1990, six Soviet republics voted for non-Communist majorities.

In August 1991, Communist conservatives, including the vice president, prime minister, defense minister and head of the KGB formed the General Committee on the State Emergency, and put Gorbachev under house arrest in an attempted coup. The organizers of the coup found themselves with little public support. After three days the coup collapsed and Gorbachev returned as president.

Three days later, Gorbachev dissolved the Central Committee of the Communist Party, which was followed by the suspension of all Communist Party activity in the Soviet Union. The USSR recognized the independence of the Baltic states on September 6, 1991. Between August and December all former Soviet republics declared their independence. On December 25, 1991, Gorbachev resigned as president and ceded power to the new president of an independent Russia, Boris Yeltsin. That day, the Soviet flag was lowered for the final time at the Kremlin, replaced by the Russian flag. On December 26, the Supreme Soviet voted itself and the Soviet Union out of existence. On December 31, all Soviet institutions that weren’t taken over by Russia ceased to exist. Also on that day, the United Nations accepted Russia as the successor state to the USSR.

Our question, in 1997 Mikhail Gorbachev appeared in a television commercial for what U.S. restaurant chain?

Today is New Year’s Eve. It’s also National Champagne Day and World Peace Mediation Day. It’s the birthday of actor Anthony Hopkins, musician John Denver and former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.

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Vladimir Lenin, left, and Joseph Stalin. (Image via Wikimedia Commons)

On this date in 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was formed following the Russian Revolution of 1917.

Here are some things you may not have known about the formation of the Soviet Union.

On December 30, 1922, the leaders of the Russian Republic, Transcaucasian Republic, Ukrainian Republic and Byelorussian Republic met in the first Congress of Soviets, two days after signing the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR. The main function of the treaty was to centralize the federal government in Moscow. Earlier in 1922, Vladimir Lenin suffered the first of a series of stokes, allowing Joseph Stalin, the General Secretary of the Communist Party to fill the power vacuum. Stalin needed a way to consolidate the power of the independent Bolshevik states into a single entity.

Lenin died in January 1924 and days later the second Congress of Soviets ratified a new constitution. Stalin began advocating for building communism in the countries the Bolsheviks already controlled rather than spreading the revolution as Leon Trotsky envisioned. Stalin focused on transforming the USSR into an industrial power, at the same time millions of people were being imprisoned in forced labor camps. Millions more died during the famine of 1932-33. High ranking government officials, military and academics were killed in Stalin’s “Great Purge” of the Communist Party.

In 1936, a new constitution was written which further centralized power in Moscow. It remained in effect until 1977.

Stalin continued to lead the Soviet Union through World War II. He died of a stroke in 1953.

Our question, at the height of the Soviet Union, how many republics made up the USSR?

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Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_on_the_Creation_of_the_USSR

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Lenin#Decline_and_death

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rise_of_Joseph_Stalin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republics_of_the_Soviet_Union

Portrait of St. Thomas Becket, reassembled from fragments by Samuel Caldwell Jr in 1919. Becket Window 1 in the north aisle of the Trinity Chapel, Canterbury Cathedral. (Holly Hayes/www.sacred-destinations.com via Wikimedia Commons)

On this day in the year 1170, Thomas Becket was killed by supporters of King Henry II of England during a conflict over the rights of the Catholic Church in England.

Here are some things you may not have known about Thomas Becket.

He was born around the year 1120 in London. His father was a merchant and property owner originally from the Normandy region. He studied the trivium and quadrivium and then spent a year in Paris. His father soon suffered a financial setback and Becket was forced to get a job as a clerk. Eventually he worked for Theobald of Bec, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop sent Becket on missions to Rome and to study canon law in Bologna and Auxerre (O-zair). In 1154, Becket was named Archdeacon of Canterbury along with other posts. He was appointed Lord Chancellor in 1155.

After the death of Theobald of Bec, Becket was nominated to replace him as Archbishop. His election was confirmed in 1162.  He was ordained a priest on June 2 1162 and was consecrated archbishop the next day.

As archbishop he clashed with Henry II over the rights of the church, including the jurisdiction of secular courts over clergy. This disagreement escalated for two years until Henry called a meeting of bishops at Clarendon Palace. There, Henry demanded the church be subject to secular law. Becket refused at first, but eventually agreed to what became known as the Constitutions of Clarendon. Later that year, Becket tried to go to France without permission, which was prohibited by the Constitutions. Additionally, the king would ask him to account for his spending while he was chancellor. He was found guilty on both charges. Becket went in to exile in France for the better part of the next six years.

In 1170, Henry’s son was crowned junior King of England by the Archbishop of York. This act infringed upon the right of the Archbishop of Canterbury to crown monarchs. This led the pope to allow Becket to threaten to censure England as punishment. This threat led Henry to negotiate with Becket. The two reached an agreement on July 22, 1170. Shortly before returning to England, Becket excommunicated the archbishop of York, the bishop of Salisbury and the bishop of London.

