Today in 1868,S. President Andrew Johnson was acquitted during the Senate impeachment, by one vote. His impeachment was unprecedented and stemmed from the various political disagreements over Reconstruction policy in the wake of the Civil War. In the end, 35 out of 54 senators voted to find Johnson guilty of “high crimes and misdemeanors” over his attempted dismissal of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, falling one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict; the trial ended 10 days later after two other articles of impeachment went down to defeat as well.
Today in 1888, Emile Berliner demonstrated the first recording on a flat disc.
Today in 1929, the first Academy Awards were presented. Douglas Fairbanks hosted the affair during which a total of twelve awards were given out. The entire presentation took five minutes. The movie "Wings" won "best production" while Emil Jannings and Janet Gaynor were named Best Actor and Best Actress.
Today in 1939, a new plan was tested in Rochester, New York for providing food aid to 14,000 families. A number of foods were designated in surplus to be provided with the blue food stamps issued by the government in hopes that this would help distribute surplus foods to those in need during the Great Depression. The idea was that if the plan worked, it would become the New Deal Program.
Today in 1975, Japanese climber Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Today in 1986, the film, "Top Gun," starring Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis and Val Kilmer opened in theaters nationwide.
Today in 1987, the Bobro 400 set sail with from New York Harbor with 3,200 tons of garbage. The barge traveled 6,000 miles in search of a place to dump its load. It returned to New York Harbor after eight-weeks…with the load still on board.
Today in 1988, a report released by Surgeon General C. Everett Koop declared that nicotine was addictive in similar ways as heroin and cocaine.
Today in 1988, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that police do not need a search warrant to search discarded garbage.
Today in 1990, death claimed entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. in Los Angeles at the age of 64. That same day, "Muppets" creator Jim Henson died in New York at the age of 53.
Today in 1991, Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to address the U.S. Congress.
Today in 1997, President Clinton publicly apologized for the notorious Tuskegee experiment, in which government scientists deliberately allowed black men to weaken and die of treatable syphilis.
Today in 2000, veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas resigned from United Press International, a day after the wire service was sold to the parent firm of “The Washington Times.”
Today in 2013, Bill Gates became the world's richest man with $72.7-billion again after losing the position in 2008. He and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos often fight for the top spot – Bezos is currently the richest man in the world with a bank account stuffed with $131-million – and, at the moment, Gates is enjoying a net worth of $96.5-billion.
Today in 2013,it was revealed that Angelina Jolie underwent a preventive double mastectomy after learning she had an 87% risk of developing breast cancer due to a defective BRCA1 gene.
Today in 2017, the White House issued a furious denial after a report that President Donald Trump personally appealed to FBI Director James Comey to abandon the bureau’s investigation into National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
Today in 2018, Michigan State University agreed to pay $500-million in claims to 300 survivors of sexual abuse involving Larry Nassar. It was the largest sexual abuse case in sports history.
Today in 2019, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency over IT threats, banning US companies from using foreign technology without a license.