#OnThisDay Nov. 6 – 12, 2020

Nov. 5, 2020 – Discovery Park of America is filled with artifacts, replicas, history, science, art and more. Our mission is to inspire children and adults to see beyond, and we do so by sharing educational content online and throughout our museum.

We share weekly updates on anniversaries and significant moments in history, and where you can find items related to these dates through our museum and heritage park.

Freedom Square

  • Nov. 6, 1860 (160th anniversary)Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th President of the United States over a deeply divided democratic party, becoming the first republican to win the presidency.
  • Nov. 11, 1620 (400th anniversary) – Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower completed their 66-day journey from England to Cape Cod. Forty-one men on board the ship signed the Mayflower Compact, a set of rules for self-governance.

Military Gallery

  • Nov. 7, 1861 (159th anniversary) – Union forces under the command of Ulysses S. Grant overran a Confederate camp at the Battle of Belmont in Missouri during the Civil War.
  • Nov. 10, 1775 (245th anniversary) – During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress passed a resolution stating that “two Battalions of Marines be raised.” The resolution created the Continental Marines and is now observed as the birth date of the United States Marine Corps.
  • Nov. 11, 1918 (102nd anniversary) – Armistice Day: World War I ended when Germany signed an armistice agreement with the Allies in a railroad car outside Compiégne, France.

Train Depot

  • Nov. 7, 1885 (135th anniversary) – Canada’s first transcontinental railway, the Canadian Pacific, was completed in British Columbia.

National/International Day

  • Nov. 8, 2020 – STEM/STEAM Day: This day recognizes the strong science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics skills being taught in education programs around the world.
  • Nov. 11, 2020 – Veteran’s Day: On this day, we honor the brave men and women who have fought and are fighting in the United States armed forces.