Today:
1789 – George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States at Federal Hall in New York City.
1803 – The United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million, doubling the size of the country.
1900 – Hawaii was formally organized into a U.S. territory by an act of Congress.
1939 – The New York World’s Fair opened, showcasing “The World of Tomorrow” and featuring the debut of the television to the public.
1945 – Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide in the Führerbunker in Berlin as Soviet forces closed in.
1948 – The Organization of American States (OAS) was founded in Bogotá, Colombia.
1973 – President Richard Nixon announced the resignations of key White House staff in the wake of the Watergate scandal.
1975 – The fall of Saigon marked the end of the Vietnam War, as North Vietnamese forces captured the city.
1993 – CERN released World Wide Web technology into the public domain, making it freely available.
2009 – Chrysler filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States