Walter Channing, an American physician and professor of medicine, was born on April 15th, 1786 in Newport, RI. Walter Channing was the grandson of William Ellery (who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence) the brother of preacher William Ellery Channing (founder of Channing Memorial Church in Newport) and of fellow Harvard professor (of Rhetoric), Edward […]
History
Posted inHistory, Newport County, Rhode Island, WUN Instagram
On This Day In History – April 10, 1987: Rose Island Lighthouse added to National Register of Historic Places
On this day in history in 1987, Rose Island Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Constructed in 1870, Narragansett Bay’s iconic Rose Island Lighthouse was built on top of a bastion of Fort Hamilton. The fort, including the lighthouse, is preserved, maintained and operated by The Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation. […]
Posted inHistory, Newport County, Rhode Island, WUN Instagram
On This Day in RI History – April 10, 1794: Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry born
On April 10th, 1794, Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry was born in Rhode Island. A member of the Perry family naval dynasty and often called the ‘Father of the Steam Navy,’ Perry is best known for leading two expeditions to Japan in 1853 and 1854. In 1853, U.S. President Millard Fillmore sent a fleet of warships […]
Posted inHistory, Newport County, News, Rhode Island
This Day in RI History: March 31, 2010, Record-breaking floods devastate the region
Where were you during the flood of 2010? You may recall that the flooding crippled parts of the state and shut down the Warwick Mall and other businesses for months. National Weather Service Photo The National Weather Service explained what happened. Pre-existing elevated river levels and saturated soil conditions from recent heavy rainfall combined with […]
Posted inHistory, Newport County, People & Profiles, Rhode Island
This Day in RI History: March 29, 1927, TV personality John McLaughlin is born in Providence
John McLaughlin was a Providence-born American television personality and political commentator most noted for his public affairs television show The McLaughlin Group. McLaughlin was born March 29, 1927 in Providence where he later attended La Salle Academy. He was ordained a priest after graduating Boston College and later received a PhD. from Columbia University. McLauglin […]
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This Day in RI History: March 26, 1953 Lincoln Chafee is born
Former Warwick Mayor, US Senator, RI Governor, and presidential candidate Lincoln Chafee has a long and storied political history. Chafee, the son of former Governor John Chafee, began his political career as Mayor of Warwick. First elected in 1992, he served 4 terms. After his father passed away in 1999, Chafee was appointed to the […]
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This Day In History: March 25, 1991– Jeremy Irons wins Best Actor for portrayal of Claus von Bülow
At the 63rd Annual Academy Awards on March 25th, 1991, actor Jeremy Irons won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance as Claus von Bülow in the 1990 film Reversal of Fortune. The film recounts the true story of Claus von Bülow who was twice tried on charges of attempted murder after his wife, socialite […]
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This Day In History: March 25, 1947—Claudine Schneider, first woman elected from Rhode Island to House of Representatives is born
On March 25th, 1947 Claudine Schneider, the first woman elected from Rhode Island to the U.S. House of Representatives, was born. Elected in 1980, the political trailblazer also was the first Republican Representative to serve the state in more than 40 years. During her five terms in Congress, Schneider earned a reputation as one of […]
Posted inArts & Culture
This Day in RI History: March 25, 1903, musician Frankie Carle born in Providence
Francis Nunzio Carlone (Frankie Carle) was born in Providence on March 25, 1903. A keyboardist in the big band era, Carle was fronting his own band by 1935, when he became known as the “Wizard of the Keyboard.” His most well-known composition was “Sunrise Serenade,” which rose to #1 on the charts in 1938 selling […]
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This Day in RI History: March 23, 1948, Musician David Olney born in Providence
David Olney was born in Providence on March 23, 1948. In the 1970s and 1980’s he was a member of several bands including Simpson and the X-Rays, a band that once appeared on PBS TV’s “Austin City Limits.” A Nashville institution since the 1980s, Olney was best known as an “Americana pioneer” writing songs for […]
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This Day in RI History: March 22, 1966, Martha McSally is born in Warwick
Former Arizona Senator Martha McSally was born on March 22, 1966 in Warwick, RI. She attended Bay View Academy and later received a B.S. in Biology from the United States Air Force Academy as well as a Master’s Degree from the JFK School of Government at Harvard University. As an Air Force pilot, McSally flew […]
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Casting Off to The Homeport: Crew, family, & friends of the USS Yosemite return to Newport April 24 – 27
The Naval War College and the Naval Station in Newport attract young military service members for training, education, and career advancement. The Navy base has also seen a lot of crucial military history, and this April, history is returning. From April 24-27, the USS Yosemite Association, a society dedicated to the Navy ship and its […]
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On This Day in History – March 9, 1774: Tornado on Nantucket
On March 9, 1774, a tornado or waterspout moved ashore in Nantucket Harbor and destroyed a lighthouse along with several barns and shops. The US National Weather Service Boston has shared the following recount.
