Garwood Resident Makes Jersey History Calendar

Think today, Jan. 15, is just an ordinary day?

If you know New Jersey history the way Garwood resident Fred Rossi does, you'd know that Jan. 15 in 1853 was the day city founders adopted the name "Atlantic City." Four years later on the same day, the Absecon Lighthouse opened. In 1952, Jan. 15 marked the opening of the final nine-mile stretch of the NJ Turnpike (from exit 15E to 18). This January day was also when in 2002 Jim McGreevey was sworn in as governor.

No ordinary day, indeed.

Each day on Rossi's 2012 Jerzey Calendar reveals a slice of the date's state history ranging from today's milestones to celebrity and pop culture facts to the just plain strange.

Take, for instance, the story of our most iconic state produce.

"The tomato was named the state emblem in 1981," Rossi said, "but up until the early 1800s the tomato was thought to be poisonous and was only used as a decorative fruit. The first American to eat a tomato in public was Robert Gibbon Johnson on Sept. 15, 1820. He stood on steps of Salem County Courthouse and ate one to prove they weren’t lethal."

Rossi, who works as a financial advisor and a freelancer journalist, spent the past 15 years researching all 365 days in Jersey history to create his masterpiece wall calendar, which also features Rossi's photos of scenes from across the state.

"I've always liked wall calendars and I had a lot that were similar to this idea," he said. "The great thing about presenting history in a calendar is that it's digestible. It's not a textbook and it's presented in an interesting and unitimidating way."

Rossi says his calendar is a sure bet gift for teachers and students, history buffs, trivia fans and even those who've left the Garden State but like to stay connected to their roots.

To create his master list of significant events, Rossi spent days in places like Barnes and Noble in Clark and Springfield and the Westfield library, pouring over books, magazines and microfilm. Internet research also made his pursuit even easier.

"At Barnes and Noble, I would also check out the calendars, too," he says, "to make sure no one else had come up with or stole my idea!"

Rossi says New Jersey is a place where there's more than enough history to fill a year. One of the most interesting events that Rossi points to is that the country's first African American voter was a man from Perth Amboy named Mundy Peterson. The 15th Amendment was ratified the previous day.

"Most days have two to five events," he said. "Only a handful have only one. When I was really stuck I'd just go to NJ.com and search for that day's news."

In his research, Rossi also confirmed a bit of his own history. "On June 15, 1776 Royal Gov. William Franklin was arrested by Col. Nathaniel Heard in Perth Amboy," says Rossi. "My family had known for ages that an ancestor of ours was the arresting officer. Now, I was able to confirm it. They weren't lying."

Rossi's long-haul effort has finally come to fruition this year.

"Every year I would get in a little burst of energy and fill in dates," he says. "It took me a while to get it printed and get the marketing effort started, plus just figuring out all the details involved in setting up a small business. Over the summer, I just had a burst of energy and was able to fill in the last few dates."

Rossi's interest came from his love of history and politics, but the calendar features plenty of pop culture and Jersey celebrity news, too.

"There are 110 birthdays of various NJ celebs, Frank Sinatra to Springsteen to Bon Jovi. I'm a big Springsteen fan, so there's a lot of Springsteen stuff," he laughs. For example, on April 22, 1966 was when the Boss made his first known public appearance, with The Castiles, in Matawan.

The most recent item on the calendar is when Gov. Chris Christie announced on Oct. 4 last year that he would not run for president.

Rossi says he plans to make a 2013 edition that will include historic events from 2011, including Hurricane Irene and the Halloween snowstorm that many came to call "snowtober." As to whether or not he'll tackle another region? "Maybe I'd do a small state like Delaware," he says. "Or one area like Manhattan."

"New Jersey is chockful of history good, bad and otherwise," Rossi said. "I think that pretty much anyone – teachers, students, New Jersey residents, those who have escaped the Garden State, people who like state history, people who enjoy trivia – will find the Jerzey Calendar to be interesting and useful, whether it's hung on a wall or opened on their laps to read."

The calendar costs $20. To pay instantly with your credit card or with a PayPal account, send your e-mail address and quantity desired to jerzeycalendars@gmail.com or write a check and send it to Jerzey Calendars, P.O. Box 104, Garwood NJ 07027. You can also check out the calendar at jerzeycalendars.wordpress.com and on Facebook.