Four Philly Events that Changed the World (Nov. 12 to Nov. 18)
November 14
First Professional Librarian in North America Hired (1732)
At the age of 33, Louis Timothee became the first salaried librarian of the Library Company of Philadelphia on this date in 1732.
The Dutchmen immigrated to the colonies in 1731 with his wife. The couple decided to settle in Philadelphia. With a background in printing, Benjamin Franklin gave him a position as the printer of the Pennsylvania Gazette.
Timothee began expanding his printing services and established his own shop in Charleston, South Carolina near the end of his life in 1734.
While still in Philadelphia, Franklin hired Timothee as a part-time librarian, but gave him a full-time salary of three pounds every trimester.
November 15
KYW-AM Begins Radio Transmissions (1921)
KYW-AM, a local Philadelphia radio station, originally had its beginnings in Chicago in 1921. The station and Westinghouse Broadcasting Company transmitted performances of the Chicago Opera Company. They were also the first radio station to broadcast major football games.
KYW-AM moved to Philadelphia, the nation’s third largest market at the time, in 1934. Notable initiatives in Philly include broadcasts of the 1940 Republican Convention, the Democratic and Republican Conventions of 1948 and War Bond Drives during World War II.
After 22 years of service in Philadelphia, the station moved to Cleveland in 1956, but returned back to the city of Brotherly Love less than a decade later.
November 17
First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry Founded (1774)
At Carpenter’s Hall, the First Continental Congress was held. Near the end of Nov. 17, 28 members of the Congress formed the Light Horse of the City of Philadelphia.
This volunteer horse brigade is composed of a variety of men: from shipowners to men of trade. The legion of men were the first form of defense in the American colonies and aided the cause for independence during the American Revolution. Members of this group have gone on to garner personal accolades in all five branches of the United States armed forces.
The name was later changed to the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry. The military unit created in Philadelphia is still in service and is the oldest one of its kind that exists.
November 18
Sigma Alpha Rho Founded (1917)
On this date in 1917, 11 men founded the oldest Jewish high school fraternity in Philadelphia. William Baude, Jules Feinstein, Joseph Marion, and Benjamin Landau of West Philadelphia High School created a “soathical club”, a social and athletic club. Two months after its inception, the social club became a fraternity known as Sigma Alpha Rho.
In 2017, the fraternity is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The prestigious group continues to thrive with new inductees every year and annual conventions to bring back old alumni. Notable brothers of Sigma Alpha Rho include Tony Kornheiser, a sports personality for ESPN, and Ed Snider, the founder and former owner of the Philadelphia Flyers.
