Martha J Davis (born 1859)

In 1859, in the year that Martha J Davis was born, on February 27th, US Congressman Daniel Sickles shot and killed Philip Barton Key - a US. District Attorney and son of Francis Scott Key, writer of the national anthem, for having an affair with his wife. Sickles claimed temporary insanity - the first to do so - and was acquitted.

In 1869, on May 10th, North America's first transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory, by driving a "golden spike" or the "last spike" of the line. The spike was driven by Leland Stanford and is now displayed at Stanford University.

In 1880, 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.

In 1935, on September 8th, Louisiana Senator Huey Long was shot by Dr. Carl Weiss. Weiss was shot and killed immediately by Long's bodyguards - Long died two days later from his injuries. Long had received many death threats previously, as well as threats against his family. He was a powerful and controversial figure in Louisiana politics (and probably gained power through multiple criminal acts). His opponents became frustrated with their attempts to oust him and Dr. Weiss was the son-in-law of one of those opponents. His funeral was attended by 200,000 mourners.

In 1975, in January, Popular Mechanics featured the Altair 8800 on it's cover. The Altair home computer kit allowed consumers to build and program their own personal computers. Thousands were sold in the first month.