January

1
New Year's Day
Horace Greeley forswears distilled liquors, 1824, then moves to East Poultney to begin apprenticeship on local paper.

2
Elijah Paine, U.S. District Judge for Vermont 40 years, founder of Williamstown and Northfield, and Paine Turnpike, b. Brooklyn, N.Y. 1757.

3
Benning Wentworth grants land six miles square as Bennington to family and friends, 1749

5
Gov. Edward Smith (1898-1900), b. St. Albans, 1854

6
Gov. Thomas Chittenden (1778-89; 1790-7) b., Guilford, Conn., 1760; Gov. Paul Brigham b., Coventry, Conn., 1749; Gov. Ernest Gibson (1947-50) b., Brattleboro, 1901; Second State House burns, 1857

7
Landmark child labor law enacted, 1913; limits work week of children and women to 58 hours

8
Jacob Collamer, Vermont U.S. Representative, Judge, U.S. Senator, U.S. Postmaster-General, b. Troy, N.Y., 1791

9
Vermont Constitutional Convention provides for popular election of Justices of the Peace and county and probate officers, 1849

10
Vermont Constitutional Convention ratifies U.S. Constitution, Bennington, 1791; Gov. Carroll S. Page (1890-2) b. Westfield, 1843

12
Joseph Marsh, first Lieutenant Governor, b. Lebanon, Conn., 1726; Alden Partridge, founder of Norwich U., b. Norwich, 1785; Gov. Charles Gates (1915-7), b. Franklin, 1856

13
N.H. Legislature gives up claims to Vermont land and urges a speedy statehood, 1781.

14
Constitutional Convention of 1836 ratifies amendment creating 30 member Senate

15
First charter to Rockingham by Mass. ("Goldenstown"), 1735

16
Dorset Convention votes to represent the case of New Hampshire Grants to the Continental Congress, 1776; Westminster Convention declares New Connecticut a new and separate state, 1777

17
Thaddeus Fairbanks, inventor of platform scale, b. Brimfield, Mass, 1796

18
James Wilson, farmer-blacksmith, sells first globe, Bradford, 1810; National Life sells first insurance policy, 1850; Burlington votes to accept city charter, 1865

19
Vermont Legislature elects (prematurely) Stephen Row Bradley and Moses Robinson first U.S. Senators from Vermont, 1791

21
Ethan Allen b. Litchfield, Conn., 1738; Vermont Mutual Fire Insurance Co., first insurer in Vermont, founded, 1828

22
Mary Fletcher Hospital opens at Burlington, 1879

24
Gov. Charles Williams (1850-2) b. Cambridge, Mass, 1782; 50 degrees below zero, Montpelier and St. Johnsbury, 1857

25
Shays' Rebellion, western Massachusetts, 1786

26
Gov. Cornelius Van Ness (1823-5)b. Kinderhook, N.Y., 1782;

27
First Cadillac salesroom opens at 63-67 Main Street in Burlington, 1913; Vermont Senate rejects full voting franchise for women, 1911

28
Ground broken for first railroad construction in Vermont, Vermont Central line, Northfield, 1846; St. Michael's College incorporated, 1913; Dr. Jonas Fay, patriot, keeper of Catamount Tavern, b. Hardwick, Mass, 1737

30
Stephen Jacob sells state four and a half acres for its first state prison, Windsor, 1808

31
Ida M. Fuller of Ludlow receives first social security check ($22.54), #000-00-001, 1940

February

1
Frederick Billings of Woodstock, Vermont's most famous 49'er to join the Gold Rush and railroad builder, sails for California, 1849

2
George Edmunds, U.S. Rep., U.S. Sen., b. Richmond, 1828

3
Local option (sales of liquor) referendum passes, ending statewide prohibition, 1903

5
Worst railroad wreck in Vermont, many killed and injured, White River Bridge, Hartford, 1887

6
Vermont town meetings strenuously condemn Jeffersonian foreign policy on embargo, 1809

7
Gov. Horace Graham (1917-19) b. Brooklyn, NY, 1862

8
Isaac Tichenor, Gov. (1797-1807; 1808-9), U.S. Sen., Vermont Supreme Court judge, b. Newark, N.J., 1754

9
Gold discovered in California, 1848; Gov. Harold Arthur (1950-51), b. Whitehall, N.Y., 1904; Mari Tomasi, novelist, b. Montpelier, 1909

10
Treaty of Paris ends French and Indian War, population begins to swell in grants, 1763; State votes prohibition, 1853

11
Gov. Jonas Galusha (1815-20), b. Norwich, Conn., 1753; Vermont relinquishes all claims to towns in New York and New Hampshire on advice of George Washington in hope of imminent statehood, 1783

