This Month in St. Louis History

President Jefferson asks Congress for Money

In January, 1803, President Thomas Jefferson asked Congress to authorize the Lewis and Clark expedition. A year later, the Corps of Discovery left from St. Louis.

Before Meriwether Lewis and William Clark could explore the Louisiana Purchase, the exploration team needed authorization and money.

Congress gave it quickly. Jefferson immediately set about organizing the exploration of the Missouri River "and whatever river heading with that, runs into the western Ocean."

He wanted to limit the scope of the Corps of Discovery's journey to "those objects only on which information is most deficient and most desirable." He sent letters to several persons to get ideas.

Then, he sent Capt. Meriwether Lewis to pick up the suggestions and plan the trip. Lewis had been secretary to President Jefferson before getting his new assignment.

Jefferson described for Lewis what he wanted to get from the trip. He wanted detailed mapping of the territory from St. Louis all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

The president added, "Your observations are to be taken with great pains and accuracy to be entered distinctly and intelligibly for others as well as yourself." The Lewis & Clark journals were especially detailed, filled with sketches as well as written entries.

Jefferson said he expected Lewis to "compleate his tour there and back in two seasons." Lewis and Clark left St. Louis in 1804 and returned in 1806.

Author T.S. Eliot and St. Louis

Famed author T. S. Eliot was a St. Louis native. He died in Jan. 4, 1965 after a long career as a poet, dramatist and literary critic. He had been born in St. Louis in 1888.

He was from a famous family and one of his books of children's poems was the basis of a long-running, modern Broadway musical.

Eliot's grandfather, William Greenleaf Eliot, was the founder of Washington University. Also, one of his distant cousins, Tom Eliot, was a chancellor of the university.

T.S. Eliot was well known for his adult poetry. Some of the titles were "Wasteland" and "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock."

But, his book of children's poetry, "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats," probably links him best to the modern day. That book was the basis of Andrew Lloyd Webber's long-running Broadway musical, "Cats."

For more about T.S. Eliot, visit http://en2.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._S._Eliot.

Braille language for blind starts in St. Louis

The inventor of the Braille alphabet for blind people, Louis Braille, was born in France in 1809. But, his language got its first test in St. Louis.

He lost his sight when he was only three. He learned to read using embossed Roman letters. That was the accepted way for blind to read in those days.

But, he spent much of his leisure time trying to invent a better alphabet for the blind.

His system of relief printing had its first success in 1859 or 1860 at the St. Louis School for the Blind. In 1868, the British and Foreign Blind Assn. provided strong support for books printed in the Braille system.

To learn more about Braille, click on: www.afb.org/braillebug.

Powell Symphony Hall opens in 1968

The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra's present home opened on Jan. 24, 1968.

That's when the redecorated St. Louis Theater was re-opened. The old theater was acquired in 1966 and the Symphony spent two years redecorating.

For just $2.5 million, the Symphony got a world-class home. That included $500,000 to buy the old theater and $2 million to redecorate it. The cost estimates of building such a theater from scratch run as high as $75 to $100 million.

For more about Powell Hall, visit www.speakerseries.com/psh.htm.

 

From "St. Louis 365"

Significant--and trivial--St. Louis history events

Some significant St. Louis historical events happened during Januarys past. Also, there were some not-so important events that were still interesting.

In 1944, the battleship "Missouri" was launched. Later, in Tokyo Bay, Missouri-born President Harry Truman would sign the treaty that ended World War II.

In 1959, McDonnell Aircraft received the contract to build the nation's first space capsule. Two years later, a Mercury capsule would take the first American into outer space.

Two St. Louis Cardinals figured in January events that went beyond ball-playing skills.

In 1960, outfielder Stan Musial asked for--and was granted--a reduction in pay. He said his efforts the previous year hadn't been worth what he was paid.

Then, in 1970, centerfielder Curt Flood filed a court challenge to baseball's reserve clause. He lost his suit but his effort led to the current free-agency rule--and high player salaries.

These are just some of the 159 items of St. Louis history listed in the January chapter of "St. Louis 365." That's a book of historical items compiled by local historian Joe Sonderman.

(This book is available in local book stories or at www.booksonstlouis.com. Sonderman has given Young Saint Louis.com permission to quote from his book.)

Here are 10 of the January entries from "St. Louis 365."

Jan. 1, 1861: The last slave auction in St. Louis took place on the steps of the Old Courthouse. A crowd of about 2,000 abolitionists showed up to thwart the auctioneer. They refused to bid any higher than eight dollars over two hours for a "boy" valued at $800 to $1,000. The auctioneer gave up and went home.

Jan. 3, 1909: The city excise commissioner was ordering that all paintings in saloons be taken down or covered up. State law prohibited saloons from featuring works of art, music, entertainment or any other special feature that might inspire patrons to linger.

Jan. 7, 1970: A cold snap caused the Arch to shrink by three inches. Workers adjusting interior cables noticed the difference. Engineers reassured everyone that the summer heat would restore the missing three inches.

Jan. 13, 1927: Airmail pilot Charles Lindbergh made the first night flight over the newly-lighted St. Louis-to-Chicago Airway. The government had spent $80,000 to install 24 beacons 10 miles apart. Aviation experts said the flight proved the practicality of night flying.

Jan. 13, 1959: McDonnell Aircraft celebrated good news from NASA. The government had awarded McDonnell a $15 million contract to build the Mercury space capsules. A Mercury capsule would carry America's first man in space, Alan Shepard, on May 5, 1961.

Jan. 16, 1970: Curt Flood filed suit in New York Federal Court to have baseball's reserve clause overturned. The Cardinals had traded him to the Phillies, but Flood refused to report. Flood sat out the entire 1970 season and lost his case in the Supreme Court. But, his case is seen as the turning point in baseball labor relations and the start of free-agency, clearing the way for today's salaries.

Jan. 21, 1826: The Missouri General Assembly adjourned for the last time at the state capitol in St. Charles. The following spring, all the state property was loaded onto a keelboat, and the capitol was moved to Jefferson City.

Jan. 21, 1960: Stan Musial asked for and received a pay cut from $100,000 to $80,00 per year. Stan said he had been overpaid in 1957 and 1958 and his salary should be cut back because of his performance in 1959! On this date in 1969, Stan was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jan. 29, 1944: The battleship "Missouri" was launched at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The Japanese signed the surrender papers at the end of World War II aboard the "Mighty Mo" in Tokyo Bay.

Jan. 30, 2000: The Rams brought St. Louis its first Super Bowl title, with a 23-16 win over the Tennessee Titans at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Rams linebacker Mike Jones tackled Titans receiver Kevin Dyson at the one-yard line as time ran out to preserve the win.