Today in 1777, the people of “New Connecticut” declared their independence from the United States. New Connecticut is now the state of Vermont. And you thought the South was the first to secede?
Today in 1780, American Continental Congress established court of appeals.
Today in 1861, the steam elevator was patented by Elisha Otis.
Today in 1908, nine African American women at Howard University officially established America’s first Greek-letter organization; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
Today in 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt asked baseball’s commissioner to continue baseball during WW II.
Today in 1943, the Pentagon became the world’s largest office building outside of Washington, D.C.
Today in 1945, the Manhattan Project's G-5 Group, headed by physicists Donald Kerst and Seth Neddermeyer, took their first betatron pictures of a nuclear implosion at the Los Alamos Laboratory.
Today in 1947, the brutalized corpse of Elizabeth Short (aka "The Black Dahlia") was found in Los Angeles, California.
Today in 1953, Harry S. Truman became the first American President to give his farewell from office through the radio and television.
Today in 1955, Raymond Bliss built the first solar-heated, radiation-cooled house in Tucson, Arizona.
Today in 1967, The Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL’s first Super Bowl with a final score of 35 to 10.
Today in 1973, President Nixon announced the suspension of all U.S. offensive operations in North Vietnam citing it as peace negotiations.
Today in 1986, Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday became a national holiday as ordered by President Reagan.
Today in 1988, sports commentator Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder made the infamous racist remarks about black athletes that got him fired by CBS. In part, he said – quote, “The black is a better athlete to begin with because he's been bred to be that way, because of his high thighs and big thighs that goes up into his back, and they can jump higher and run faster because of their bigger thighs and he's bred to be the better athlete because this goes back all the way to the Civil War when during the slave trade … the slave owner would breed his big black to his big woman so that he could have a big black kid.”
Today in 2001, Wikipedia, a free Wiki content encyclopedia, went online.
Today in 2002, United States Attorney General John Ashcroft announced that John Walker Lindh would be brought to the U.S. to face trial. He was charged in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, VA with conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens, providing support to terrorists organizations, and engaging in prohibited transactions with the Taliban of Afghanistan.
Today in 2009, with Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger at the controls, US Airways Flight 1549 made an emergency landing into the Hudson River shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport in New York City. All passengers and crewmembers survive.
Today in 2018, Olympian Simone Biles came forward as one of more than 130 women sexually abused by former Team USA doctor Larry Nassar.