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Today in 1738,John Wesley was converted, essentially launching the Methodist movement; the day is celebrated annually by Methodists as Aldersgate Day.
Today in 1775,John Hancock was unanimously elected President of the Continental Congress.
Today in 1830,the first regular passenger railroad in the United States began service between Baltimore and Ellicott City, Maryland.
Today in 1830,the nursery rhyme, "Mary Had A Little Lamb," was first published.
Today in 1844,Samuel F.B. Morse transmitted the message, "What hath God wrought!" from Washington to Baltimore as he formally opened America's first telegraph line.
Today in 1856,thePottawatomie Massacre in Kansas began and ran into the next morning. In reaction to the sacking of Lawrence, Kansas by pro-slavery forces, John Brown and a band of abolitionist settlers killed five settlers north of Pottawatomie Creek in Franklin County, Kansas. This was one of the many bloody episodes in Kansas preceding the American Civil War. The victims were prominently associated with the pro-slavery Law and Order Party, but were not themselves slave owners.