The news of the excommunications enraged Henry, who is said to have exclaimed, “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?”

In answer to this question, four knights set off to confront Becket in Canterbury. Upon arrival, they demanded Becket account for his actions, which he refused. In response, the knights retrieved their weapons and killed Becket in Canterbury Cathedral.

In 1173, Becket was canonized by Pope Alexander III.

Our question, “The Canterbury Tales” is set during a journey to the shrine of Saint Thomas of Canterbury. Who wrote “The Canterbury Tales”?

Today is Constitution Day in Ireland and Independence Day in Mongolia. It’s the birthday of inventor Charles Goodyear, British Prime Minister William Gladstone and actress Mary Tyler Moore.

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Stan Lee

Today is the 93rd birthday of comic book legend Stan Lee.

Here are a few things you may not have known about him.

He was born Stanley Martin Lieber in his parents’ apartment in New York. As a child he enjoyed writing and found work writing obituaries and press releases. He also worked as a sandwich delivery boy, as a theater usher and selling subscriptions to a newspaper. In 1939, he joined Timely Comics, which would eventually become Marvel Comics. He began his career as an assistant — filling inkwells, making meal runs, proofreading and erasing pencils from finished pages. He made his comic-book debut with the text filler “Captain America Foils the Traitor’s Revenge” in May 1941. The story introduced Captain America’s now-trademark ricocheting shield toss. His first comic was a backup feature called “‘Headline’ Hunter: Foreign Correspondent.” In 1941, at 19 years old, Lee was made interim editor, eventually earning the job on a permanent basis.

In the 1950s, the company became known as Atlas Comics and published a wide variety of genres, notably not superheroes. That changed in the late 1950s when DC Comics began having success with “The Flash” and “Justice League of America.” Reacting to that success, Atlas publisher Martin Goodman told Lee to create a superhero team. He worked with artist Jack Kirby to create The Fantastic Four. The success of The Fantastic Four was followed by The Hulk, Thor, Iron Man and the X-Men with Kirby; and Spider-Man with Steve Ditko.

Lee would go on to write and edit most of Marvel’s properties, moderate the letters to the editor pages and write a monthly column. To meet this workload, Lee used what is known as the “Marvel Method,” which was used by other comic publishers before Marvel. Lee would come up with a story idea and the artist would fill the pages based on a synopsis. Lee would fill in word balloons later. He continued writing comics on a regular basis until 1972. After that he became publisher of Marvel, a job he held until 1996.

Our question, with what exclamation does Stan Lee usually sign off?

Today is King Taksin Memorial Day in Thailand, Proclamation Day in South Australia, and Republic Day in South Sudan. It’s unofficially National Card Playing Day, National Chocolate Candy Day and Pledge of Allegiance Day. It’s the birthday of U.S. president Woodrow Wilson, actress Maggie Smith and actor Denzel Washington.

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Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Lee

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timely_Comics

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Comics_(1950s)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Ditko

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Comics

 

Christmas lights on Regent Street in London, December 2006. (Photo by Diliff via Wikimedia Commons)

Here are some things you may not have known about the history of Christmas.

Christmas is, of course, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. In addition to being a religious holiday, it’s also a public holiday in many parts of the world and is celebrated by many non-Christians.

There is not much agreement on the actual month and date of Jesus’ birth, but in Western Christian churches it was being celebrated on December 25th by the early- to mid-Fourth century, and by Eastern Christian Churches about a century later. Some Eastern churches celebrate the holiday on January 7, which corresponds to December 25 on the Julian calendar.

Some believe that the date was chosen to Christianize older pagan festivals surrounding the solstice. Others believe that Jesus’ mother Mary was told of the Immaculate Conception on March 25, which is nine months before December 25.

In the early days of Christianity, the holiday was overshadowed by Epiphany, which celebrated the baptism of Jesus and the Magi visiting him bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Biblical scholars see the baptism of Jesus as one of the two historically certain facts about him, along with the crucifixion.

By the 1300s, Christmas was so important that there are historical records as to when and where notable people celebrated. Around this time caroling became popular, as well as gift exchanges, and the use of holly and other evergreens.

After the Protestant Reformation, groups such as the Puritans and Presbyterians frowned upon the celebration of Christmas as a Catholic invention. Other Protestant denominations, such as Anglicans and Lutherans continued to celebrate the holiday. In 1640, the Parliament of Scotland banned Christmas; it didn’t become a public holiday again there until 1958. In 1647, when the Puritans came to power in England, the holiday was banned there. It remained uncelebrated until the 1660 Restoration of King Charles II.

