September 21, 1981 - Sandra Day O'Connor appointed as the first female Supreme Court justice

Sandra Day O’Connor being sworn in as a 

Supreme Court Justice on Sept 25, 1981. 

Beside O’Connor is her husband,

 holding two family Bibles.

On this day in history, Sandra Day O’ Connor was elected as the first female Supreme Court Justice, a position she retained for the next twenty-four years. She is known as one of the great women in U.S. History for her work in helping to pave the way for women’s participation and advancement in government and politics. When she was elected, the Supreme Court building did not even have a separate bathroom for women. [1]

O’Connor was born on March 26, 1930 in El Paso, Texas to a family of ranchers. In recent years and after all her accomplishments, O’Connor has still referred to herself as simply a “retired cowgirl.” She attended Stanford University and graduated with a degree in economics in 1950 and then from its law school, from which she graduated in two years as number three in her class in 1952.[2]

Even with all of her academic accomplishments, she had difficulty finding a job as an attorney when she graduated because, at the time, women were not hired as attorneys at most law firms. Over the next few decades, O’Connor worked as a county attorney in California, a lawyer in Germany, at a private practice in Arizona, as Arizona’s assistant attorney general, and finally, in 1969, she was elected to fill an Arizona State Senate vacancy and was reelected for two terms. All of her years of working entry level positions eventually paid off and she became the judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court, where she gains a reputation as a strong, fair, law-minded judge.[3]

It came as no surprise that O’Connor’s reputation and public service would soon catch the attention of President Reagan, who appointed her as the first female Supreme Court Justice. She was singlehandedly helping to change Americans’ views of women in politics often because she was relatable and understood the people and the changes they wanted to see. Sandra Day O’Connor was known as a “person for all seasons” meaning that she was able to adapt to America’s changing social, political and economic issues. [4]She often was the deciding vote on important issues because she was adept at reading the general consensus of the Supreme Court, acting as a mediator of sorts or “consensus builder.”[5] She fully believed that judges were not qualified to create laws or be involved in legislation, but that a judge’s job was to interpret the law and judge accordingly.

Painting of O’Connor, created by Danni Dawson in

 1999 - part of the Supreme Court Collection

Sandra Day O’Connor is a great woman in U.S. history, not only because of her amazing achievements as a Supreme Court Justice, but because she is a strong woman and a role model for younger generations of Americans, especially women. In 1988, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, underwent a full mastectomy and ultimately beat it, becoming a survivor. [6] In 2006, O’Connor retired as Supreme Court Justice in order to care for her husband, who eventually died of Alzheimer’s disease. [7]

Since her retirement in 2006, she has not slowed down. She actively promotes the removal of the elections of judges because she still feels that judges should not be loyal to anyone meaning that judges should be loyal to the Constitution. [8]She believes that being elected creates an illusion of integrity and justness, instead of judges being completely unbiased and law-minded. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 from President Barack Obama for her many years of public service.[9]She stated in a recent interview that she felt an immense responsibility to future generations of females, because “I felt a special responsibility… I could either do an adequate job so it would be possible for other women to be appointed without people saying, ‘Oh , see, a woman can’t do it’, so it became very important that I perform in a way that wouldn’t provide some reason or cause not to have more women in the future. That was very important to me.” [10]

- Amanda D., Jordan C., and Tony W.





[1] “'Out Of Order' At The Court: O'Connor On Being The First Female Justice.” The NPR Books, http://www.npr.org/2013/03/05/172982275/out-of-order-at-the-court-oconnor-on-being-the-first-female-justice (accessed Sep 5, 2013).

[2] "Sandra Day O'Connor," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/sandra-day-oconnor-9426834 (accessed Sep 5, 2013); “Sandra Day O’Connor Fast Facts,” The CNN Library, http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/30/us/sandra-day-oconnor-fast-facts/index.html (accessed Sep 5, 2013).

[3] “Sandra Day O’Connor Fast Facts,” The CNN Library, http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/30/us/sandra-day-oconnor-fast-facts/index.html (accessed Sep 5, 2013).

[4] Hayes, Hannah. “Sandra Day O’Connor: The Center Vote that Counted.” Perspectives Magazine, Fall Issue 2005, Vol.14, N.2 http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/publishing/perspectives_magazine/women_perspectives_SandraDayOconnorFall2005.authcheckdam.pdf (accessed Sep 5, 2013).

