Today in History: Back Once Again!

Hello readers! I'm back from vacation and still have a slight bit of jet lag, but I have decided to come back to blogging!

An image of Belle Boyd

First off on this day in 1862 was when 19 year old Marie Isabella "Belle" Boyd, a Confederate spy in the American Civil War, was captured and detained by Union troops. Boyd was from a slaveholding family in Martinsburg, Virginia. She shot  and killed a Union soldier a year before in 1861, but authorities justified this shooting because the Union solider insulted her mother and threatened to search their house. Boyd became a Confederate spy soon after this shooting incident. Her capture on this day in 1862 was the first of her three captures. For this capture, she was brought to Old Capitol Prison in Washington D.C., but released a month later on August 29th.

Today Cadillac is a luxurious American car in General Motors, however, it did not always belong to GM. The Cadillac Automobile Company was America's leading luxury automaker, founded in 1902. Only seven years later, on this day in 1909, it was bought by General Motors Corporation for $4.5 million. Henry Ford was a backbone for the Cadillac, as he left this company with Murphy, who renamed the Cadillac Automobile Company after brining in consultant Henry Leland.  Leland was persuaded by William C. Durant, founder of GM, to sell Cadillac to him for $4.5 million. Cadillac is still maintains its reputation as a luxurious American Classic.

Images of Cadillac logos,
including the original 1902 logo

The NASA seal 

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, aka NASA, was created on this day in 1958 when Congress passed legislation for establishment and President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes it. This was response to the Soviet Union's satellite launching the Sputnik I on October 4th, 1957. The Soviet Union also sent another satellite, the Sputnik II, a two months later on November 3rd. Attempting its first satellite, the Unites States sent out Vanguard that quickly exploded after launch. The United States feared the Soviets may send missiles with nuclear weapons to America, but also prided itself with advance, forefront technology. On January 1st, 1958, the U.S. once again tried to send out another satilite, the Explorer I, which had a successful orbit around the earth.The space race between the U.S, and Soviet Union had began.