Today in 1609, Henry Hudson discovered Manhattan Island. Hudson recorded a name for the island, “Manna-Hata,” on his map. Various derivations of this name have been offered. One is that Manna-hata is Lenape for "many-hilled land." [Manah - "island" / Atin - "hill.”)
Today in 1833, the first successful one-cent (or penny) newspaper was published. Benjamin H. Day issued the first copy of “The New York Sun.” By 1826, the paper had the largest circulation in the country: 30,000.
Today in 1838, Frederick Bailey escaped from slavery disguised as a sailor – casting off his ‘master’s’ name, he became Frederick Douglass.
Today in 1855, during the Indian Wars: In Nebraska, 700 soldiers under American General William S. Harney avenged the Grattan Massacreby attacking a Sioux village, killing 100 men, women, and children.
Today in 1935, Sir Malcolm Campbell became the first person to drive an automobile over 300-miles an hour. He reached 304.331-mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
Today in 1970, Arthur Brown, best known for his hit, "Fire," was arrested and jailed for four days after he set his hat on fire and stripped naked at a show in Italy. He was then asked to leave the country and not return.
Today in 2015, Kentucky clerk Kim Davis was held in contempt and jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples.
Today in 2017, North Korea conducted its sixth and largest ever nuclear test, saying it had successfully conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb.