On This Day In History 1782 - George Washington creates the Purple Heart. It was awarded to three soldiers, then largely forgotten. On Feb 22, 1932, Washingtonâs 200th birthday, the U.S. War Department announced the creation of the âOrder of the Purple Heart.â 1789 - The first U.S. Congress created the United States Lighthouse Establishment bringing all lighthouses under the responsibility of the federal government. It was the first public works law passed. 1882 - An election day battle between the Hatfields and McCoys leads to the death of Ellison McCoy. 1932 - Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia is born. He won the 1960 Olympic marathon. Running barefoot. 1947 - Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl completes 4300-mile ocean voyage in a balsa wood raft. 1948 - Alice Coachman was born today. She was the first African American woman to win an Olympic gold medal, in the high jump during the 1948 Olympic Games. 1959 - The first US satellite to photograph the Earth is launched. 1964 - US Congress approves Gulf of Tonkin resolution granting US President Lyndon Johnson authority to assist any Southeast Asian facing "communist aggression"; he uses it to bring the US into the Vietnam conflict 1990 - President George HW Bush orders Operation Desert Shield in response to Iraqâs invasion of Kuwait on August 2. 1993 - Ada Deer is sworn in as the Assistant Secretary of the Interior and the first woman to hold the position of head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The day of her swearing-in was also her birthday. 1998 - Two US embassies bombed in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224 and injuring more than 4500. 2022 - US Senate passes sweeping Inflation Reduction Act, an economic package designed to combat climate change, address health care costs and tax large corporations Quote of the Day âI speak up. I speak out. Itâs not like I plotted and planned. I just had this general goal. I want to do and I want to be and I want to help." âAda Deer On the Punny Side A pirate walks into a bar wearing a paper towel hat. The bartender asks, "What's with the paper towel hat?" The pirate says, "ARR, there be a Bounty on me head." | 