[5] Hayes, Hannah. “Sandra Day O’Connor: The Center Vote that Counted.” Perspectives Magazine, Fall Issue 2005, Vol.14, N.2 http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/publishing/perspectives_magazine/women_perspectives_SandraDayOconnorFall2005.authcheckdam.pdf (accessed Sep 5, 2013).

[6] "Sandra Day O'Connor," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/sandra-day-oconnor-9426834 (accessed Sep 5, 2013); “Sandra Day O’Connor Fast Facts,” The CNN Library, http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/30/us/sandra-day-oconnor-fast-facts/index.html (accessed Sep 5, 2013).

[7] “'Out Of Order' At The Court: O'Connor On Being The First Female Justice.” The NPR Books, http://www.npr.org/2013/03/05/172982275/out-of-order-at-the-court-oconnor-on-being-the-first-female-justice (accessed Sep 5, 2013).

[8] "Sandra Day O'Connor," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/sandra-day-oconnor-9426834 (accessed Sep 5, 2013); “Sandra Day O’Connor Fast Facts,” The CNN Library, http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/30/us/sandra-day-oconnor-fast-facts/index.html (accessed Sep 5, 2013).

[9] "Sandra Day O'Connor," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/sandra-day-oconnor-9426834 (accessed Sep 5, 2013).

[10] “'Out Of Order' At The Court: O'Connor On Being The First Female Justice.” The NPR Books, http://www.npr.org/2013/03/05/172982275/out-of-order-at-the-court-oconnor-on-being-the-first-female-justice (accessed Sep 5, 2013).

September 19, 1881 - President James A. Garfield dies from an assassin's bullet

On this day in 1881, President James A Garfield died. He was the 20th president of the United States, in the year of 1881. President Garfield attended two colleges Hiram and Williams College; he graduated in1856 Garfield was married to Lucretia Rudolph from the year 1858 till his death; also they had seven children together. President Garfield before becoming president was a teacher. This is significant because he was an average man, he had a wife and a family and before becoming president he was a schoolteacher. [1]

During Garfield’s term he created two policies theses policies was one of his short-term accomplishments. The domestic policy which was “Garfield’s federal appointments suggested an independent reformist leader, James went head to head with New York senator Roscoe Conkling who had expected to name the federal jobs available in his state. Boss Conkling resigned in protest over Garfield’s choices to run the customhouse, fully expecting that his state legislature would re-instate him; they did not. [2] Another policy that he has tried to accomplish was the foreign policy was Garfield’s second policy. Garfield’s organized, with his Secretary of State James Blaine, Pan-American conference. His untimely death precluded any such meeting until 1889.

James A. Garfield died at the age of 49, he was assassinated by Charles j. Guiteau. On July 2,1881 Garfield was going to take a brake from the conflicts of the presidency so he took a vacation.[3] Since when does a president get to take a brake? He was in a good mood that morning. As Garfield went to the train station every thing seemed fine an observer in the station would haven’t notice any thing unusual. It was a normal day people reading newspapers waiting for there train people buying tickets, Then from out of the crowd, a small man approached Garfield from behind and quickly fired two shots at the president. The bullet hit him shattering bones and punching threw vessels, and arteries before coming to rest somewhere deep inside the internal organs. Garfield body dropped to the floor the shooter scattered back into the crowds of witnesses. Everyone started running and shouting for help, as people got close to see what the commotion was all about. The short man that had shoot Garfield was seen by one of the guards, and grab him, and the guard was surprised the man didn’t put up a fight. Garfield was carried out of the station, and the shooter was sent to jail. Garfield spent 2 and half months in the hospital, and died on September 19, 1881.[4]

Charles Julius Guiteau was a murderer, he had an illness of insanity. His only murder occurred on July 2nd 1881, his victim was the 20th president James Garfield.His method for killing president Garfield was shooting him with a .44 Webley British Bulldog revolver. Charles was arrested the same day as his first murder, he was held in the Washington District of Columbia, USA. So what proved that he was truly insane was he had a delusional thought that if he killed the president then he would become president himself. Charles believed that god was commanding him to kill the president so he got fifteen dollars bought 44 Webley British Bulldog revolver and then attended target practice to ensure his plan to kill the president. Not only did he believe god wanted him to do this he had the thought of becoming famous, Charles said he wanted the gun to look nice in a museum. His plan for the revolver being in a museum wasn’t successful in the end because the revolver has been lost. President Garfield lived after Charles shot him, but became very ill due to the doctor DW Bliss’s mistake of getting the medal prop stuck between his 11th rib and the bullet fragment. Doctor DW Bliss then messed up again by sticking his fingers into the wound, which widened the wound , come to find out the doctor never found the bullet and it ended up traveling to his spinal cord. This caused the president to have numbness in his legs and feet. Over time his temperature began to elevate so the doctors reopened the wound hoping to find the bullet. Unfortunately they were unsuccessful, they turned a 3 inch harmless wound into a 20 inch long infected gash. The night of September 19th gripping his chest he muttered this pain , this pain while suffering from a major heart attack that only lasted a few minutes causing his death.[5]

- Devon T. and Ezekiel V.



