Today:
1492 – Christopher Columbus became the first European to set foot on the island of Hispaniola, now divided into Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
1766 – James Christie held the first auction of his now-famous auction house in London, England.
1776 – The first fraternity in the United States, Phi Beta Kappa, was founded at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.
1792 – George Washington was re-elected as President of the United States unanimously by the Electoral College.
1848 – President James K. Polk confirmed the discovery of gold in California, setting off the California Gold Rush.
1876 – The Brooklyn Theater Fire in New York killed nearly 300 people, making it one of the deadliest fires in U.S. history at the time.
1933 – Prohibition ended in the United States as the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was ratified.
1952 – A deadly smog in London began, lasting several days and causing thousands of deaths. This event became known as the Great Smog of London.
1977 – Egypt formally broke diplomatic relations with Syria, Libya, Algeria, Iraq, and South Yemen in response to criticism of President Anwar Sadat’s visit to Israel.
2017 – The International Olympic Committee banned Russia from competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics due to state-sponsored doping.
Snake Social has a pre-moderation tool to deter the evil doers. If your comments do not show, email me at [email protected]