December 16th
Today in 1773,the Boston Tea Party took place, as American colonists boarded a British ship and dumped more than 300 chests of tea overboard to protest tea taxes.
Today in 1777,Articles of Confederation (our first Constitution)were ratified by the first state: Virginia.
Today in 1907,President Theodore Roosevelt sent the US Battle Fleet on a round-the-world cruise, visiting ports internationally, as a gesture of the United States’ new presence as a world power.
Today in 1950,President Harry Truman proclaimed a state of emergency against "Communist imperialism."
Today in1961,Martin Luther King Jr. and 700 demonstrators were arrested in Albany, Georgia.
Today in 1975,Sara Jane Moore pleaded guilty to a charge of trying to kill President Ford in San Francisco the previous September.
Today in 1977, "Saturday Night Fever" opened in theaters nationwide, and kicked off the disco craze.
Today in 2003,the Food and Drug Administration voted to allow the over-the-counter sale of the contraceptive "morning-after pill."
Today in 2004,the iTunes Music Store reached 200-million songs sold.
Today in 2009,astronomersdiscovered GJ1214b. It was the first known exoplanet on which water could exist.
Today in 2014, in Army Public School in Peshawar Pakistanwas attacked by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan militants.In all, 149 people were killed – including 132 schoolchildren, ranging between eight and eighteen years of age. One of the members of staff was reportedly burned alive in front of the children. It is the world's fourth deadliest school massacre.
Today in 2016,the State Department increased reward for information on Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to $25-million