Today:
1789: The U.S. Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789, which established the federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court. The act also created the office of the Attorney General.
1852: Henri Giffard made the first powered flight in a dirigible, traveling 17 miles from Paris to Trappes, France.
1869: A financial panic known as “Black Friday” occurred on Wall Street after Jay Gould and James Fisk’s attempt to corner the gold market was foiled by the U.S. Treasury’s release of gold.
1906: Devils Tower in Wyoming was proclaimed the first national monument in the United States by President Theodore Roosevelt.
1948: The Honda Motor Company was founded by Soichiro Honda in Hamamatsu, Japan.
1957: President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce the desegregation of Central High School.
1960: The first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise, was launched from Newport News, Virginia.
1968: The television newsmagazine “60 Minutes” premiered on CBS.
1991: Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, the beloved author and illustrator of children’s books, passed away.
2015: Pope Francis became the first pontiff to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress.