Today in history—March 3

1820: The U.S. Congress passes the Missouri Compromise, which outlaws slavery in all the territory bought from France north of 36° 30’, except Missouri—a provision that will be struck down in Dred Scott v. Sandford.

1831: George Pullman, who will drop out of school at 14 and later develop the first railroad sleeping car, is born at Brocton, New York.

1845: Florida is admitted to the Union as the 27th state.

1845: On President John Tyler’s last day in office, Congress overrides his veto of a funding bill, the first override in U.S. history.

1847: Alexander Bell (he will later adopt the middle name “Graham”) is born at Edinburgh, Scotland. He will become a U.S. citizen in 1888 but will nevertheless be named one of the “100 Greatest Canadians of All Time” by viewers of the CBC.

1891: Congress creates the United States Courts of Appeals.

1923: Henry Luce and his college friend Briton Hadden publish the first issue of a new magazine called Time.

1949: The world’s most famous failed car company, Tucker Corp., goes out of business after having made 58 cars.

1991: The founder of America’s second-oldest franchised business, dance master Arthur Murray Teichman (he dropped the last name in 1917) dies at Honolulu, Hawaii.  Trivia question:  What’s the oldest U.S. franchise business?