Walter Botts (1900-72)  posing as Uncle Sam in front of the
iconic poster, ca. 1970.

Artist James Montgomery Flagg referred to his own mirror image
for the portrait of “Uncle Sam” he created for the cover of the July
6, 1916 issue of Leslie’s Weekly. The figure in the long-tailed coat,
stove pipe hat and sideburns was captioned “What Are You Doing
for Preparedness?”
When asked to update the highly effective image for use in World
War 2, Flagg hired a Hoosier-born veteran who’d posed for Norman Rockwell. According to his widow’s memoir, Walter Botts was
chosen over other models for Flagg’s Army poster “because he
had the longest arms, the longest nose, and the bushiest
eyebrows.”

Botts reportedly suggested the pointing gesture when the artist
asked “Walt, what are you going to do with your long arms,
sitting there?”

James Montgomery Flagg
(June 18, 1877 – May 27, 1960)

They were the most successful American pop group of the 1960s—
a group whose 12 #1 hits in the first full decade of the rock and roll
era places them behind only Elvis and the Beatles in terms of chart dominance. They helped define the very sound of the 60s, but like
fellow icons the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel, they came apart
in the first year of the 70s. The curtain closed for good on Diana
Ross and the Supremes on January 14, 1970, at the Frontier Hotel
in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Congress set January 7, 1789 as the date by which states are
required to choose electors for the country’s first presidential 
election. A month later, on February 4, George Washington was 
elected president by state electors and sworn into office (above) 
on April 30, 1789.

George Washington 1789 Election Poster.

At 7:22 a.m., Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States 
died from a bullet wound inflicted the night before by John Wilkes 
Booth, an actor and Confederate sympathizer. The president’s death came only six days after the surrender of Confederate General Robert
E. Lee and his massive army, effectively ending the American Civil
War.

John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865)

The Oregon State Fire Marshal is calling on a new mascot to help prevent
wildfires.

Wednesday, the Oregon State Fire Marshal tweeted out graphics featuring
Bigfoot and encouraging safe fire practices.

A campaign featuring Smokey and the slogan "Smokey Says –
Care Will Prevent 9 out of 10 Forest Fires" began in 1944. His
later slogan, "Remember Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires"
was created in 1947 and was associated with Smokey Bear
for more than five decades. In April 2001, the message was
officially updated to "Only You Can Prevent Wildfires."