This Day in History: May 9
1754![]()
Benjamin Franklin created the first political cartoon. On May 9, 1754, the image initially appeared in Franklin's newspaper, Pennsylvania Gazette, Philadelphia, PA.
Franklin's cartoon was an illustration of a snake with a severed head and body accompanied by the printed words "Join, or Die." The cartoon was intended to goad the different colonies into joining what was to later become the United States.
The severed body symbolized the feelings that Franklin had toward the colonies: dangerously fragmented. It was his hopes that the cartoon would impress upon the colonists the importance of becoming and remaining united. That by doing so, they would have a greater power against threats of British and French expansion in North America.
1825
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The Chatham Theatre, a playhouse, opened on the east side of Chatham Street in New York City. It was the first gas-lit theatre in America. It was located between Roosevelt and James streets, a few blocks south of the Bowery. At its opening in 1839, the Chatham was a neighborhood establishment, which featured big-name actors and drama. By the mid-1840s, it had become primarily a venue for blackfaceminstrel shows. Frank S. Chanfrau restored some of its grandeur in 1848.
1914
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| Woodrow Wilson with His Wife and Three Daughters, c1912. Prints & Photographs Online Catalog |
