Leonard Francis O'Brien (died 1945)

In 1853, on March 4th, Franklin Pierce became the 14th President of the United States. His son had been killed in a train accident that also involved Pierce and his wife on January 6 - the only of 3 sons to survive until then. Due to the resultant depression and his unpopular policies, he was not re-nominated for President and served only one term.

In 1865, on July 5th, the U.S. Secret Service was created. The first duty of the Secret Service was investigating counterfeit money. Duties soon expanded to murder, bank robbery, and illegal gambling - and, after the assassination of President McKinley in 1901, presidential protection.

In 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist fire occurred, one of the deadliest industrial disasters in U.S. history. 146 workers (123 women and 23 men, many of them recent Jewish and Italian immigrants) died from the fire or by jumping to escape the fire and smoke. The garment factory was on the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of a building in Greenwich Village in Manhattan. Doors to stairwells and exits had been locked in order to prevent workers from taking unauthorized breaks and to prevent theft, so they couldn't escape by normal means when the fire broke out. Due to the disaster, legislation was passed to protect sweatshop workers.

In 1921, on March 4, Warren G. Harding became President. Previously a U.S. Senator, Lieutenant Governor, and Ohio State Senator, Harding was a popular President. But many scandals plagued his short administration (he died in office after 2 and a half years), including the revelations of one of his mistresses and the Teapot Dome scandal. Historically, Harding is rated as one of the worst Presidents.

In 1945, in the year of Leonard Francis O'Brien's passing, on April 12th, Harry S. Truman sworn in as President of the United States at 7p in Washington, D.C. His first term lasted 3 years and 283 days - then he ran for re-election.