Moments in Time – August 9, 2023

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• On Aug. 21, 1888, American inventor and former bank clerk William Seward Burroughs patented the adding machine. Two years earlier, Burroughs had co-founded the American Arithmometer Company to produce and sell the device, but the early models had to be recalled since he was the only person who could actually operate them.
• On Aug. 22, 1849, the first-ever air raid took place when Austria launched 200 unpiloted hot-air balloons carrying timed-release bombs against enemy defenses in Venice, Italy. Few casualties resulted, however, due to the unpredictable wind currents.
• On Aug. 23, 1990, Chancellor Helmut Kohl decided to prosecute women seeking abortions in East Germany. While the procedure was only carried out if the mother’s life was endangered in West Germany, it had been considered a reproductive right in East Germany and could be performed on anyone after the 12th week of pregnancy.
• On Aug. 24, 2013, Broadway actress Julie Harris died at age 87. The winner of several Emmy Awards, Harris was also one of the record-holders for most Tony Awards and was known for her roles in movie and television productions, including “East of Eden” and the series “Knot’s Landing.”
• On Aug. 25, 1985, 13-year-old Samantha Smith, dubbed an “ambassador” to the Soviet Union, died in a plane crash. Samantha had achieved notoriety by penning a letter to Soviet leader Yuri Andropov in 1982 expressing her worry about the possibility of nuclear war between his country and the U.S., and by visiting the Soviet Union as his guest the following year.
• On Aug. 26, 1794, President George Washington decided it was necessary to subdue the Whiskey Rebellion, an insurrection of 6,000 men in a field near Pittsburgh that originated from the resentment of grain farmers after a federal tax was attached to their distillery products. While he originally led the responding procession of 13,000-plus soldiers, mastermind Alexander Hamilton took over early on.
• On Aug. 27, 1934, thousands of Chicago teachers finally received their back pay after working with no wages for long periods because the city did not have the funds to compensate them. Many lined up outside the bank well before it opened, with most teachers receiving more than $1,000.

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