Truman Martin (died 1916)

In 1829, on July 23rd, in the United States, William Burt obtained the first patent for a kind of typewriter - an earlier one had been made in Italy in 1808. The typographer, as it was called, was a rectangular wooden box 12 inches wide, 12 inches high, and 18 inches long. It worked by depressing a rotating lever so that an inked letter made contact with the paper.

In 1854, on May 30th, the Kansas–Nebraska Act became law. The act created both the Kansas Territory and the Nebraska Territory, which would determine for themselves if they would be pro-slavery or free. Both territories allowed slavery but it caused contention within the territories.

In 1871, on October 8th, 4 major fires started on the shores of Lake Michigan - in Chicago (Illinois), Peshtigo (Wisconsin), Holland (Michigan) and Manistee (Michigan). The Chicago fire is the most well known of them because it left almost 100,000 people homeless. But the Peshtigo Fire killed around 2,500 people. The casualty count made it the deadliest fire in US history.

In 1896, on January 28th, the first ticket for speeding - called "furious driving" - was issued. Walter Arnold of Kent England was fined 1 shilling plus costs - for going 8 mph. The speed limit was 2 mph.

In 1916, in the year of Truman Martin's passing, the U.S. National Park Service - part of the Department of the Interior - was created by an act of Congress in August. The Park Service was charged with the dual role of "preserving the ecological and historical integrity of the places entrusted to its management while also making them available and accessible for public use and enjoyment". The resources managed by the National Park Service have often been referred to as the "crown jewels" of the United States.