November 2009

Happy Birthday 1789

By proclamation of President George Washington, the national government of the young United States marked November 26, 1789 a day of general thanksgiving. This month we commemorate that first Thanksgiving of the new country with a look back at words that first saw print 220 years ago.

Of the 108 words that first appeared in print that year, some are quite distinctively American – here's a sampling. For the full list, choose the Collegiate as your reference, click on Date in the pulldown Search Type list, type in 1789 and click on Search.