August 25
PRIVATE EYE DAY
There were a lot of firsts in the life of Allan Pinkerton, born on this day in 1819 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Allan created the first private detective agency in 1850; making him the first private eye. Abraham Lincoln hired him as the first Secret Service officer. He, in fact, foiled the first attempt on Abraham Lincoln’s life.
Mr. Pinkerton hired others to help him in his detective agency. They were called Pinkertons, known for spying for the Union during the Civil War. Later, they were employed as scabs (where they were called Pinks -- possibly the origin of the slang word, fink) during labor strikes and were active in suppressing labor disputes.
Allan Pinkerton actually created the term that has been glorified on countless TV shows, although there has never been a show that featured Pinkerton, Private Eye.
Those Were the Days, the Today in History service from 440 International
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