12
Lincoln's Birthday
First New Hampshire Union dissolved, 1779; first issue of Vermont's first newspaper, the weekly Vermont Gazette, Westminster, 1781

13
Julia C. Dorr, poet, b. Charleston, S.C., 1825

14
First Council of Censors issues its address, 1786; Julian Scott, artist, b. Johnson, 1841; Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley of Jericho photographs 100 flakes in a day (his record), 1928

15
Gov. Frederick Holbrook (1861-3), b. E. Windsor, Conn. 1813

17
Ethan Allen buried with full honors, Burlington, 1789; E.P. Walton, editor, U.S. Rep., b. Montpelier, 1812; Dorothy Canfield Fisher, b. Lawrence, Kan., 1879

18
Law passes admitting Vermont to Union, 1791 (effective March 4); Gov. Ryland Fletcher (1856-8), b. Cavendish, 1799; Gov. Richard Snelling (1977-85 and 1991), b. Allentown, Penn., 1927

20
Vermont adopts first state seal, designed by Ira Allen and cut by Reuben Dean, 1779; Stephen Row Bradley, U.S. Sen., b. Wallingford, Conn., 1752

21
Gov. John Barstow (1882-4), b. Shelburne, 1832; City of Burlington incorporated, 1805

22
Washington's Birthday; Pavilion Hotel opens, Montpelier, 1876; 1924 Calvin Coolidge delivers first radio broadcast from the White House

23
Gov. George Clinton discloses Haldimand negotiations between Vermont and Canada, calling it treason and delaying statehood, 1782

24
Gov. Levi Fuller (1892-4), b. Westmoreland, N.H., 1841

25
Gov. John Page (1867-9), b. Rutland, 1826; Thomas Davenport of Brandon patents first electric motor, 1837

26
Construction begins on the Great Bridge connecting Mount Independence to Fort Ticonderoga, 1777; State highway system created, 1931; 1929 Calvin Coolidge establishes Grand Teton National Park

28
Justin Morgan, breeder of horses, b. Springfield, Mass, 1747; Treaty of Paris, 1783, ends Revolutionary War

March

2
Congress counts the contested vote of Vermont Elector Henry Sollace, electing Rutherford Hayes President, 1877

3
First election of state officers, 1778. Green Mountain Parkway proposal to build a road along the spine of the Green Mountains defeated in statewide referendum, 1936

4
Vermont admitted as 14th State, 1791; Gov. John Mattocks (1843-4), b. Hartford, Conn., 1777; Gov. George Prouty (1908-10), b. Newport, 1862; Chester A. Arthur of Fairfield becomes Vice President, 1881; Levi P. Morton of Shoreham becomes Vice President, 1889; Calvin Coolidge of Plymouth Notch becomes Vice President, 1921.

5
Women first vote in town meetings, 1918; ten year timelock on Vermont Constitution changed to four years by referendum, 1974

6
First popular vote on amending the Vermont Constitution, 1883

7
D.W. Griffith films Way Down East with Lillian Gish, White River Jct., 1920; Amelia Earhardt speaks to Legislature on aviation, 1925

8
Mass. Gen. Conn. relinquishes all claims to Vermont, 1781

9
Post Offices first authorized in Vermont, 1784; Matthew Lyon elected U.S. Rep., 1797; first poor debtor's oath enacted, 1797

10
Mills DeForest Andros, Bradford native, killed at Alamo, 1836; Gov. Charles Bell (1904-6), b. Walden, 1845; first daily paper in Vermont, Burlington Free Press, 1848

11
Westminster Massacre, 1775; first union with New Hampshire towns, 1778; Green Mountain Club formed, 1910

12
Gov. Martin Chittenden (1813-5), b. Salisbury, Conn., 1769; first Legislature meets, Windsor, 1778; Land Embargo passed by Congress, 1808

13
Westminster Courthouse seized by 100 armed men in what became known as the "Westminster Massacre", 1775; Vermont's First Governor Thomas Chittenden inaugurated and Council first meets, 1778

14
Prisoners from Westminster Massacre sprung from jail by large force, 1775

15
George Perkins Marsh, author, naturalist, b. Woodstock, 1801

16
New York establishes Gloucester County, east side of Green Mountains, 1770

17
First General Assembly establishes two counties, Bennington (west) and Unity (east), 1778

21
Remember Baker arrested by N.Y. Justice, rescued by Green Mountain Boys, 1772; Common Law of England adopted by Vermont, 1778; Gov. Horace Fairbanks (1876-8), b. Barnet, 1820; Gov. William Stickney (1900-2), b. Plymouth, 1853

23
Edward Phelps of Burlington appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Great Britain, 1885; billboard law takes effect 1968

25
Samuel Robinson begins clearing land in Bennington, 1761 (first settlement of N.H. grant); Samuel Morey patents sidewheeler steamer, 1795