Posted inHistory
This Day in RI History: March 7, 1707 – Stephen Hopkins born in Providence
March 7, 1707, was the birthday of Stephen Hopkins, perhaps the most famous Rhode Islander from the colonial period. One of the most accomplished politicians in the state’s history, Hopkin’s resume was impressive. It included four terms as Governor of the Rhode Island colony, President of the Scituate Town Council, Chief Justice of the Rhode […]
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On This Day In History – March 4, 1754: Benjamin Waterhouse, smallpox vaccine pioneer, born in Newport
On this day in history, March 4, 1754, Benjamin Waterhouse, a pioneer of the smallpox vaccine, was born in Newport, Rhode Island. Dr. Waterhouse was a physician, co-founder, and professor at Harvard Medical School. He is well-known for being the first doctor to test the smallpox vaccine in the United States, which he carried out […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Women’s History Month: Meet Miss Johnson and Miss Wales
Many women have played prominent roles in Rhode Island education, from teaching to founding what has now become a prominent university with campuses in Providence and North Carolina. As WUN celebrates National Women’s History Month, we’ll introduce several women who have played significant roles in our area, from the sports field to politics and government, […]
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What’s Up Newp celebrates Women’s History Month: Meet golfer Glenna Collett-Vare
We’re celebrating some extraordinary women during March, National Women’s History Month, individuals who have made their mark from the sports field to politics and government, from the courtroom to the board room. We’ll be introducing our readers to some individuals they may not know, and others they do. What they all have in common is […]
Posted inPeople & Profiles
On This Day In History – February 25, 1842: Ida Lewis born in Newport
Lighthouse keeper and hero Ida Lewis was born on this day in Newport in 1842. Lewis made countless rescues during her time, she made her first rescue at the age of 12 and her last recorded rescue at the age of 63. She is credited for saving at least 18 lives. In 1869 she became […]
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Today In Newport History (Feb. 22, 1994): ‘True Lies’ Filmed in Newport
True Lies, the 1994 American action comedy film written and directed by James Cameron, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Art Malik, Tia Carrere, Bill Paxton, Eliza Dushku, Grant Heslov and Charlton Heston, was in the midst of filming in Newport, RI in February of 1994. Of the many locations that were used […]
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50 famous firsts in US presidential history
George Washington, the country’s first president, won both of his elections unanimously, with every elector casting their vote for him. That’s a far cry from today’s bitterly contested battles. President Washington was followed in office by John Adams, the first resident of the new White House, then still called the President’s House. Presidential firsts made […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Black History Month: African Heritage Entrepreneurs in Gilded Age Newport – Andrew J. Tabb
Special to What’s Up Newp | The following was written by Keith Stokes, Vice President of the 1696 Heritage Group. This story was originally published on Feb. 1, 2021. While Newport is internationally recognized for its Colonial Era buildings, Gilded Age mansions, historic landscapes, and rich maritime history, few would know that Newport through the centuries […]
Posted inThings To Do
‘Six Picks’ fun ideas for February School Vacation Week
Here’s our roundup of fun family activities for February vacation week. Keep the kids busy… and parents from going crazy … with these ideas for winter break around RI. Take the kids go-karting at RI Indoor Karting in Lincoln, which features a 1/3 mile track and speeds up to 45MPH. (No worries for the little ones; the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Black History Month: The origins of Newport’s African Heritage Tennis Club
By Keith Stokes, special to What’s Up Newp. Originally published on Feb. 18, 2021 “If there was a watering-place in America where respectable, refined, and well-bearing-colored ladies and gentlemen have as little reason to feel their color as in Newport.” – Colored American Newspaper, 1886 Newport is internationally recognized for its Colonial Era structures, Gilded […]
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Black History Month – Dr. Harriet Alleyne Rice: A native Newport Black History heroine that is largely unknown in the city of her birth
The following was written for What’s Up Newp by Keith Stokes, Vice President of the 1696 Heritage Group. This story was originally published on Feb. 11 ,2021. A native Newport Black History heroine that is largely unknown in the city of her birth. Harriet Alleyne Rice was born to George and Lucinda Rice in 1866 in […]
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Black History Month Newport: Places of Worship
Special to What’s Up Newp | The following was written by Keith Stokes. This story was originally published on Feb. 9, 2020. Persons of African heritage have lived, worked and worshiped in Newport since the mid-17th Century. Established as a major slave port, Newport would have one of the largest populations of enslaved and free […]