Today:
1789 – President George Washington signed the Judiciary Act of 1789, establishing the basic structure of the U.S. federal court system and creating the office of Attorney General.
1869 – “Black Friday” struck the U.S. financial markets after speculators Jay Gould and James Fisk attempted to corner the gold market. Gold prices collapsed after the federal government intervened.
1890 – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued the 1890 Manifesto, officially advising members against entering into plural marriages and helping pave the way for Utah statehood.
1906 – President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower in Wyoming the first national monument in the United States under the newly enacted Antiquities Act.
1929 – Lieutenant James Doolittle demonstrated “blind flying,” taking off, flying and landing an airplane using instruments rather than outside visual references, an important breakthrough for aviation.
1948 – The Honda Motor Company was officially founded in Hamamatsu, Japan, by Soichiro Honda and Takeo Fujisawa. The company initially concentrated on motorcycles before becoming a major automobile manufacturer.
1957 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce the desegregation of Central High School and protect the Little Rock Nine.
1960 – USS Enterprise, the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was launched at Newport News, Virginia. It remained in service for more than 50 years.
1991 – Nirvana released the album Nevermind. Fueled by the success of “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” the album helped bring grunge and alternative rock into the mainstream.
2007 – The Big Bang Theory premiered on CBS. The sitcom eventually ran for 12 seasons and 279 episodes, becoming one of the most successful television comedies of its era.