26
On Ira Allen's suggestion, the Legislature votes to confiscate and sell Tory estates to fund militia, 1778 (first Vermont tax); wind turbine on Grandpa's Knob crashes, 1945; Gov. Moses Robinson (1789-90), on first Supreme Court, b. Hardwick, Mass, 1744

28
1772 Windsor takes out second town charter to become part of the Royal Colony of New York

30
Catamount Tavern, early meeting house of Green Mountain Boys and Councils of Safety, burns to ground, 1871

31
First Town Meeting, Bennington, 1762; William Morris Hunt, artist, b. Brattleboro, 1824; Patrick Leahy, U.S. Senator, b. Montpelier, 1940

April

1
Customs official admits he can't enforce embargo without military force, 1808; Burlington Free Press founded as a daily paper, 1848; 3,000 Barre Granite workers march to protest 35% reduction in pay, National Guard called out, 1933

2
At Battle of Petersburg, VA, VT 3rd Reg. breaks siege of Richmond, 1865; first Vermont worker's compensation law, 1915

3
Vermont's 9th Regiment, first union troops into Richmond, 1865; Nathaniel Niles, first U.S. Representative, b. South Kingston, RI, 1741

4
Second union with New Hampshire towns, 1781

6
Gov. Israel Smith (1807-8), b. Suffield, Conn., 1753; Anthony Haswell, editor of VT Gazette, Postmaster-General of Vermont, b. Portsmouth, England, 1756; New York extends time for Vermont payment of $30,000, 1795; Philomen Daniels of Vergennes receives pilot's license, first female licensed steamboat captain in world, 1887

8
Constitution amended to provide for first Wednesday after first Monday of January as opening day of Legislature, for general incorporation and worker's compensation laws, 1913

9
Arthur Wallace Peach, editor and writer, b. Pawlet, 1886

10
Isaac Redfield, Vermont Supreme Court Judge, b. Weathersfield, 1802; first Merino sheep loaded on boat in Spain, bound for Vermont, 1802

11
Thomas Young of Philadelphia, PA writes the inhabitants of Vermont recommending the Pennsylvania Constitution as a model for Vermont, 1777; Vermont Old Age Assistance Act, 1935

12
Law requires state offices to be kept in Montpelier, 1917; Norman Rockwell's painting of Dr. George Russell of Arlington appears in Saturday Evening Post, 1947

13
Governor Redfield Proctor, Jr. (1923-5), b. Proctor, 1879

14
General Assembly authorizes state issuance of paper money, 1781; Justin Smith Morrill, U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, b. Strafford, 1810

15
Gov. Charles Paine (1841-43), b. Northfield, 1799

16
Royal Tyler's The Contrast first performed, 1786; Battle of Lee's Mills, first test of arms for Vermont troops in Civil War, 1861; property transfer tax established, 1971

17
State Police established, 1947

19
Solomon Brown of New Haven fires first shot to shed British blood in Revolutionary War, Lexington, Mass, 1775

20
Gov. John Abner Mead (1910-2), b. Fair Haven, 1841

21
Ira Allen, b. Cornwall, Conn., 1751

23
Samuel Williams, Vermont historian, b. Waltham, Mass, 1743; Stephen A. Douglas, Presidential candidate against Lincoln, b. Brandon, 1813; Special legislative session to raise troops and supplies for Civil War, 1861; Sales tax approved, 1969

25
Benning Wentworth writes George Clinton, explaining his grants, 1750

28
Paul Gillies, Esq. notes that the last glacier leaves Vermont, 8010, B.C.

30
Vermont asks 100 Shays supporters at Shaftsbury to leave the state, 1786

May

1
Vermont Anti-Slavery Party formed, Middlebury, 1834; Montpelier native Admiral George Dewey destroys Spanish fleet at Manila Bay, 1898; land gains tax established, 1973

2
1st Vermont Regiment, mustered into federal service, 1861

3
Walter Hard, poet, b. Manchester, 1882

5
Battle of Wilderness, VA 191 Vermonters killed, 947 wounded, 96 missing, 1864

7
State Treasurer Samuel Mattocks spills gold coins in Clarendon on route to Albany to pay remaining statehood settlement money to New York, 1794

8
Antlerless deer season authorized by General Assembly, 1979

9
Gov. William Slade (1844-6), b. Cornwall, 1786; state seal pine struck by lightning and destroyed, 1978

10
Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold and the Green Mountain Boys capture Fort Ticonderoga, 1775

11
Seth Warner and others capture

, 1775; Gov. Franklin Billings (1925-7), b. New Bedford, Mass, 1862; James Jeffords, A.G., U.S. Rep. and U.S. Sen., b. Rutland, 1934

13
George Marchessault of St. Albans, first Vermonter killed in WWI, 1915

14
Rowland Robinson, writer and historian, b. Ferrisburg, 1833

16
Levi P. Morton, Vice President of the United States (1889-1893), b. Shoreham, 1824; federal "gratuity" of $2.5 million signed into law by President Calvin Coolidge to cover losses suffered by Vt. in 1927 flood, 1928

17
Seth Warner, hero of Crown Point, Hubbardton and Bennington, b. Roxbury, Conn., 1743; Gov. Silas Jenison (1835-41), b. Shoreham, 1791 (first Vermont born Vermont Governor)

20
King of France authorizes first grants of land on Lake Champlain, 1676

21
Princetown granted by Lt. Gov. Clinton (first land grant in Vermont by N.Y.), covering part of Sunderland, Arlington, Manchester and Dorset, 1765

23
Zadock Thompson, historian and naturalist, b. Bridgewater, 1796

25
First Council of Censors meets, 1785; second Fenian invasion of Canada fails, 1870; first Jewish congregation in Vermont established, Burlington, 1875

26
Stephen R. Bradley and Noah Smith, first admissions to state bar, 1779

27
UVM college building burned, 1824; Hezekiah Moors publishes The Provincial Harmony, 1809

28
Gov. Josiah Grout (1896-98), b. Compton, P.Q., 1841

29
Allens advertise 45,000 acres of Vermont land in Connecticut Courant, 1773; H.H. Powers, Vermont Supreme Court Judge, U.S. Rep., b. Morristown, 1835

30
Memorial Day
Gov. Richard Skinner (1820-23), b. Litchfield, Conn., 1778; Gov. Mortimer Proctor (1945-47), b. Proctor, 1889

31
Frederic Allen, Chief Justice, Vermont Supreme Court, b. Burlington, 1926; Ethan Allen returns to Bennington from captivity, 1778

June

1
Brigham Young, second leader of the Mormon Church, b. Whitingham, 1801; Gov. Redfield Proctor (1878-80), b. Cavendish, 1831

2
1,400 Fenians arrive in St. Albans, preparing to invade Canada, 1867

3
First Surveyor General elected (Ira Allen), 1779; Newbury votes to dissociate with Tories, 1783

4
New Connecticut renamed Vermont, Windsor, 1777; Constitution of 1786 approved by Convention; State environmental law, Act 250, takes effect, 1970

5
Chester court closed by Nathan Stone and 30 others, 1770

6
Jefferson and Madison tour Vermont, 1791; Runaway Pond, Glover, runs away, 1810

7
Benning Wentworth's biggest day — grants Burlington, Essex, Williston, Jericho, Bolton, New Huntington and Waterbury charters, 1763

8
Gov. Ebenezer Ormsbee (1886-8), b. Shoreham, 1834; biennial sessions established, Council of Censors abolished, 1870; snow, crops fail, hard year, 1816

9
Fenian invasion of Canada abandoned, after 700 cross border, 1867

10
Man, woman and children hide in Shaftsbury farm at Underground Railroad station, 1843

11
David Redding, traitor and spy, hanged at Bennington, 1778

12
Calvin Coolidge nominated for Vice President by the Republican National Committee in Chicago, 1920; Calvin Coolidge nominated for President of the United States at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, 1924

13
Three British ships beaten off by 13 guns on Burlington Battery, 1813; Fleming Museum at the University of Vermont dedicated, 1931

14
Gov. John Weeks (1927-31), b. Salisbury, 1853

15
Reuben Harmon, Jr. authorized to coin copper, 1785

17
First reappointment of Vermont House voted by General Assembly, 1965

18
First Vermont Infantry musters at Fort Ethan Allen to guard U.S./Mexican frontier, 1916

22
Gov. Horace Eaton (1846-8), b. Barnard, 1804; John Godfrey Saxe, poet, b. Highgate, 1816

24
Dr. Samuel Read Hall, founder, first normal school (teachers' training) at Concord (1823), b. Croydon, N.H. 1777; state fills its first quota of 750 men for CCC camps, 1933

25
First union with New Hampshire towns, 1778; Gov. Carlos Coolidge (1848-50), b. Windsor, 1792

26
First passenger train in Vermont runs from White River Junction to Bethel, 1848. Walter Hill Crockett, Vermont historian, b. Colchester, 1870

27
Fort Bridgman, in Vernon burned in Indian wars, 1755; Vermont Constitution amended to require U.S. citizenship for freeman status, 1828

28
Marquis de Lafayette crosses Cornish Bridge to begin Vermont tour at Windsor, 1825

29
Ethan Allen reminds N.Y. Attorney General John Kempe, "The gods of the valleys are not the gods of the hills," Albany, 1770; American sculpter Hirma Powers b. Woodstock, 1805; Gov. Philip H. Hoff (1963-69), b. Greenfield, Mass, 1924

July

1
General Sedgwick orders, "Put the Vermonters ahead and keep the column well closed up," Gettysburg, 1863; rooms and meals tax effective, 1959; Vermont's Planning Law, Act 200 takes effect, 1988; Vermont's Civil Unions Law, offering to homosexual couples the rights and responsibilities similar to marriage, takes effect, 2000.

2
Vermont regiment first to arrive at Eagle Pass, Texas, Mexican border, 1916

3
Vermonters stem Pickett's charge at Gettysburg, 1863; Capt. Charles Clark of Newbury completes 15,000 mile trip in 66 days in time to participate in Battle of Santiago Bay, 1898

4
Independence Day
Traditional date of discovery of Lake Champlain by Samuel de Champlain, 1609; Vermont State Grange founded, 1872; Calvin Coolidge, b. Plymouth, 1872

5
Robert Frost named Vermont's first Poet Laureate, 1961

6
New York agrees to negotiate with Vermont on statehood, 1789; 200 Vershire miners take over Ely Mining Co. demanding back wages; five companies of National Guard ordered out, 1883

7
Battle of Hubbardton, only Revolutionary War Battle fought entirely in Vermont, one of the most successful rear guard actions in the annals of American military history, 1777; Daniel Webster speaks to 10,000 Whigs on Stratton Mountain, 1840; Gov. Percival Clement (1919-21), b. Rutland, 1846

8
First Vermont Constitution adopted, Windsor, 1777; U.S. President Taft speaks in Burlington at the Tercentenary celebration of Samuel de Champlain's discovery of Lake Champlain, 1909

9
Vermont Constitution of 1793 adopted, Windsor

10
Col. Ira Allen writes Gen. Haldimand, suggesting Vermont as a British colony, 1781

11
Construction of new American fort, Mount Independence in Orwell, begins with a road and well, 1776; Gov. Urban Woodbury (1894-6), b. Acworth, N.H. 1838

12
Franklin Orvis, founder of Equinox Hotel, b. Manchester, 1824

15
Steamer Champlain wrecked off Steam Mill Point, N.Y., 1875

16
Vermont Republican Party organized at State House, 1854

18
Royal Tyler, judge and playwright, b. Boston, 1757; N.Y. towns admitted to Vermont 1781

19
Three hundred armed Vermonters repel 300 New Yorkers at Breckenridge Farm, Bennington, 1769

20
Privy Council decides that Connecticut River is boundary between New Hampshire and New York, 1764; Gov. Hiland Hall, b. Bennington, 1795

21
General Marshall Hapgood files first campaign finance report ($103.00), as candidate for governor, 1910

22
Pres. James Monroe begins Vermont tour at Norwich, 1817; Gov. John Gregory Smith (1863-5), b. St. Albans, 1818

23
Vermont appoints commissioners to negotiate with New York over statehood, 1789; Gov. Roswell Farnum (1880-2), b. Boston, 1827

24
Privy Council forbids N.Y. to sell land in Vermont in conflict with New Hampshire grants, 1767; Dorset Convention declares Yorker sympathizers enemies of Vermont, 1776

25
Edna Beard, first woman House member (1920) and Senator (1922), b. Chenoa, Ill., 1877

26
Fort Ste. Anne on Isle La Motte dedicated, 1666; Dorset Convention chooses Seth Warner Lieutenant Colonel of Green Mountain Boys over Ethan Allen, 1775

27
Big flood throughout New England; bridges out all over Vermont, many drown, 1830

28
Capt. Benjamin Wright and 59 others enter Vermont in effort to attack Village of St. Francis, turn back at Crown Point, 1725; Mount Independence named after Declaration of Imdepencence read to troops, 1776; Stephen A. Douglas returns to Brandon, tells crowd it's a good place to be born and leave, 1860

29
Champlain shoots off arquebus, killing Iroquois chief, 1609

30
FDR visits Waterbury Dam and Wrightsville Reservoir, 1936

31
Constuction of the Crown Point Military Road from Springfield to Chimney Point completed, 1760

August

1
First issue of The Vermonter, 1902; U.S. Supreme Court decides that low water mark on west side of Connecticut River is Vermont border, 1934; first issue of Vermont Life Magazine, 1946;

2
British attack Burlington, 1813; Gov. Samuel Pingree (1884-6), b. Salisbury, N.H., 1832

3
Black Snake captured, Winooski River, 1808; Gov. Charles Smith (1935-7), b. Rutland, 1868; Calvin Coolidge sworn in as U.S. President by his father, a notary public, Plymouth, 1923

5
Entire Vermont National Guard drafted, 1917; regiment split up among various divisions for first time

6
Norwich University founded as "The American Literacy, Scientific and Military Academy," Norwich, 1819

7
Vermont State Prison at Windsor closed, 1975

8
President and Mrs. U.S. Grant feted at American House, Burlington, 1882; Robert T. Strafford, Attorney General, Gov. (1959-61), U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator, b. Rutland, 1913

