This Day in History Mar. 9

Mar. 9

1745 Bells for 1st American carillon shipped from England to Boston
1791 George Hayward, Us, surgeon, 1st to use ether
1798 Dr George Balfour becomes 1st naval surgeon in the US navy
1822 Charles M Graham of New York patents artificial teeth
1831 The French Foreign Legion is established by King Louis Philippe
1847 The first large-scale amphibious assault in U.S. history: the Siege of Veracruz
1861 Confederate currency authorized-$50, $100, $500, $1,000
1862 "Monitor" (Union) & "Merrimack" (Rebel) battle in Hampton Roads
1864 Ulysses S Grant is appointed commander of Union Army
1873 Royal Canadian Mounted Police founded
1889 Kansas passes 1st general antitrust law in US
1916 Pancho Villa leads Mexican raiders in an attack against the border town of Columbus, NM
1916 Germany declares war against Portugal
1923 Elmer Rice's "Adding Machine" premieres in New York NY
1933 Congress is called into special session by FDR, & began its "100 days"
1942 Construction of the Alaska Highway began
1944 Japanese troops counter-attack American forces on Hill 700 in Bougainville
1945 334 US B-29 Superfortresses attack Tokyo with 120,000 fire bomb
1959 Barbie, the popular girls' doll, debuted, over 800 million sold
1961 Sputnik 9 carries Chernushka (dog) into orbit
1964 1st Ford Mustang produced
1974 Last Japanese soldier, operating in Philippines, surrenders, 29 years after WW II ended
1988 President Reagan presides at unveiling of Knute Rockne stamp

Could the use of ether be a bit early? This is an extract from a US medical history article

'Before its development as a surgical anesthetic, ether was used throughout the history of medicine, including as a treatment for ailments such as scurvy or pulmonary inflammation. A pleasant-smelling, colorless and highly flammable liquid, ether can be vaporized into a gas that numbs pain but leaves patients conscious. In 1842, Georgia physician Crawford Williamson Long became the first doctor to use ether as a general anesthetic during surgery, when he used it to remove a tumor from the neck of his patient James M. Venable'.

Chris LeDoux passed on this day in 2005. My wife will never forget, since we had two hours in the car together this morning and I felt it would be appropriate to play his songs for most of the trip.