More than 1,000 people taking a pleasure trip on New York City’s
East River were drowned or burned to death when a fire swept
through the boat. This was one of the United States’ worst
maritime disasters.

The riverboat-style steamer General Slocum was built in 1890
and used mostly as a vehicle for taking large groups on day
outings. On June 15, the St. Mark’s German Lutheran Church
assembled a group of 1,360 people, mostly children and teachers,
for their annual Sunday School picnic.

The picnic was to take place at Locust Point in the Bronx after
a cruise up the East River on the General Slocum.

At about 9 a.m., the dangerously overcrowded boat left its dock
in Manhattan with Captain William Van Schaik in charge. As the
boat passed 83rd Street, accounts indicate that a child spotted
a fire in a storeroom.

Wembley, one of the largest tie manufacturers in the U.S.,
was founded in 1936 in New Orleans.

Henry Ossian Flipper (March 21, 1856 – April 26, 1940)

Flipper, born into slavery in Thomasville, Georgia, became the
first African American cadet to graduate from the United States
Military Academy at West Point, New New York on June 14, 1877.

After losing his commission in the Army, Henry Flipper
worked throughout Mexico and Latin America as an
assistant to the Secretary of the Interior. He retired
to Atlanta in 1931 and died of natural causes.

The United States Military Academy—the first military school
in America—was founded by Congress in 1802 for the purpose
of educating and training young men in the theory and practice
of military science.

June 14, 1777: During the American Revolution, the
Continental Congress adopted a resolution stating
“the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate
stripes red and white” and that “the Union be thirteen
stars, white in a blue field, representing a new
Constellation.”      

       
According to legend, Philadelphia seamstress Betsy
Ross designed the new canton for the Stars and
Stripes, which consisted of a circle of 13 stars and
a blue background, at the request of General George
Washington. Historians have been unable to prove
or disprove this legend.          

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential
proclamation that designated June 14 as Flag Day.

The United States Army also celebrates the U.S. Army
birthday on this date, as Congress adopted the American
continental army after reaching a consensus position on        
June 14, 1775.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Your Portland bus rides are getting much
more colorful this June: TriMet is rolling out a bus decorated
with an artistic rendition of the LGBTQ+ flag!

To recognize Pride Month, TriMet is debuting a bus featuring
art by Portland artist Daniel Quasar, entitled “From Progress
To Beyond.”
KATU