On This Day, 1864. Did Abraham Lincoln write this famous letter? The president allegedly wrote a letter of condolence to a Lydia Bixby, who reportedly lost five sons in the Civil War (more) 
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Ironically, Mrs. Bixby herself was said to have supported the Confederacy, and records show that two, not five, of her sons died. Scholars have never been able to prove conclusively that Lincoln wrote the letter, which was portrayed in “Saving Private Ryan.”
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Ironically, Mrs. Bixby herself was said to have supported the Confederacy, and records show that two, not five, of her sons died. Scholars have never been able to prove conclusively that Lincoln wrote the letter, which was portrayed in “Saving Private Ryan.”
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Many Lincoln scholars believe he did write the Bixby letter, though others say his secretary John Hay was the author
Many Lincoln scholars believe he did write the Bixby letter, though others say his secretary John Hay was the author
Hitler? He's not as bad as you think - claimed several "relable, well-informed sources" in this New York Times profile - on this day in 1922
With one day to live, President Kennedy set off for Texas, to mend Democratic fences ahead of his 1964 re-election campaign. Jacqueline Kennedy was making her first-ever visit to the Lone Star State
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Lyndon Johnson had been attacked in Dallas in 1960 and UN Ambassador Adlai Stevenson was attacked in October 1963. Kennedy himself hated Dallas and was leery of visiting. His motorcade route through Big D was published in the papers, where it was seen by Lee Harvey Oswald
Lyndon Johnson had been attacked in Dallas in 1960 and UN Ambassador Adlai Stevenson was attacked in October 1963. Kennedy himself hated Dallas and was leery of visiting. His motorcade route through Big D was published in the papers, where it was seen by Lee Harvey Oswald
Kennedy lost Dallas by a big margin in 1960, as did John Connally when he became Governor in 1962. From a 1962 conversation:
Kennedy: "I don't know why we do anything for Dallas."
Connally: "They just murdered all of us."
Kennedy: "I don't know why we do anything for Dallas."
Connally: "They just murdered all of us."
In Houston on Nov. 21, Kennedy spoke of Texas Rep. Albert Thomas, who was weighing retirement form Congress:
"I called him up on the phone and asked him to stay as long as I did. I didn't know how long that would be..."
"I called him up on the phone and asked him to stay as long as I did. I didn't know how long that would be..."
Kennedy was also a doodler. He sketched this sailboat on the letterhead of Houston's Rice Hotel the night before his death. Such artifacts occasionally come up for auction - WWR hopes to add one such item to his collection
As the Kennedys visited Houston, Dallas police chief Jesse Curry signed off on this memo for the next day's motorcade; the city - aware of its reputation for violence - had made elaborate security precautions
A Watergate bombshell: On this day in 1973, Richard Nixon’s attorney, J. Fred Buzhardt, revealed the presence of an 18-minute gap in a White House tape recording related to the scandal. It was a “smoking gun” that fueled further speculation about the president’s involvement
On This Day, 1974: The Freedom of Information Act was passed over Gerald Ford’s veto. It today provides expanded access to government files and allows secrecy classifications to be challenged in court and justified by the appropriate federal authorities
On This Day, 1989: A bill banning smoking on most domestic flights was signed into law by George H.W. Bush
Read this quote from President Lincoln - on this day, 1864:
