Illumination: The History of Electricity
Spring – Summer 2021
Where would we be if humans had not learned to harness electricity? It is not a world many people would like to live in.
Electricity fuels our lives. Computers are essential to most of the work done in any field. Without electricity, our computers are rendered useless.
Come to the Liberty Bell Museum and learn the journey of mankind’s relationship with electricity. From lightning rods to powering whole cities, our current special exhibit will take you on the road to discovery about how humanity has been improved by this natural phenomenon.
Join Benjamin Franklin at the Liberty Bell Museum!
July 4, 2021 at 1:00 p.m.
The Liberty Bell Museum will hold its annual Independence Day event, featuring our special guest, Benjamin Franklin! Mitchell Kramer, a renowned interpreter of Benjamin Franklin, is our guest presenter for this program. He will give us a glimpse into Franklin’s life. He will be followed at 2:00 p.m. by the “Bells Across America” ceremony when our bell will be rung along with other bells across our nation.
Children are invited to participate in a special kite craft project after the bell ringing. Each child will be able to take home their kite.
Mitchell Kramer is based in historic old city Philadelphia. He has performed for leading institutions throughout the United States, including many founded by and associated with Benjamin Franklin. He is the owner and operator of Mitchell Kramer Tours Inc., offering private tours of historic Philadelphia and beyond. You can find him at https://www.bfranklin.org/.
Upcoming Exhibit:
“Christmas through the Decades”
October – December 2021
This Week in History
June 13, 1966: In the case of Miranda v. Arizona, the Supreme Court ruled that criminal suspects must be informed of their Constitutional rights to an attorney and against self-incrimination before being questioned by the police.
June 14, 1777: The Continental Congress approved a design for a national flag, stating that “the flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white”, and that “the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation establishing the national observation of Flag Day on June 14th.
June 14, 1942: Anne Frank made the first full entry in the diary she had been given for her 13th birthday two days earlier.
June 15, 1775: Congress appointed George Washington Commander-In-Chief of the brand-new Continental Army.
June 15, 1878: The world’s first moving pictures were produced, showing a horse galloping.
June 16, 1884: The first roller coaster in the U.S. opened at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York.
June 17, 1889: The Statue of Liberty sailed into New York Harbor aboard the French ship Isere.
June 17, 1972: Five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters, located in the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. This began a chain of events that led to one of the biggest political scandals of the 20th Century and the historic resignation of President Richard Nixon.
June 18, 1979: President Jimmy Carter and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev sign the Salt-II nuclear agreement.
June 18, 1983: Dr. Sally Ride became the first American woman in space, as a crew member of the space shuttle Challenger.
June 19, 1865: Two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, slavery officially ended in the United States with the liberation of the remaining slaves in Texas. The day became known as “Juneteenth”, and it is considered the longest-standing African-American holiday.
June, 19, 1968: 50,000 people participated in “The Poor People’s March” on Washington, D.C., organized by Martin Luther King Jr. before his death.
June 20, 1910: The first Father’s Day was celebrated in Spokane, Washington.