The written history of New Jersey began with the exploration of the
Jersey Coast by Giovanni da Verrazano in 1524, though the region had
been settled for millennia by Native Americans. The New Jersey
region
soon came under the control of the Swedes and the Dutch resulting in
a
struggle in which the Dutch were victorious. However, the Dutch
colony
of New Netherland was seized by the British in 1664. New Jersey was
one of the original 13 colonies that joined the American
Revolutionary
War in 1776. In 1787, New Jersey was the third state to join the
United States of America. In the nineteenth century, New Jersey
cities
led the nation into the Industrial Revolution and provided soldiers
for many of the wars the United States fought, including 88,000
soldiers for the American Civil War. During the early 1900s, New
Jersey prospered but weakened in the Great Depression in the 1930s.
During World War II and the Cold War New Jersey's shipyards and
military bases played an important role in the defense of the United
States. In the 1960s New Jersey was the site of several race riots
and
the Glassboro Summit Conference, between American President Lyndon
Johnson and Soviet Premier Aleksei Kosygin.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_New_Jersey
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1187:
Saladin defeated Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, at the Battle
of Hattin and captured the True Cross.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hattin)
1776:
The Continental Congress of the Thirteen Colonies in British North
America approved a Declaration of Independence.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Independence_%
28United_States%29)
1865:
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll was first
published.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice%27s_Adventures_in_Wonderland)
1894:
The Republic of Hawai'i was proclaimed at Ali'iolani Hale in
Honolulu, with Sanford B. Dole as the first president.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Hawaii)
1976:
Operation Yonatan: Israeli commandos raided Uganda's Entebbe
International Airport to free hostages taken by PLO and RAF
hijackers.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Entebbe)
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Wikiquote of the day:
"It contributes greatly towards a man's moral and intellectual
health,
to be brought into habits of companionship with individuals unlike
himself, who care little for his pursuits, and whose sphere and
abilities he must go out of himself to appreciate." -- Nathaniel
Hawthorne
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Hawthorne)