On This Day
1847 – Mexican–American War: the Battle of Chapultepec begins.
The Battle of Chapultepec was a battle between American forces and Mexican forces holding the strategically located Chapultepec Castle just outside Mexico City, fought 13 September 1847 during the Mexican–American War. The building, sitting atop a 200-foot (61 m) hill, was an important position for the defense of the city.
The battle was part of the campaign to take Mexico City, for which General Winfield Scott’s U.S. Army totaled 7,200 men. General Antonio López de Santa Anna, known for vicious attacks against Native Mexican American tribes, had formed an army of approximately 25,000 men. Mexican forces, including military cadets of the Military Academy, defended the position at Chapultepec against 2,000 U.S. forces. The Mexicans’ loss opened the way for the Americans to take the center of Mexico City.
In Mexican history, the battle is cast as the story of the brave deaths of six cadets, the Niños Héroes, who leapt to their deaths rather than be taken captive, with one wrapping himself in the Mexican flag. American sources also feature many depictions of the battle from the American point of view.[3] Although it lasted only about 60–90 minutes, the battle has great importance in the histories of both countries.
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1906 – The Santos-Dumont 14-bis makes a short hop, the first flight of a fixed-wing aircraft in Europe.
The 14-bis (Quatorze-bis), also known as Oiseau de proie (“bird of prey” in French),[2] was a pioneer era, canard-style biplane designed and built by Brazilian aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont. In 1906, near Paris, the 14-bis made a manned powered flight that was the first to be publicly witnessed by a crowd. It was also the first powered flight made anywhere outside of the United States, as well as the first powered flight by a non-Wright airplane.[3]
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Born On This Day
1739 – Mary Bosanquet Fletcher, Methodist preacher and philanthropist (d. 1815)
Mary Bosanquet Fletcher (/ˈboʊzənˌkɛt/; 12 September 1739 – 8 December 1815) was an English preacher credited with persuading John Wesley, a founder of Methodism, to allow women to preach in public. She was born into an affluent family, but after converting to Methodism, rejected its luxurious life. She was involved in charity work throughout her life, operating a school and orphanage until her marriage to John Fletcher. She and a friend, Sarah Crosby, began preaching and leading meetings at her orphanage and became the most popular female preachers of their time.[1] Bosanquet was known as a “Mother in Israel”, a Methodist term of honour, for her work in spreading the denomination across England.[2]
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1818 – Lucy Goode Brooks, Former American slave and a founder of Friends’ Asylum for Colored Orphans (d. 1900)[9]
Lucy Goode Brooks (September 13, 1818 – October 7, 1900) was an American slave who was instrumental in the founding of the Friends’ Asylum for Colored Orphans in Richmond, Virginia.
Early life and education
Goode was born on September 13, 1818,[1] in Virginia to the slave Judith Goode and a white man. She met another slave, Albert Royal Brooks, and taught him to read and write so that they could write passes to see each other. When her master died in 1838, she became the property of a man named Sublett. That same year, she joined the First Baptist Church of Richmond. Shortly after Goode became Sublett’s property, he allowed her to marry Brooks on February 2, 1839 and allowed them to live together. Albert’s owner allowed him to operate a livery stable, for which he collected rent, but also permitted Albert to keep his additional earnings and use them to buy his freedom. In 1841 when the Baptist church divided, she was one of the group that joined in forming the First African Baptist Church.[2]
Career
When Sublett died in 1858, his heirs threatened to sell Lucy and her children to different masters. She was able to negotiate with merchants who purchased her children and allowed them to live with her as long as they showed up for work daily. The sole exception was a daughter who was sold to owners in Tennessee.[3] The knowledge that they could be separated made the Brookses work hard to try to buy the freedom of Lucy and the children. Her new master, Daniel Von Groning, who also owned her three youngest boys, allowed Albert to pay for their freedom in installments. It took four years, but on October 21, 1862, their deed of manumission was signed. The older three boys were not freed until the Civil War was ended.[2]
The loss of her daughter and a previous son—who had been sold away as an infant—motivated Brooks to try to help children who were separated from their parents, after the war had ended.[3] The Freedmen’s Bureau initially offered temporary rations and care for abandoned children, but by the fall of 1865 increasingly tried to shift the burden to local relief efforts and benevolent societies.[4] Brooks, who was a leader of the Ladies Sewing Circle for Charitable Work, convinced the other ladies to help organize an orphanage.[2] She then gained the support of several churches, including the local Quaker congregation to help found the Friends’ Asylum for Colored Orphans.[3] The plan was approved and building’s location was authorized by the city council in 1867, with the orphanage opening two years later.[5] The organization is still operational and functions as the Friends Association for Children,[6] though its current focus is to provide childcare and family support services to low- and moderate-income families.[7]
Brooks died on October 7, 1900 in Richmond, Virginia,[8] and she was buried in the Mechanic’s Cemetery of Richmond.[1] She was honored in 2008 by a Virginia Historical Marker being erected at the corner of Charity and Saint Paul Streets.[9] A book about her life was published in 1989.[10]
Friends’ Asylum for Colored Orphans (later the Friends Association for Colored Children and currently Friends’ Association for Children) was an African American orphanage at 112 West Charity Street in Richmond, Virginia. It began as a program to provide care and education to African American children and later evolved into a foster care center, an unwed mothers and pre-adoption boarding home and a community day care facility. It is currently operating as a family services organization.
