On January 26, 1961, just about a week after his inauguration,
President John F. Kennedy appointed Janet Travell, 59 (above),
as his personal physician, making her the first woman in history
to hold the post.

Dr. Travell possessed an impressive resume that included
graduating with honors from Wellesley College, internships
in cardiology, a professorship in clinical pharmacology at
Cornell University and an established reputation as a pioneer
in the treatment of chronic myofascial pain.

Dr. Travell with President Kennedy.

Janet Graeme Travell (December 17, 1901 – August 1, 1997)

Canned beer made its debut on January 24, 1935. In partnership
with the American Can Company, the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company delivered 2,000 cans of Krueger’s Finest Beer and
Krueger’s Cream Ale to faithful Krueger drinkers in Richmond,
Virginia. Ninety-one percent of the drinkers approved of the
canned beer, driving Krueger to give the green light to further production.

The purchase of cans, unlike bottles, did not require the consumer
to pay a deposit. Cans were also easier to stack, more durable
and took less time to chill. As a result, their popularity continued
to grow throughout the 1930s, and then exploded during World
War II, when U.S. brewers shipped millions of cans of beer to
soldiers overseas.

On January 5, 1933, construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge,
as workers began excavating 3.25 million cubic feet of dirt for the structure’s
huge anchorages.

Following the Gold Rush boom that began in 1849, speculators
realized the land north of San Francisco Bay would increase in
value in direct proportion to its accessibility to the city. Soon, a
plan was hatched to build a bridge that would span the Golden
Gate, a narrow, 400-foot deep strait that serves as the mouth of
the San Francisco Bay, connecting the San Francisco Peninsula
with the southern end of Marin County.

Construction underway on a pylon on the south shore of the Golden
Gate Bridge project.

Members of the Halfway to Hell Club bridge construction crew
became celebrities in the Bay Area.

Fact: The US Navy originally planned to paint the
bridge with black and yellow stripes to ensure
visibility for passing ships.

President Franklin Pierce placed the first Christmas Tree in
the White House in 1856. Pierce was elected the 14th U.S.
President, serving from 1853 – 1857.

Franklin Pierce
(November 23, 1804 – October 8, 1869)

Although many credit our modern day Santa to Thomas Nast,
Santa’s jolly look all started in 1931 with legendary illustrator
Haddon Sundblom for a Coca-Cola holiday ad campaign. His
Santa has become one of the most beloved cultural icons and
an anticipated part of the Christmas holiday tradition. 
 

Haddon Hubbard "Sunny" Sundblom (June 22, 1899 – March 10, 1976)