Today:
1774 – Louis XVI ascended to the throne of France following the death of his grandfather, Louis XV.
1775 – The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, with John Hancock elected president.
1863 – Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson died of pneumonia after being wounded by friendly fire at the Battle of Chancellorsville.
1865 – Confederate President Jefferson Davis was captured by Union troops in Irwinville, Georgia.
1869 – The First Transcontinental Railroad in the U.S. was completed when the “Golden Spike” was driven at Promontory Summit, Utah.
1872 – Victoria Woodhull became the first woman nominated for President of the United States by the Equal Rights Party.
1924 – J. Edgar Hoover was appointed director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
1940 – Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom following Neville Chamberlain’s resignation.
1994 – Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s first Black president.
2022 – Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, won the presidential election in the Philippines.