Today in 1785, Benjamin Franklin wrote in a letter that he had invented bifocals, making it unnecessary to carry two pairs of glasses.
Today in 1788, South Carolina became the eighth state to ratify the United States Constitution.
Today in 1903, the first transcontinental trip by car began in San Francisco and ended in New York. The trip took nine weeks, but that might have been because there were no roads, just trails.
Today in 1934, bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were shot to death in a police ambush in Louisiana. The bank robbers were riding in a stolen Ford Deluxe.
Today in 1939, the Navy submarine USS Squalus sank during a test dive off the New England coast. In all, 32 crew members and one civilian were rescued, but 26 others died; the sub was salvaged and re-commissioned the USS Sailfish.
Today in 1985, President Ronald Reagan awarded Jimmy Stewart the Presidential Medal of Freedom and promoted him to Major General on the Retired List.
Today in 1994, funeral services were held at Arlington National Cemetery for former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Today in 1995, the nine-story remains of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was demolished.
Today in 1999, Gerry Bloch, at age 81, became the oldest climber to scale El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. He broke his own record that he set in 1986 when he was just 68-years old.
Today in 2002,the remains of the missing Capitol Hill intern Chandra Levy were found in Washington, D.C.’s Rock Creek Park. The investigation led to a media firestorm due to allegations of an affair with married, and then-U.S. Representative, Gary Condit, a five-term congressman and a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Condit was never named a suspect by police and was eventually cleared of involvement. Still, the cloud of suspicion raised by the intense media focus and the later admission of the affair led to his loss in his 2002 re-election campaign. It wasn’t until 2009 that her murderer was caught and later convicted. The guilty party? Illegal immigrant Ingmar Guandique.
Today in 2008, Hillary Rodham Clinton cited the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy as a reason to remain in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination despite increasingly long odds. She apologized two days later.
Today in 2015, President Barack Obama, in a speech to the National Defense University, defended America’s controversial drone attacks as legal, effective and a necessary linchpin in an evolving U.S. counterterrorism policy, but acknowledged the targeted strikes were no “cure-all” and said he was haunted by the civilians who were unintentionally killed.
Today in 2015, Boy Scouts of America opened its ranks to gay Scouts, but not to gay Scout leaders.
Today in 2017, President Donald Trump made a personal appeal for peace between Israel and the Palestinians as he closed a four-day swing through the Middle East. Also on this day? Trump met Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Today in 2018, NFL owners approved a new NFL national anthem policy whereby players are required to stand if they choose to be on the field for pre-game presentations.