10
Gov. Paul Dillingham (1865-7), b. Shutesbury, Mass, 1799

11
Five boats carrying lumber go over the falls at Bellows Falls, 1876

12
Gov. Stephen Royce (1854-6), b. Tinmouth, 1787; Ralph Waldo Emerson climbs Mt. Mansfield, 1868

13
First deed on Vermont land: Indians to agents of proprietors of Northfield, Mass, 1687; Mrs. Johnson gives birth to a baby in Reading, while a captive of Indians, 1754

14
First resistance to New York authority: Hans Creiger, holding N.Y. patent, ejected from Pownal, 1764

15
Two hundred angry farmers protest lawyers at Legislative Session, Rutland, 1786

16
Bennington Battle Day (1777). Carrying what is believed to be the first American flag into battle, Americans from New Hampshire and Vermont defeated a Hessian raid on Bennington, forcing the British to proceed to Saratoga without the necessary supplies. At Saratoga, the British met a stunning defeat that turned the tide of the Revolutionary War for the Americans.

17
Governor F. Ray Keyser (1961-3), b. Chelsea, 1927

19
Bennington Battle Monument dedicated at official Centennial ceremony of statehood, with Pres. Benjamin Harrison and 30,000 others, 1891. One of them was a young Calvin Coolidge. He later wrote, "As I looked on him and realized that he personally represented the glory and dignity of the United States, I wondered how it felt to bear so much responsibility and little thought I should ever know."; Gov. Thomas Salmon (1973-77), b. Cleveland, Ohio, 1932

20
George Aiken, Gov. (1935-41), U.S. Sen., horticulturist, b. Dummerston, 1892

21
First broadcast of Vermont Public Radio, 1977

24
Thomas Chittenden dies, after nineteen years as governor, 1797

26
Nineteenth Amendment passes, women have right to vote, 1920; Chimney Point Bridge dedicated by Gov. John Weeks of Vermont and Gov. Franklin Delano Roosevelt of N.Y. (first vehicular bridge to span Lake Champlain), 1929

29
Gov. Joseph Johnson (1955-7), b. Helsingborg, Sweden, 1893

31
President Theodore Roosevelt visits Vermont as Bull Moose candidate for President, 1912

September

1
First two year term governor elected - John Stewart, 1870

3
James Hartness (1921-3), governor and inventor of the flat turret lathe, b. Schenectady, 1861; Vrest Orton, writer and founder of Vermont Life, b. 1897

4
Battery of three 18-pounders erected by British on west shore of Isle La Motte, 1814; First election of Attorney General (Clarke C. Fitts won), 1906

5
At Isle La Motte, V.P. Theodore Roosevelt learns of shooting of Pres. McKinley, 1901

6
An Order-in-Council instructs N.H. to maintain Ft. Dummer, encouraging N.H. interest in Vermont jurisdiction, 1744; John Humphrey Noyes, founder of Oneida Community, b. Brattleboro, 1811; Steamboat Phoenix burns on Lake Champlain, 1819

7
Gov. Peter Washbum (1869-70), b. Lynn, Mass, 1814; President Lincoln pardons William Scott, the sleeping sentinel, 1861; WCAX-TV begins test patterns, 1954

8
Ethan Allen and others quiet New York influence in Guilford, 1782; British fleet arrives at Isle La Motte, 1814;

10
Gov. Stanley Wilson (1931-5), b. Orange, 1879

11
Commodore MacDonough's fleet victorious against British in Battle of Plattsburgh, saving Vermont from certain invasion, 1814

12
Major Robert Rogers and 200 men leave Crown Point for St. Francis Indian village, 1759; Gov. William Palmer (1831-5), b. Hebron, Conn., 1781; Major Leo Dorey of Burlington wins Distinguished Service Cross at Bois de St. Remy, 1918

13
Major Turman Ransom, formerly President of Norwich University, killed in the assault on Chapultepec, Mexican War, 1847

14
Vermont declares war on Germany, 1941

16
Gov. John McCullough (1902-4), b. Newark, Del., 1835; Orestes Brownson, transcendentalist, b. Stockbridge, 1803

18
American forces begin attack on British-held Mount Independence and Fort Ticonderoga, 1777

19
Chester A. Arthur sworn in as twenty-first President after death of James Garfield, 1881

21
Calvin Coolidge delivers his "Vermont is a State I Love" speech, 1928; Hurricane of 1938, winds 118 m.p.h.

23
Thomas Chandler, Jr., first Vt. Secretary of State, b. Woodstock, Conn., 1740

24
Gov. Ezra Butler (1826-8), b. Lancaster, Mass, 1763; first air flight in Vermont, St. Johnsbury fair, 1910

25
Ethan Allen captured at Montreal by British in failed invasion of Canada, 1775; Gov. Allen Fletcher (1912-5), b. Indianapolis, IN, 1853

