Vuilleumier-Baur-Bachamann Elisabeth (born 1841)

In 1841, in the year that Vuilleumier-Baur-Bachamann Elisabeth was born, on February 4th, James Morris wrote about Groundhog Day in his diary - the first known reference to the day in North America. He wrote: "Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate."

In 1864, on April 22nd, the Coinage Act of 1864 was passed by Congress. It mandated that "In God We Trust" was to be placed on all United States coins and created a 2 cent coin. Later - in 1956 - "In God We Trust" replaced "E Pluribus Unum" - which means out of many, one - as the national motto.

In 1896, in April, the first study on global warming due to CO2 - carbon dioxide - in the atmosphere was published by Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius. Arrhenius concluded that human activity due to the Industrial Revolution would amplify CO2 in the atmosphere, causing a greenhouse effect. His conclusions have been extensively tested in the ensuing 100+ years and are still seen to hold true.

In 1917, the NHL (National Hockey League) was established as a response to the demise of the National Hockey Association (NHA). The first superstar of the League was "Phantom" Joe Malone of the Montreal Canadiens, a leading scorer with records that still stand. The Canadiens won the NHL championship over the Senators.

In 1957, on October 4th, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the first man made earth-orbiting satellite - and triggered the Space Race. Sputnik I was only 23 inches in diameter and had no tracking equipment, only 4 antennas, but it had a big impact.