Today in 1795, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill opened its doors to students…thereby claiming they are the country’s oldest public university in the United States. Thing is, they’re not alone in staking that claim – as the University of Georgia and College of William and Mary also say they’re “the first.” Each has a distinct basis for the claim: North Carolina being the first to hold classes and graduate students, Georgia was the first created by state charter, and William & Mary has the oldest founding date of any currently public university (though it was private for over 200 years and completely closed for a period after the Civil War).
Today in 1866, Jesse James held up his first bank, stealing $15-thousand from the Clay County Savings Association in Liberty, Missouri.
Today in 1920, the National Negro Baseball League was founded.
Today in 1935, Bruno Hauptmann was found guilty in the kidnap and murder of Charles Lindbergh, Jr. – aka “The Lindberg Baby.” Hauptmann was executed the following April 3rd – and maintained his innocence until the end. Perhaps he was - Hauptmann’s case is included in the 1992 book, “In Spite of Innocence,” among almost two-dozen cases in which the editors believed “an innocent person was executed.”
Today in 1990, the U.S. and the Soviets reached an agreement on the reunification of Germany in Ottawa.
Today in 1997, the 1977 movie "Star Wars" with help of a "Special Edition" re-release surpassed "E.T. – The Extraterrestrial" to become the all-time box-office champ. It was only temporary, however – “Titanic” took that mantle the following year.
Today in 2000, Charles Schulz's final "Peanuts" strip ran in Sunday newspapers, the day after the cartoonist died in his sleep at his California home at age 77. In it, he had announced his retirement.
Today in 2008, Roger Clemens denied having taken performance-enhancing drugs in testimony before Congress. As a result, his case was referred to the Justice Department. On August 19, 2010, a federal grand jury at the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., indicted Clemens on six felony counts involving perjury, false statements and obstruction of Congress. Clemens pleaded not guilty, but proceedings were complicated by prosecutorial misconduct, leading to mistrial. The verdict from his second trial came in on June 18, 2012. Clemens was found not guilty on all six counts of lying to Congress in 2008.
Today in 2017, President Donald Trump accepted the resignation of national security adviser Michael Flynn after it was revealed that he had accepted money from foreign governments without the required approval.
Today in 2021, former President Donald Trump was acquitted in second Senate impeachment trial on charge of incitement of insurrection after senators vote 57 to 43 in favor of conviction, less than the two thirds majority required for impeachment.
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