1776 – Halifax resolution for independence adopted by North Carolina.
1861 – Fort Sumter in South Carolina is attacked by the Confederacy, beginning the American Civil War.
1869 – North Carolina legislature passes anti-Ku Klux Klan Law.
1900 – The US Congress passes the Foraker Act, establishing Puerto Rico as an unincorporated territory (effective 1 May)
1934 – Second highest ever wind speed of 372 km/h (231 mph) recorded on Mt. Washington.
1938 – 1st US law requiring medical tests for marriage licenses (NY)
1945 – US President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies in office and Vice President Harry Truman is sworn in as 33rd US President.
1954 – Joe Turner releases “Shake, Rattle & Roll”
1955 – Polio vaccine tested by Dr. Jonas Salk announced to be ‘safe and effective’
1966 – 1st B-52 bombing on North Vietnam.
1975 – Linda Ronstadt releases “When Will I Be Loved”
1981 – Maiden voyage Space Transit System-space shuttle Columbia launched.
1985 – 16th Shuttle Mission (51D)-Discovery 4 launched-with Senator Jake Garn.
1987 – Texaco files for bankruptcy.
1990 – H.J. Heinz, Chicken of the Sea and Bumble Bee Seafood say they wouldn’t buy tuna caught in nets that trap dolphins.
1991 – US announces closing of 31 major US military bases.
1999 – US President Bill Clinton is cited for contempt of court for giving “intentionally false statements” in a sexual harassment civil lawsuit.
2009 – U.S. Navy rescues Captain Richard Phillips, killing three pirates and capturing a fourth.
2015 – Hillary Clinton announces she will run for the Democratic nominee for US President for the 2nd time.
2016 – Breakthrough Starshot: Scientists and internet entrepreneurs, including Yuri Milner, Stephen Hawking and Mark Zuckerberg, announce intersteller project to send robot spacecraft to Alpha Centauri.