Today:
1770 – The Boston Massacre occurs when British soldiers fire into a crowd of American colonists, killing five people and escalating tensions leading to the American Revolution.
1821 – James Monroe is inaugurated for his second term as the fifth president of the United States.
1836 – Samuel Colt patents his revolver, revolutionizing firearm design and manufacturing.
1868 – A U.S. Senate committee begins the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson, the first impeachment of a U.S. president.
1933 – The Great Depression worsens as U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares a “bank holiday,” shutting down all banks nationwide to prevent further financial collapse.
1946 – Winston Churchill delivers his famous “Iron Curtain” speech in Fulton, Missouri, warning of Soviet influence in Eastern Europe and marking the start of the Cold War.
1953 – Soviet leader Joseph Stalin dies, leading to a power struggle among Soviet leaders and significant global political shifts.
1960 – Elvis Presley completes his military service and is officially discharged from the U.S. Army after two years.
1970 – The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, officially comes into effect.
2004 – The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in the case of Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow, concerning the constitutionality of the phrase “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.