Today:
1566 – Death of Nostradamus: Nostradamus, the French physician and astrologer famous for his book of prophecies, died in Salon-de-Provence, France.
1776 – Continental Congress Vote for Independence: The Second Continental Congress voted to declare the American colonies independent from Great Britain.
1839 – Enslaved Africans aboard the Spanish slave ship La Amistad revolted, taking control of the vessel in what became known as the Amistad Mutiny.
1881 – James A. Garfield, the 20th President of the United States, was shot by Charles J. Guiteau at a Washington, D.C., railroad station. Garfield died from his wounds later that year.
1890 – Sherman Antitrust Act was signed into law, becoming the first major U.S. federal legislation aimed at limiting monopolies.
1937 – Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to fly around the world.
1962 – Sam Walton opened the first Walmart store in Rogers, Arkansas.
1964 – Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson, prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
1982 – Larry Walters, nicknamed “Lawnchair Larry,” made his famous flight by lifting off in a lawn chair attached to weather balloons over Los Angeles.
2002 – Steve Fossett became the first person to complete a solo nonstop flight around the world in a balloon.