#OTD in Rhode Island History

#OTD July 26, 1880, the Newport Casino (@TennisHalloFame), designed by McKim, Mead, & White, & possibly the oldest sports complex in the US, held a soft opening "with guest admittance by invitation only." It was all, according to legend, result of a bet. #OnThisDay #RhodeIsland

#OTD July 25, 1965, Bob Dylan, known his acoustic guitar and harmonica, plugged in his electric at @Newportfolkfest and performed "Maggie's Farm". At the end of the song, some members of the audience booed Dylan. He then played 5 more songs. In this clip, you can hear the boos.

#OTD July 25, 1768, Immanuel Case, of North Kingstown (house pictured), ran a runaway ad in the Newport Mercury in which he offered a $5 reward for "a Negro man named Cuff; about 18 Years of Age, a short thickset Fellow, between 4 and 5 feet high with a long-built Head."

#OTD July 24, 1977, @NBC10 (with reporter Lynn Marvin) filmed a protest in Providence following a decision by RI Superior Court Justice Thomas Needham that held that married women could not use their birth names on their state driver's license.

#OTD July 24, 1901, the steamship USS Kearsage, the flagship of the Atlantic Squadron, accidentally fired a shell while at anchor in Narragansett Bay. According to the @nytimes, the shell struck a tree next to Newport's City Hall, which sustained damage from the shrapnel.

#OTD July 23, 1782, Providence issued a warrant for six women, including one "negro woman" & one "Indian or Mulatto Woman" for "Dishonest Conversation drinking, tipling, Whoring, and Misbehaving themselves." The warrant now resides in the @RIHistory archives. #OnThisDay

#OTD July 22, 1778, in the prelude to the Battle of Rhode Island, Comte d'Estaing (pictured), the Admiral of the French Navy, ordered his fleet to begin their sail from New York to British-occupied Newport in Narragansett Bay to assist the Americans in retaking Aquidneck Island.

#OTD July 21, 1690, Gov. John Easton ordered Captain Thomas Paine (house pictured), of Jamestown, to attack the French privateers occupying & plundering Block Island. Paine repelled the French forces-- the 1st naval victory over European forces in Rhode Island history. #OnThisDay

#OTD July 20, 1776, the Continental Congress' Declaration of Independence was read by 19-year-old Newport resident John Handy on the steps of the Old Colony House. Thirteen cannons were discharged at Fort Liberty, & a military brigade fired in thirteen divisions, east to west.

#OTD July 20, 1636, off the coast of Manisses ("Block Island"), Narragansett, Eastern Niantic, and Manissean men killed English trader John Oldham (his head 'cleft to the brains') & took control of his ship. Many consider this event caused the Pequot War. #OnThisDay #RhodeIsland

#OTD July 19, 1723, 26 pirates from the ship Ranger were hanged at Gravelly Point off Long Wharf in Newport. At the time, it was the largest pirate capture & the largest mass execution to occur in the British colonies. The site is now the @NewportRIYC. #OnThisDay #RhodeIsland

#OTD July 18, 1965, @NBC10 filmed a conversation in Providence between Mayor Joseph Doorely & civil rights activist Clifford Montiero about how best to redress issues with housing appraisals. Monteiro also mentions lack of representation on a particular commission. #OnThisDay

#OTD July 18, 1774, Solomon Southwick, printer & publisher of the Newport Mercury, he wrote of himself; "Undaunted by TYRANTS, he is determined to DIE or be FREE." In 1776, Southwick fled British-occupied Newport. He returned in 1780. #OnThisDay #RhodeIsland #History

#OTD July 18, 1768, Thomas Chadwick, of Newport, Rhode Island, ran a runaway ad for a "man named Quako, a short thickset fellow." Chadwick offered a two dollar reward for the return of Quako. Nonetheless, Quako escaped again in 1774.

#OTD July 17, 1954, the inaugural @NewportJazzFest, then known as the 1st Annual American Jazz Festival, was held at the Newport Casino (now @TennisHalloFame). It featured performances from Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald & Duke Ellington. Tickets were $3 to $5.

#OTD July 16, 1892, 'aeronaut' James Allen, of Providence, took off in the hot air balloon Royal Sovereign from Dexter Training Ground. Allen quickly lost control & was tossed from the balloon, breaking his leg. Over 4,000 people were gathered to witness the 'balloon ascension'.

#OTD July 15, 1861, Frank Ronien, a Corporal in the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment, wrote to his brother, Henry. Ronien noted that he posed for a photograph for the famed photographer Matthew Brady. That photograph was later found in a box at @provlib in 2015. #OnThisDay #RhodeIsland

American civilization now leans upon the triumph of gov’t, & how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood & suffering of the Revolution, & I am willing, perfectly willing to lay down all my joys in this life to help maintain this gov’t, & to pay that debt