The Puritans in North America also disapproved of Christmas. It was banned in Boston from 1659 to 1681, when it was reinstated by the English governor.

Christmas fell out of fashion throughout the United States after the American Revolution, as it was associated with the English. The celebration of Christmas wasn’t a tradition in all parts of America until around the time of the U.S. Civil War. In 1860, 14 states declared Christmas a legal holiday. In 1870, it was declared a federal holiday, around the same time the Christmas Tree become popular in the U.S. In the United Kingdom, the full celebration of Christmas didn’t become common until after World War II and the hard economic times that followed. Mail continued to be delivered on Christmas in the UK until 1961.

Our question, what are frankincense and myrrh?

Today is Children’s Day in several African nations, Constitution Day in Taiwan and Good Governance Day in India. It’s unofficially National Pumpkin Pie Day. It’s the birthday of physicist Isaac Newton, founder of the American Red Cross Clara Barton, actor Humphrey Bogart, musician Jimmy Buffett and musician Bob James, who wrote the theme to the television series “Taxi.”

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Today is the 189th anniversary of the Eggnog Riot, the aftermath of a drunken Christmas party at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

Here are some things you may not have known about the riot.

In 1826, alcohol possession and intoxication were grounds for expulsion from West Point. Despite this, there was concern that drinking was out of hand among the cadets. Because of this, the eggnog at the planned Christmas party would be non-alcoholic. Following this news, a group of cadets decided to smuggle alcohol into the academy.

Eggnog, for those who don’t know, is a beverage made of milk or cream with sugar, raw eggs, spices like vanilla and nutmeg and, usually, some form of alcohol like rum or bourbon. Because of its high alcohol content, eggnog can be aged, sometimes up to a year, if refrigerated.

The cadets had decided to try to smuggle a half-gallon of whiskey into the academy. On December 22, three cadets convinced an enlisted security guard to let them use a boat to cross the Hudson River to retrieve the booze. They returned with two gallons, while another cadet managed to get another gallon from a tavern in town.

On December 23, the academy superintendent, Sylvanus Thayer, held a Christmas part at his residence. During the party, Thayer and the commandant of cadets, William J. Worth, had a discussion about the disciplinary issues of a cadet, Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, the future president of the Confederacy during the Civil War. Other cadets used the day to gather food and other supplies needed for the party.

The party began at 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve as nine cadets gathered in a room in the North Barracks. A second party began in a nearby room, which included Jefferson Davis. At 2 a.m. Christmas morning, a cadet with some authority interrupted a group of eight cadets singing loudly. A faculty member named Ethan Allen Hitchcock woke up to a loud noise at 4 a.m. and found six drunken cadets and two others who had passed out. Hitchcock ordered the cadets back to their rooms. One cadet in particular, James “Weems” Berrien was particularly upset with Hitchcock and began planning revenge against him.

Hitchcock then proceeded to break up the other party and send its attendees back to bed. Another faculty member, Lt. William A. Thornton, arrested one cadet for brandishing a weapon. That cadet fled and told other cadets about his arrest. Hitchcock returned to his room, where a group of cadets attacked his door. One drew a pistol and fired into the room.

In the confusion, several drunken cadets thought Hitchcock had called in the bombardiers to quell the riot, which caused several cadets who weren’t drunk to join the rioters in what they believed was the defense of their barracks. At 6:05 a.m., Reveille sounded while the riot was still underway. Cadets assembled for roll call, some still drunk, others bruised and bleeding. The riot ended officially when the corps was called to attention.

At a meeting the next day, it was determined that the cadets would face an inquiry during their semester exams after the new year. The inquiry determined that 70 cadets were involved in the riot, and 22 cadets were placed under house arrest, including Jefferson Davis and future U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Archibald Campbell. Davis and Campbell were eventually released. 20 other cadets were court-martialed. Among those testifying at the court-martial was future Confederate General Robert E. Lee. All 20 were all found guilty. 11 cadets were expelled, while another resigned. The enlisted soldier who allowed the whiskey to be smuggled into the academy was sentenced to a month of hard labor and lost his whiskey ration for a month.

The damages totaled about $170, which is about $3,500 today.

Our question,

On this date in 1823, “A Visit From St. Nicholas” was published for the first time.

Here are some facts you may not have known about what has come to be known as “The Night Before Christmas.”

The poem was originally published anonymously in the Sentinel newspaper in Troy, New York.

In 1837, it was attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, a professor of literature and divinity at the Episcopal General Theological Seminary in New York.

Moore owned much of what is now the Chelsea neighborhood in Manhattan. He made a fortune subdividing his property, which included an apple orchard on which the seminary was built.

Moore claimed authorship of “A Visit From St. Nicholas” in 1844 when he included it in an anthology of his poems, at the request of his children.

