Here’s a brief look back in time for this day, May 14.
In 1607, around 100 settlers from London arrive to what would become the colony of Jamestown. Known as the Virginia Company, they were chartered by King James I to build and establish a permanent settlement in the New World. The formative years of English settlement were not as peaceful as some may think, as the colonists were occasionally attacked by Powhatan Native Americans for invading on their territory. The winter of 1609-1610 proved especially harsh, as famine and sieging Natives almost brought the colony to collapse. It wasn’t until the 1614 marriage of Pocahontas to London native John Rolfe when rocky peace was attained, though historians dispute whether the union was forced by the English settlers.
In 1796, English physician Edward Jenner tests what is believed to be the world’s first vaccination trial. Jenner hypothesized the pus from cowpox protected individuals from the more deadly smallpox. He initiated this trial on the eight-year-old son of his gardener. After a couple of days, this theory was determined to be true upon the boy not contracting the illness. Inoculations for other deadly diseases such as polio and hepatitis utilize this similar (yet more cleaner) method today, where a strain of the disease is administered to “train” the immune system without necessarily causing the subject to become sick. Jenner’s trial ultimately saved millions of lives from future pandemics.
In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark begin their expedition into territory acquired through the Louisiana Purchase. Their trip began at Camp Dubois in Illinois and ended at Fort Clatsop in Oregon. The expedition lasted around 2 years.