[1] “American president, James a. Garfeild”, Miller Center University of Virginia , September 13 2013, http://millercenter.org/president/garfield.

[2] “President James Garfield dies”, History, September 13 2013, http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/president-james-garfield-dies.

[3] “President James a. Garfield”, Find the Data, September 13 2013, http://us-http://presidents.findthedata.org/l/28/James-A-Garfield.

[4] “Charles J Guiteau”, Crime library, September 13 2013, http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/terrorists_spies/assassins/charles_guiteau/index.html.

[5] “Charles Julius Guiteau”, Murderpedia, Septemeber 18 2013, http://murderpedia.org/male.G/g/guiteau-charles.htm.

September 17, 1911 - Calbraith Rodgers began the first successfully completed transcontinental flight across the United States

The plane Rodgers flew on his transcontinental flight

On September 17, 1911, pilot Calbraith Rodgers began the first transcontinental flight across the United States. He only took a 90-minute flying instruction class before he flew this plane.[i] When he flew the plane, he was only 32 years old. Cal Rodgers only started to learn how to fly an airplane in June of 1911 at Wright School at Simms Station, Dayton, Ohio. He was a great motorcycle and an automobile racer all before becoming a pilot. Rodgers became deaf in one ear after a childhood accident. Although he couldn’t hear well, he was still able to fly a plane. Rodgers didn’t live too long after his flight made history. Rodgers was only flying airplanes for eight years. In April of 1912, he took flight in Long Beach, Long Island, New York and he encountered a bird, which caused him to crash into the water. When he crashed into the water he broke his neck causing his death. Rodgers was only 33 years old when he passed away.[ii]

Rodgers took off from New York City to start his first flight across the United States on September 17, 1911. A newspaper editor named William Randolph Hearst offered Rodgers a $50,000 prize by finishing the trip in less than 30 days.[iii] As Rodger flies the plane, he snagged a tree and crashed to the ground. He crashed the plane over 15 times.[iv] Rodgers made multiple visits to various hospitals around the United States because he was injured from crashing the plane. He finally reached his destination in Pasadena, California.[v] When he arrived on the West coast, he had to repair his plane so many times so he was able continue his journey. Rodgers was very determined to finish his journey around the United States.

This event in history was very important because it was the first transcontinental flight. Rodgers hoped to win the $50,000. Because he crashed his plane so many times, he lost out on the prize. Even though he didn’t win the prize, he still persevered to make history. According to people Rodger’s trip from coast to coast is one of the most memorable airplane journeys ever taken in history. [vi]

- Tiffany C. and Kara R. G.




[i] "Sept. 17, 1911: First Transcontinental Flight Takes Weeks." Wired.com. 17 Sept. 2009. Conde Nast Digital. 10 Sept. 2013 <http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2009/09/0917transcontinental-flight/>.

[ii] "Sept. 17, 1911: First Transcontinental Flight Takes Weeks." Wired.com. 17 Sept. 2009. Conde Nast Digital. 10 Sept. 2013 <http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2009/09/0917transcontinental-flight/>.

[iii] "Sept. 17, 1911: First Transcontinental Flight Takes Weeks." Wired.com. 17 Sept. 2009. Conde Nast Digital. 10 Sept. 2013 <http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2009/09/0917transcontinental-flight/>.

[iv] "First Transcontinental Flight." First Transcontinental Flight. 10 Sept. 2013 <http://www.firstflightcentennial.org/first-transcontinental-flight/>.

[v] "Sept. 17, 1911: First Transcontinental Flight Takes Weeks." Wired.com. 17 Sept. 2009. Conde Nast Digital. 10 Sept. 2013 <http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2009/09/0917transcontinental-flight/>.

[vi] "First Transcontinental Flight." First Transcontinental Flight. 10 Sept. 2013 <http://www.firstflightcentennial.org/first-transcontinental-flight/>.