26
Dorset Convention votes to form New Hampshire Grants into separate district and to disregard all New York laws, 1776

27
Vermont Board of War created, 1776; Frederick Billings, lawyer and railroad builder, b. Royalton, 1823; Alfred Hitchcock films The Trouble With Harry, Craftsbury Common, 1954

28
Gov. Madeleine Kunin (1985-91), b. Zurich, Switzerland, 1933

30
Jacob Estey, manufacturer of organs, b. Hinsdale, N.H., 1814; first Amtrak train to Vermont, 1972

October

1
Daniel Pierce Thompson, author, editor, and secretary of state, b. Charleston, Mass, 1795; state takes over welfare, 1968

3
William Lloyd Garrison begins publishing Journal of the Times, an abolitionist paper, in Bennington, 1828

4
Mt. Mansfield Hotel burns, 1889

5
U.S. President Chester A. Arthur, b. Fairfield, 1829

6
Gov. Samuel Crafts (1828-31), b. Woodstock, Conn., 1768

7
New York and Vermont commissioners agree on settlement and final adjustment, paving way for statehood, 1790

8
Champlain Canal opens, connecting Lake Champlain and the Hudson River, 1823

9
U.S. President Taft talks to Burlington school children during election swing through Vermont, 1912

10
First radio broadcast originating from Vermont, WCAX (UVM student station), 1924

11
Battle of Valcour Island, 1776

12
Columbus Day
Dewey Day: Admiral George Dewey returns to home town of Montpelier, 1899

13
Benedict Arnold burns American vessels at Buttonmould Bay to avoid seizure by British, 1777

15
Alden Spooner sets up printing business in Dresden, Vt., 1779; Helen Burbank, first woman secretary of state, appointed, 1947

16
Royalton burned by Indians, 1780; first broadcast of Vermont Public Television, 1967

17
Moses Robinson and Stephen Row Bradley elected first U.S. Senators from Vermont, 1791; I-91 completed, 1978

18
Governor Thomas Chittenden's farewell address to the General Assembly, 1797

19
St. Albans Raid, northernmost military action of the Civil War, 1864; Battle of Cedar Creek, Bethel-born Gen. Stephen Thomas and Old Vermont Brigade, heros, 1864

20
Followers of William Miller of Poultney predict world will end this day and, giving up all possessions, climb mountain to be closer to heaven, 1844; John Dewey, philosopher and educator, b. Burlington, 1859

21
General Assembly frees the body of Isaiah Parmeter from civil process, first exception to debtor law, 1794; Castleton Medical Academy chartered, 1818

22
Daniel Chipman, first reporter of Vermont Supreme Court decisions, b. Salisbury, Conn., 1763; legislature passes first school law, 1782

23
Vergennes, first Vermont city, chartered, 1788

24
Samuel Hitchcock, first Attorney General, elected by the General Assembly, 1790

26
Gov. William Wills (1941-5), b. Chicago, 1882

27
First Betterment Act, allowing recovery for improvements of land for settlers without good title, 1781; first regular airline service begins, Boston & Maine Airways, White River Jct. to Montpelier, 1933

28
British General Guy Carleton turns back his invading fleet to Canada after seeing the Fortifications at Mount Independence, providing the Americans with much needed time to prepare for the British invasion the following summer, 1776; Vermont agrees to pay N.Y. $30,000 for land claims, 1790; Gov. Erastus Fairbanks (1860-1), b. Brimfield, Mass, 1792

29
Ethan Allen and eight others drive Todd brothers, who claim their land under a New York charter, off their farm in Rupert, 1771; I-93 completed, 1982

30
Legislature decides not to compensate purchasers or creditors of confiscated estates, 1792

31
First tender act, allowing payment in produce or wares in lieu of gold or silver, which was scarce, 1786; first Vermont flag established, 1803; Architect Richard Morris Hunt, b. Brattleboro, 1828; Vt. Central Railroad Co. incorporated, 1845

November

1
Middlebury College chartered, 1800; Luke Poland, Vermont Supreme Court Judge, b. Westford, 1815; Rutland Railroad Co. established, 1843

2
UVM chartered, 1791; rain begins to fall on Vermont, flood waters rise, 1927; Consuelo Northrup Bailey elected first woman Lieutenant Governor, 1954; lottery referendum passes, 1976

3
First statewide property tax, 1780; Vermont adopts U.S. Bill of Rights, 1791; imprisonment for debt abolished, 1838; first Vermont corporation (Clio Hall) chartered, 1780; first popularly elected U.S. Sen. (Wm. Dillingham), 1914

