Catholic Archbishop Hughes of New York gave a lengthy and well-reported sermon in his Cathedral defending the temporal power of the Papacy.  He complained of the inroads that the unification of Italy was making into the provinces of the Papal States and condemned France for its intrusions into the situation.  He went on to ask New Yorkers for material aid for Rome.  His appeal drew little praise from New York editorial writers. (By John Osborne)

Charlotte Perkins Gilman was born in Hartford, Connecticut.  She was the niece of much of the Beecher family, including Harriet Beecher Stowe and Isabella Beecher Hooker.  She was educated at public schools and by the turn of the century she was one of the most influential feminist writers in America.  She became internationally famous with the 1898 publication of Women and Economics.  She committed suicide in August 1935 while suffering from inoperable cancer.  (By John Osborne) 

Charles Goodyear died in relative poverty in New York City.  Born in New Haven, Connecticut on December 29, 1800, he had experimented at length in solving the weaknesses of rubber as a material.  In 1844, he took out a patent on a hardening process, later dubbed "vulcanizing," and began to produce items of all kinds. Poor at business and often in debt, he was involved in a long series of patent disputes in the United States, Britain and France.  He had no connection with the famous tire company named after him in tribute in 1898.  (By John Osborne)