James Melvin Henry (died 1880)

In 1808, on February 6th, the ship Topaz - which had sailed out of Boston, hunting seals - rediscovered Pitcairn Island. The mutineers from the HMS Bounty had gone there after the mutiny in April of 1789. Only one HMS Bounty mutineer was still alive, John Adams, who had changed his name to Alexander Smith.

In 1814, mechanical engineer George Stephenson - who taught himself to read and write at age 18 - built the first practical steam locomotive. Named Blücher, the train was built to haul coal. It could haul 30 tons of coal up a hill at 4 mph.

In 1844, on June 6th in London, George Williams set up the first YMCA based on the idea of a healthy "body, mind, and spirit" - what he considered Christian values. Now headquartered in Geneva Switzerland, there are over 57 million worldwide beneficiaries and 125 national associations.

In 1851, on April 28th, Santa Clara College - now Santa Clara University - was chartered. A private Jesuit college, it has remained in the same location for over 165 years. Originally all students were men but women were admitted in 1961.

In 1880, in the year of James Melvin Henry's passing, on August 26th, P. T. Barnum and James A. Bailey signed a contract in Bridgeport, CT, creating the Barnum & Bailey Circus. Twenty-seven years later, the Barnum and Bailey would merge with another circus, Ringling Brothers.