The professor is said to have written the poem while on a sleigh ride during a shopping trip. Moore was a friend of writer Washington Irving, and borrowed several ideas from Irving’s description of St. Nicholas, including the idea of the flying sleigh.

The eight reindeer, however, were named for the first time in Moore’s poem.

Originally, the names were Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder and Blixem. Dunder eventually became Donner and Blixem became Blitzen. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer didn’t make his debut until a 1939 advertisement for the Montgomery Ward department store.

Moore’s poem follows the story of a father who wakes up to a noise outside his house on Christmas Eve night. He looks out the window and sees St. Nicholas’ sleigh flying through the sky, eventually landing on the roof of the house. St. Nicholas comes into the house through the chimney and leaves presents for the children. He notices the father and winks at him. St. Nicholas then touches his nose and rises up the chimney to the roof from where he and the reindeer leave.

The poem in written in anapestic tetrameter, which is a familiar not only from “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” but also many works by Dr. Seuss. The meter consists of four sets of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable in each line, for instance: 1-2-3 1-2-3 1-2-3 1-2-3.

Some have argued that Moore didn’t write the poem at all, and that it was written by Henry Livingston Jr. Despite these claims, the consensus seems to be that that Moore was the actual author.

Clement Clarke Moore died in 1863 in Newport, Rhode Island at the age of 83.

Our question, What do the names Donner and Blitzen mean in German?

Today is Victory Day in Egypt, Night of the Radishes in Oaxaca, Mexico and Festivus, a holiday popularized by the sitcom “Seinfeld,” so get ready for the airing of grievances and feats of strength. It’s the birthday of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon church, Japanese Emperor Akihito and Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder.

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Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Visit_from_St._Nicholas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clement_Clarke_Moore

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus%27s_reindeer

https://en.wikipedia.

Lady Bird Johnson poses for a portrait behind the White House (Photo by Robert Knudsen/White House Press Office via Wikimedia Commons)

Today is the birthday of Lady Bird Johnson, the wife of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Here are some things you may not have known about her.

She was born Claudia Alta Taylor in Karnack, Texas in 1912. When she was a baby, her nurse said that she was as “purty as a ladybird” and the nickname stuck. Her father was the son of a sharecropper, who became a wealthy landowner and businessman. Her mother died when Lady Bird was five years old of complications from a miscarriage suffered after she fell down a flight of stairs. Lady Bird was raised largely by her mother’s sister Effie, who moved to Texas after her mother’s death.

To attend high school, Lady Bird moved in with a family in the town of Jefferson, Texas. She graduated third in her class after letting her grades slip so she wouldn’t have to give a valedictorian speech at her graduation ceremony. She attended the University of Alabama for a summer before returning to Texas and enrolling at St. Mary’s Episcopal College for Women, a junior college in Dallas. After graduation, she enrolled at the University of Texas, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in history and another in journalism.

In 1934, she met Lyndon Baines Johnson, who was working for Congressman Richard Kleberg. Johnson proposed marriage on their first date. Lady Bird accepted 10 weeks later and they were married in November 1934 in San Antonio, Texas. They had two daughters, Lynda Bird and Luci Baines, meaning all four family members had the initials LBJ; five if you include their dog “Little Beagle Johnson.“

Lady Bird used $10,000 of her inheritance from her mother to help fund Lyndon’s first campaign for Congress, which he won. While in office, Lyndon enlisted in the Navy and Lady Bird ran his congressional office. In 1943, Lady Bird used another part of her inheritance to buy a radio station in Austin, Texas. In 1952, she bought a television station as well. The media properties made her the first president’s wife to become a millionaire in her own right.

Lyndon Johnson served in the House of Representatives from 1937 until 1949, when he won election to the Senate after a highly controversial Democratic primary election. He eventually rose to become the Senate Majority Leader. In 1960 he decided to run for president. He was unsuccessful, but ended up nominated to be vice president under John F. Kennedy. During the campaign, Lady Bird Johnson filled in for Jacqueline Kennedy at many events, during Kennedy’s pregnancy. Kennedy and Johnson were elected in November 1960 and took office the next January. Lady Bird continued to fill in at events the first lady couldn’t attend.

In November 1963, John F. Kennedy was assassinated and Lyndon Baines Johnson became the 36th President of the United States.

As first lady, Lady Bird Johnson became well known for several beautification projects. The first, the Society for a More Beautiful National Capital, focused on improving conditions in Washington, D.C. She worked to protect wildflowers and plant them along highways. Later she pushed the Highway Beautification Act to limit billboards and plant flowers along highways across the country. The act became known as “Lady Bird’s Bill.” She also convinced her husband to run for his own term as president in 1964. She campaigned tirelessly for him and helped him defeat Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater in the general election.

Lyndon Johnson did not run for re-election in 1968 and t...