Today:
1793 – President George Washington laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., during a Masonic ceremony.
1851 – The first issue of The New-York Daily Times was published. The newspaper was later renamed The New York Times.
1870 – Henry Washburn, a member of the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition, reportedly suggested preserving the Yellowstone region for public use rather than allowing it to be privately claimed. Yellowstone became the world’s first national park in 1872.
1873 – The financial firm Jay Cooke & Company collapsed, helping trigger the Panic of 1873. The resulting economic depression affected the United States and Europe for years.
1895 – Booker T. Washington delivered his famous “Atlanta Compromise” speech at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta, making him one of the nation’s most prominent Black leaders.
1947 – The National Security Act took effect, establishing the United States Air Force as an independent branch of the U.S. military. The act also created the framework for the modern Department of Defense and National Security Council.
1960 – Fidel Castro arrived in New York City to attend the United Nations General Assembly. His visit attracted enormous attention amid rapidly deteriorating relations between Cuba and the United States.
1970 – Rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix died in London at age 27. Despite a recording career lasting only a few years, he became one of the most influential electric guitarists in music history.
1973 – The Bahamas, East Germany and West Germany were admitted to the United Nations. The admission of the two German states reflected the easing of Cold War tensions associated with Ostpolitik.
1997 – Ted Turner announced a $1 billion gift to support United Nations programs, one of the largest philanthropic pledges ever made at the time. The donation led to the creation of the United Nations Foundation.