Welcome to the History Tricks, where any resemblance to a boring old history lesson is purely

coincidental.

And here is your 30-second summary.

At the tender age of 15, Aida Lewis took on the weighty responsibilities of a lighthouse

keeper, protecting thousands of travelers from the perils of the sea.

As if that weren't enough, Aida personally cheated Davy Jones of further victims by

performing daring feats of rescue on the water and became a national hero.

The End.

Let's talk about Aida Lewis.

But first let's drop her into history.

In 1842, Massachusetts passed the first child labor laws in the United States, limiting

children under the age of 12 to 10 hours of work a day.

Ether was first used as an anesthetic.

The first illustrated weekly newspaper The London Times began publication.

John Greenow receives a first US patent on a sewing machine.

Christian Doppler published a paper in Vienna stating that the pitch of sound from a moving

object varies to a stationary observer, which became the first mention of what we know

as the Doppler effect.

The New York Philharmonic played its first concert.

Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln were joined in marriage.

Elizabeth V. G. Lebrunn died.

In 1842, the baby who had grown to become known as the bravest woman in America was born.

...