Today:
1. 1607 – The English settlers establish Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.
2. 1796 – Edward Jenner administers the first smallpox vaccination. This marked a significant advancement in medical history and led to the eventual eradication of the disease.
3. 1804 – The Lewis and Clark Expedition departs from Camp Dubois and begins its historic journey to explore the newly acquired western portion of the United States.
4. 1948 – The State of Israel is declared independent from British administration, leading to a foundational moment in modern Middle Eastern history.
5. 1955 – The Warsaw Pact is signed by eight communist states of Central and Eastern Europe during the Cold War, in response to the formation of NATO.
6. 1973 – Skylab, the United States’ first space station, is launched by NASA.
7. 1988 – A major bus collision occurs near Carrollton, Kentucky, involving a church bus and a pickup truck driven by a drunk driver, killing 27 people in one of the deadliest bus accidents in U.S. history.
8. 1998 – The final episode of “Seinfeld” airs, drawing over 76 million viewers, one of the most-watched finales in television history.
9. 2004 – The Constitutional Court of South Korea overturns the impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun, restoring him to office.
10. 2018 – The United States officially moves its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a highly controversial and significant geopolitical move.