Today in 1869, Thomas Edison received a patent for his electric voting machine.
Today in 1921, what was known as the Tulsa Race Riot officially began as the sun rose. And it wasn’t a “riot” at all – it’s since been labeled what is was: a massacre. At the time, the Greenwood area had been known as one of prominence for Black residents. In fact, it was referred to as “Black Wall Street.” After a trumped up charges against a young Black man against a young white woman two days earlier, threats of violence followed…as did a false rumor about a large-scale ‘insurrection’ on the part of the Black residents of Tulsa. The massacre that followed saw a 35-block radius completely decimated. According to the Red Cross, more than 12-hundred houses were burned; more than 200 others were looted, but not torched. And then there were the businesses to consider: as two newspapers, a school, a library, a hospital, churches, hotels, stores and many other Black-owned businesses were among the buildings destroyed or damaged by fire. The deaths? The actual number has never been confirmed, but 10-thousand people were left homeless. What’s worse than all this devastation? White America essentially erased it for decades – it wasn’t taught in history books or spoken about on a local or national level. That is until 1996 – 75 years after the massacre – when a bipartisan group in the state legislature authorized the formation of a commission to examine what happened. According to the Oklahoma State Department of Education, the topic is required in Oklahoma history classes since 2000, and in U.S. history classes in the state since 2004, and has been included in Oklahoma history books since 2009.
Today in 1974, the Heimlich maneuver for rescuing choking victims was first published in the journal, “Emergency Medicine.” A week later, the first choking victim was saved by the method. Then, in 1976, the maneuver saved Ronald Reagan.
Today in 1980, Ted Turner’s Cable News Network – aka CNN – debuted.
Today in 1998, President Clinton abruptly abandoned his executive privilege claim in the Monica Lewinsky investigation, reducing the prospect of a quick Supreme Court review of a dispute over the testimony of Presidential aides.
Today in 2008, a fire at the backlot of Universal Studios Hollywood destroyed several icons from movies, such as Courthouse Square, the clock tower from “Back to the Future,” and the King Kong exhibit on the studio tour.
Today in 2009, General Motors filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. It was the fourth-largest United States bankruptcy in history.
Today in 2020, President Trump threatened to employ the military to quell protests across the country sparked by the death of George Floyd then walks with staff to St. John’s Church.
Today in 2021, President Joe Biden's administration suspended oil and gas leases in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, reversing Donald Trump's decision.
Today in 2021, President Joe Biden visited Tulsa, Oklahoma, marking the 100-year anniversary of racial massacre in the Greenwood neighborhood.