Today:
1698: Thomas Savery patents the first steam engine.
1776: The Continental Congress adopts a resolution severing ties with Great Britain, which leads to the Declaration of Independence.
1839: Slaves on the Spanish schooner Amistad rebel against their captors off the coast of Cuba.
1863: The Battle of Gettysburg (American Civil War) continues on its second day.
1881: President James A. Garfield is shot by Charles J. Guiteau; Garfield later dies from his injuries.
1890: The Sherman Antitrust Act is signed into law by President Benjamin Harrison.
1937: Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappear over the Pacific Ocean during an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight.
1962: The first Wal-Mart store opens in Rogers, Arkansas.
1964: President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law.
2002: Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon.
Disclaimer: Snake does not fact check these items. In fact, he doesn’t even read them before posting. Often he doesn’t read them after posting. If you have a complaint, click here