Trivia

1829 - Thirteen year old Jane Wilson recites 1,650 Bible verses from memory.

1829 - Canal aqueduct spanning the Genesee River collapses under the stress of citizens gathered atop to watch a fight broken out between boat crews arguing over right of way.

Nov. 6 1829 - Friday the 13th, Sam Patch, the first man to successfully jump the Niagara Falls, gives his final performance at the High Falls downtown. His body is found five months later near the mouth of the Genesee River.

1848 - The birth of American Spiritualism becomes forever linked to nearby Hydesville, New York when sisters Margaret and Catherine Fox claim the ability to communicate with departed spirits through a code of knocks and rapps heard through the walls of their home. While living on Troup Street in our city in 1849, they perform a public hearing at the Corinthian Hall, which spreads word of their abilities throughout the world.

1862 - Ward's Natural Science Establishment is formed in Rochester, New York. With the help of devoted young employee Carl E. Ackley, taxidermy makes strides toward becoming an artform. His efforts help lay the foundation of modern taxidermy in the United States of America.

September 11, 1883 - The mail chute was patented by James Cutler. This device was first used in the Elwood Building in Rochester, New York http://www.rochester.lib.ny.us/rochimag/architecture/LostRochester/Elwood/Elwood.htm

November 21, 1878 - A section of rock 100 feet by twenty plunges into the gorge at the Middle Falls of the Genesee in Rochester.

April 28, 1953 Sonic Youth bassist Kim Gordon born in Rochester, New York. Nothing else noteworthy really occurs during this century.

August 26, 2003 A 300-pound orangutan escapes from his cage at the Seneca Park Zoo, carrying off a volunteer as he flees. After a 15 minutes outside, he decides life in a cage is much preferable to that of life in the city of Rochester, New York and promptly returns to his cage without further incident.