8th president of the United States.
1782
Dec 5
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birthKinderhook, Columbia, New York, USA ⇓ The picture is of a historical marker at his birthplace in a Kinderhook, which at the time was an isolated village of mostly Dutch descent. Martin Van Buren was the only president to speak English as a second language. His father was a farmer and owned an inn there. He had four full siblings, and three older half-siblings from his mother's first marriage. 2 Sources ⇓ |
| 1782 • The bald eagle is chosen as the emblem of the United States of America. |
1782
Dec 15
Age: 10d
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baptismBaptismal record from the Kinderhook Dutch Reformed Church. Van Buren's name was spelled "Maarten" in Dutch. 1 Source ⇓ |
| 1782 • Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris goes before the U.S. Congress to recommend establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage. |
1807
Feb 21
Age: 24y
marriageHannah Hoes Catskill, New York, USA ⇓ |
| 1807 • Former U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr is acquitted of treason. He had been accused of plotting to annex parts of Louisiana and Mexico to become part of an independent republic. |
1837
Age: 53y
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occupationElected in 1836, US president until 1841. The picture is an 1858 portrait on display at the White House. He coined the term "OK" for his presidential campaign, short for "Old Kinderhook", partly responsible for the wide usage of the word today. 1 Source ⇓ |
| 1837 • Michigan becomes the 26th state admitted to the United States. |
1862
Jul 24
Age: 79y
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deathKinderhook, Columbia, New York, USA ⇓ Van Buren's health began to fail later in 1861, and he was bedridden with pneumonia during the fall and winter of 1861-1862. He did not recover, and died of bronchial asthma and heart failure at his Lindenwald estate in Kinderhook at 2:00 a.m. on July 24. 1 Source ⇓ |
| 1862 • American Civil War: President Abraham Lincoln approves the plan by General Ambrose Burnside to capture the Confederate capital city of Richmond, Virginia. This plan leads to a disastrous Union defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg on December 13). |
