1978: NOAA announces gender-neutral hurricane naming system
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Harding was elected president in 1920 as a “compromise” candidate for the Republican party. He promised a “return to normalcy,” and signed bills that reduced taxes for both individuals and corporations, set high protective tariffs, created a federal budget system and limited immigration, particularly from southern and eastern Europe. He also hosted a disarmament conference. But his term also included the Teapot Dome scandal in which several prominent officials took bribes, including his interior secretary and his Veterans Bureau director. In early 1923, before the first scandals began emerging, Harding came down with the flu and had trouble sleeping. While exploring Yellowstone and Zion national parks as well as stopping in several cities on an official tour, some observers claimed that Harding looked tired. But the president’s personal physician, Dr. Charles E. Sawyer, who also practiced homeopathy, dismissed the claims. He participated in numerous recreational activities throughout the trip but during a speech at the University of Washington on July 27, Harding dropped his manuscript and grasped the podium for balance. He went to bed early complaining of upper abdominal pain. Only July 30 he had a fever of 102 degrees and was diagnosed with pneumonia. On Aug. 1, his temperature was back to normal, his lungs were clearing up and he was capable of sitting up in bed, reading and eating solid food. But around 7:30 p.m. a day later, Harding abruptly died in bed. He was 57 years old. Sawyer attributed it to a cerebral hemorrhage. but today, nearly all experts place the blame on congestive heart failure.
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