Joseph Alexander Wood (died 1912)

In 1813, on March 29th, in the Mexican War of Independence, the Battle of Rosillo Creek took place. The Republican Army of the North defeated the Spanish Royalist Army in present-day Bexar County, Texas. On April 1st, the Royalists surrendered to the Republican Army. On April 6th, the Republican Army issued a draft declaration of independence.

In 1863, on June 20th, West Virginia was admitted as the 35th state of the United States. West Virginia was formed when the pro-Union citizens in northwest Virginia wanted to separate from Virginia - which had joined the Confederacy.

In 1872, on December 4th, the empty American ship Mary Celeste was found in the Atlantic Ocean. Still seaworthy, under partial sail, and with one lifeboat missing, what happened on her is still a mystery. Her cargo and provisions were intact and she was used as a cargo vessel for another 12 years but the people onboard were never seen again

In 1905, the Niagara Falls conference was held in Fort Erie, Ontario. Led by W.E.B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter, a group of African-American men met in opposition to racial segregation and disenfranchisement. Booker T. Washington had been calling for policies of accommodation and conciliation and these two men, along with the others who attended the conference, felt that this was accomplishing nothing. The group was the precursor to the NAACP.

In 1912, in the year of Joseph Alexander Wood's passing, in October, former President Theodore Roosevelt was shot, but not killed, while campaigning for another term as President with the newly created Bull Moose (Progressive) Party. John Schrank was a Bavarian-born saloon-keeper from New York who had been stalking Roosevelt when he shot him just before a campaign speech. Shot in the chest (and showing the audience his bloody shirt), Roosevelt went on to give a 55 to 90 minute talk (reports vary on the length) before being treated for the injury. After 8 days in the hospital, Roosevelt went back on the campaign trail.