History
The building’s location was authorized by the city council in 1867, and the orphanage opened two years later.[1] Lucy Goode Brooks was instrumental in its establishment.[2][3] It was incorporated in 1872 by the Society of Friends who had raised US$6,250 to erect a building on the corner of St. Paul and Charity streets. Its purpose was to provide care and education to orphaned African American children. The initial trustees were John B. Crenshaw, Jeremiah Willets, William H. Pleasants, Richard A. Ricks and Walter A. Ricks, members of the society of Friends; Rev. James H. Holmes, Nelson Vandervall, members of the First Baptist church; Joseph E. Farrar, John Adams, members of Ebenezer Baptist church; William Boyd, member of the Fifth Baptist church; Frederick Smith, -— Cooper, members of Mount Zion Baptist church; P. H. Woolfork, member of Third-street Methodist church; and Thomas M. Hewlett, member of Manchester Baptist church.[4]
By virtue of the bylaws, parents were required to yield all rights to their children and the board had discretion to bond children into indenture until their age of majority–21 years for boys and 18 years for girls.[5] Until 1889 only white trustees served on the board; thereafter, only members of black Baptist churches from Richmond could serve as trustees. The number varied according to the financial contribution of the involved churches.[6] In 1902, there were 22 children in attendance, seven of whom were newly admitted; one had run away, and three had died.[7] Seventeen children were in attendance in 1914, and the officers were Rev. W. T. Johnson (president), W. P. Epps (secretary), and Alice Hughes (matron).[8] A study conducted in 1924 in conjunction with the Child Welfare League of America determined that the orphanage was “vital to the city”, yet five years later, a second study found that foster care was a more pressing need. In light of this, in 1931, the orphanage was closed and the facility was transformed into foster care agency overseen by Richmond’s branch of the Children’s Aid Society.[6]
In 1932 the name was changed to the Friends’ Association for Colored Children and in 1938, the organization expanded to include adoption services. By 1940, in-home counseling services for children were included and in 1947 day nursery services were offered to the community. Other changes in the mid-1950s included suspension of foster care services, addition of assistance to unwed mothers, and the evolution of the center to a pre-adoption boarding home.[6] Still later, the name was changed again to the Friends’ Association for Children. It currently operates as a service organization for low to moderate-income families providing childcare and family support.[9]
FYI
Recipes
RecipeTinEats
- Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken July 14, 2026Three Cup Chicken (San Bei Ji) is a popular Taiwanese dish of chicken braised in a sweet-savoury soy sauce with lots of garlic and ginger. It’s a great quick recipe that takes 10 minutes to cook, and it’s got the sort of flavours that’s a guaranteed hit with everyone – kids, grown ups, fussy eaters!... […]Nagi
- Lamb Navarin July 10, 2026Lamb Navarin – Navarin d’agneau – is one of the great classic French stews (ragoûts). Lamb is slowly braised until meltingly soft in a rich sauce with potatoes and vegetables to soak up all that flavour. If you’ve never made a French stew before, this is a good one to start with as it is easier... […]Chef JB (RecipeTin)
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for July 16 July 16, 2026Picture of the day Emerald swift (Sceloporus malachiticus) Finca El Pilar, Antigua Guatemala. Also known as the green spiny lizard.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for July 15 July 15, 2026Picture of the day Adult woman of the Laarim Tribe smoking in a pipe, Kimotong, South Sudan.
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