Today in 1715, Sybilla Thomas Masters became the first American to be granted an English patent for cleaning and curing Indian corn.
Today in 1783, during the Revolutionary War, the British evacuated New York. New York was their last military position in the U.S.
Today in 1850, Texas relinquished one-third of its territory in exchange for $10-million from the U.S. to pay its public debts and settle border disputes. It’s known as the Compromise of 1850.
Today in 1867, a Congressional commission began looking into the "impeachment" of President Andrew Johnson.
Today in 1947, movie studio executives meeting in New York agreed to blacklist the "Hollywood 10," who were cited a day earlier and jailed for contempt of Congress when they failed to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Today in 1955, the Interstate Commerce Commission banned racial segregation on interstate trains and buses.
Today in 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower suffered a stroke.
Today in 1961, the Everly Brothers were inducted into the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves as they reported to Camp Pendelton, California for duty.
Today in 1963, over a million people gathered in Washington D.C. for the funeral of slain President John F. Kennedy.
Today in 1973, the United States cut the maximum speed limit cut to 55-mph as an energy conservation measure.
Today in 1976, NASA’s Viking 1 radio signaled from Mars, helping to prove the general theory of relativity.
Today in 1984, William J. Schroeder of Jasper, Indiana, became the second man to receive a Jarvik-7 artificial heart during a six-hour operation at Humana Hospital Audubon in Louisville, Kentucky. He lived 620 days on the device.
Today in 1986, the Iran-Contra scandal erupted as Oliver North's secretary, Fawn Hill, smuggled related documents out of his office upon being fired.
Today in 1999, five-year-old Elian Gonzalez was rescued by a pair of sport fishermen off the coast of Florida. Elian was one of three survivors from a boat carrying 14 Cubans that had sunk two days earlier in the Atlantic Ocean; his rescue set off an international custody battle between relatives in Miami and Elian's father in Cuba.
Today in 2001, as the war in Afghanistan entered its eighth week, CIA officer Johnny “Mike” Spann was killed during a prison uprising in Mazar-e-Sharif, becoming America’s first combat casualty of the conflict.
Today in 2002, President George W. Bush signed legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security, and appointed Tom Ridge to be its head.
Today in 2014, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon ordered hundreds more US National Guard troops to the town of Ferguson to prevent a second night of rioting and looting.
Today in 2015, prosecutors closed their yearlong investigation into the shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The shooter claimed the lives of 26 victims.
Today in 2018, historic north Californian Camp Fire was declared 100% contained with 85 dead, 249 missing, covering 153,000 acres with 14,000 homes burnt.
Today in 2019, Baltimore's second-year quarterback Lamar Jackson became the first QB in NFL history to throw for 3,000 passing yards and rush for 1,500 yards in his first two NFL seasons as the Ravens beat LA Rams, 45-6.
Today in 2020, President Donald Trump pardoned former security advisor Michael Flynn, who had admitted he was guilty of lying to the FBI.