Minnie Lou (Wyly) Randolph (died 1967)

In 1846, on April 25th, conflict widened in Texas' border disputes with Mexico, following the US annexation of Texas. On May 13th, the United States declared war on Mexico and the Mexican-American War officially began.

In 1883, on May 24th, the Brooklyn Bridge - one of the oldest bridges in the US - was opened to traffic. Bridge construction began in 1869 and took 14 years to complete.

In 1896, on August 17th, the first pedestrian v car fatality occurred in Great Britain. Bridget Driscoll, age 44, was walking with her family on the grounds of The Crystal Palace in London when she was hit by a car driven by Arthur James Edsall. Edsall claimed to be going 4.5 mph and Driscoll's death was ruled an "accidental death" after an inquest.

In 1940, in July, Billboard published its first Music Popularity Chart. Top recordings of the year were Tommy Dorsey's "I'll Never Smile Again" (vocal Frank Sinatra) - 12 weeks at the top, Bing Crosby's "Only Forever" - 9 weeks at the top, and Artie Shaw's "Frenesi" - 12 weeks at the top.

In 1967, in the year of Minnie Lou (Wyly) Randolph's passing, on October 2nd, Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as the first black US Supreme Court justice. Marshall was the great-grandson of a slave and graduated first in his class at Howard University Law School. His nomination to the Supreme Court was approved by the Senate, 69 to 11.