4
Equal Rights Amendment to Vermont Constitution defeated, 1986

5
Vermont Historical Society formed, 1838; Office of State Superintendent of Common Schools created, 1845

6
First private bank, Bank of Windsor, chartered, 1817; Philip Hoff, first Democratic governor in more than a century, rides through Winooski in Celebratory parade, 1962

7
Gov. Deane Davis (1969-73), b. Barre, 1900

8
British troops evacuate Mount Independence in Orwell, 1777; Montpelier named permanent seat of Legislature, 1805; parimutuel betting referendum passes, 1960

9
Vermont Reform School established, Waterbury, 1815

10
Gov. John Robinson (1853-4), b. Bennington, 1804; State Bank created, 1806 (closed in debt, November, 1812)

11
Veterans Day

12
Ira Allen, on Olive Branch, with arms purchased from France, arrested by British Navy, 1796; Thomas Waterman Wood, painter, b. Montpelier, 1823; Warren Austin, U.N. Representative, U.S. Sen., b. Highgate Springs, 1877; town school district system established, 1892

13
Great meteor shower, 1833

14
Oliver Tarbell Eddy, artist and inventor, b. Weatherfield, 1799; Vermont Bar Association established, 1878

15
Nathaniel Chipman, U.S. Senator, federal judge, Vermont Supreme Court judge, b. Salisbury, Conn., 1752

17
State Library created, 1825; Gov. Fletcher Proctor (1906-8), b. Cavendish, 1860; first normal school, Randolph, 1866; Howard Dean, Governor, b. New York City, 1948

18
Mary Fletcher Hospital, the first non-profit voluntary hospital founded by a secular woman, incorporated by Vermont Legislature, 1876

19
Jay Treaty, leading to first major political dissension from federal policy in Vermont, 1794; I-89 completed, 1970

20
Ralph Flanders elected President of New England Economics Council, 1940

21
British officer boasts his armies have driven Vermonters from the Champlain Valley, 1778; mob seizes Court House at Rutland, 1786, protesting foreclosures

22
Vermont's Land Grant College, Vermont Agricultural College established at UVM, 1864; Board of Agriculture, Mining and Statistics created, 1870

23
State Board of Health established, 1886

24
Gov. John Stewart (1870-2), b. Middlebury, 1825; Vermont State Agricultural Station established, 1886

25
"An Act to Secure Freedom to All Persons Within this State," effective, 1858

27
New York warrant for Ethan Allen's apprehension offers 20 pound reward, 1771

28
British slave, Dinah Mattis and daughter Nancy freed by Capt. Ebenezer Allen, 1777

29
Wilder Dam goes into full operation, 1950

30
Gov. George Hendee (1870), b. Stowe, 1832; Liberty Union Party wins place on statewide ballot, via Vermont Supreme Court decision, 1971

December

1
First state highway commissioner authorized, 1898

2
First church established in Vermont at Bennington, 1762; Sinclair Lewis's It Can't Happen Here, written and set in Vermont, published this month, 1935

4
John Brown's body passes through Vermont on way to burial in No. Elba, N.Y., 1859

5
Congress delays consideration of Vermont statehood in reaction to Guilford incident, 1783

6
L.J. Papineau and 200 Patriots invade Canada, 1837

7
1909 Calvin Coolidge elected mayor of Northampton, Mass, beginning a continuous course of public service

8
Rutland Herald begins operation, 1794

15
Matthew Lyon duels with fireplace tongs against Roger Griswold's heavy stick on the floor of U.S. Congress, 1798

16
Vermont Sanatorium for Incipient Tuberculosis at Pittsford accepts first patient, 1907

17
Gov. Julius Converse (1870-2), b. Stafford, Conn., 1798

18
Women first allowed to vote in Vermont, school district elections only, 1880; first train from Boston to Burlington, 1849

19
Major General Leonard "Red" Wing returns to civilian life after his victories on Luzon, 1945; Gov. Lee Emerson (1951-5), b. Hardwick, 1898

21
Paul Gillies believes the Green Mountains formed, 440 million B.C.

22
First Embargo Act, 1807; act to equalize taxes, 1880

23
Joseph Smith, Mormon founder, b. Royalton, 1805

25
Christmas

26
G.G. Benedict, historian and veteran of Vermont in the Civil War, and editor of Burlington Free Press, b. Burlington, 1826

27
Massachusetts General Court authorizes building of Fort Dummer (Brattleboro), 1723

29
William Meyer, first Democrat elected to Congress, b. Philadelphia, PA, 1914

30
Rudyard Kipling, who lived and wrote Captains Courageous and two Jungle Books at Naulauka, Dummerston, b. Bombay, 1865

31
State income tax established, 1931