Taft Leads Dedication of New York Public Library; Obama Honors Servicemen Ahead Of Memorial Day: Today In History

May 23, 2017, is the 143rd day of the year, with 222 days remaining. The moon is in a waning crescent phase, with illumination at 8 percent and further decreasing until the new moon on May 25.

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New York Public Library: Taft presides over dedication ceremony

In 1911, more than 1 million books were set in place for the official dedication of the New York Public Library. President William Howard Taft presided over the dedication ceremony, which was also attended by New York Gov. John Alden Dix and New York City’s Mayor William J. Gaynor. The following morning, the library opened its doors, with 30,000 to 50,000 visitors streaming through the building on the first day.

The NYPL notes that one of the very first items called for was “Nravstvennye idealy nashego vremeni (Ethical Ideas of Our Time),” written by N. I. Grot as a study of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and writer Leo Tolstoy.

On this day in 2009, former President Barack Obama called on the American people to join him in paying tribute to the nation’s veterans, servicewomen and servicemen — particularly those who had made the ultimate sacrifice — and their families.

In his weekly radio and online address, Obama told Americans that they can honor veterans by sending a letter or care package to overseas troops, volunteering at local health clinics or taking supplies to area homeless centers. The president also said that honoring these individuals could mean something as simple as saying “thank you” to a passing veteran on the street.

“We have a responsibility to serve all [veterans] as well as they serve all of us,” Obama said. “And yet, all too often in recent years and decades, we — as a nation — have failed to live up to that responsibility. We have failed to give them the support they need or pay them the respect they deserve.

“This is what Memorial Day is all about.”

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Photo credit: The U.S. Army via Flickr