Edward Augustine Walsh was born in Pennsylvania to a family of Irish immigrants. At age 12, he began working in the coal fields. He grew to be 6'.1" and at 193 lbs became known at "Big Ed." In 1902, urged on by a friend, he tried out for the Wilkes-Barre baseball team. He joined the Chicago White Sox in 1904, becoming one of the top pitchers in the American league. Walsh is … [Read more...] about May 14, 1881
Today In History
April 9, 1881
On April 9, 1881, the infamous outlaw Billy the Kid was convicted of murder. Born Henry McCarthy in New York City, Billy had a long history of thefts and murders, but it wasn't until his 1878 revenge killing of Lincoln County, NM Sheriff William Brady, who had killed Billy's boss, John Tunstall, that Billy was actively pursued as a wanted man. After three years on the run, he … [Read more...] about April 9, 1881
September 19, 1880
The term "boycotting"- a form of non-violent protesting - entered the English language on this day in 1880. Coined by Charles Stewart Parnell in his speech on land tenants at Ennis, he said, "I wish to point out a better way, a more Christian way which will give the lost man an opportunity of repenting. When a man takes a farm from which another has been evicted, you must shun … [Read more...] about September 19, 1880
June 6, 1880
William "W.T." Cosgrave, the first President of the Executive Council or prime minister of the Irish Free State, was born on this day in 1880. After attending the first Sinn Fein convention in 1905, Cosgrave became politically active. He joined the Irish volunteers in 1913 and took part in the Easter Rising of 1916. He was arrested for his role and chose to serve a penal … [Read more...] about June 6, 1880
February 2, 1880
Charles Parnell, founder of the Irish Parliament Party and one of Ireland's most important nationalist leaders of the 19th century, became the first Irishman to address the United States Congress on this day in 1880. On a visit to the US with fellow Irish nationalist John Dillon, Parnell was able to raise £60,000 for the Land League, an organization which the two men helped … [Read more...] about February 2, 1880