1855 – The first locomotive runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean on the Panama Railway.
1878 – 1st telephone exchange (New Haven, Connecticut)
1902 – Carnegie Institute founded in Washington, D.C.
1914 – Beverly Hills, California, is incorporated.
1915 – The United States Coast Guard is created by merging the US Life Saving Service & the US Revenue Cutter Service.
1922 – J.E. Clair turns Green Bay franchise back to NFL.
1922 – Knickerbocker Storm, Washington, D.C.’s biggest snowfall, causes the city’s greatest loss of life when the roof of the Knickerbocker Theater collapses, killing 98 patrons.
1932 – 1st US state employment insurance act enacted (Wisconsin)
1945 – General “Vinegar Joe” Stillwell and truck convey reopen Burma Road to China.
1950 – Preston Tucker auto maker, found not guilty of mail fraud.
1958 – Dodger catcher Roy Campanella is paralyzed in an automobile wreck.
1960 – NFL announces Dallas Cowboys (1960) & Minnesota Vikings (1961) franchises.
1969 – 1969 NFL Draft; O.J. Simpson from USC first pick by Buffalo Bills.
1979 – “The Wiz” closes at Majestic Theater in NYC after 1,672 performances.
1985 – Charity single “We Are the World” is recorded by supergroup USA for Africa (Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and other pop stars)
1986 – Space Shuttle Challenger explodes 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, with all 7 crew members killed, including Christa McAuliffe who was to the first teacher in space.
1994 – Helicopter crashes into office building in San Jose, California, 1 dead.
2016 – Seventh Republican presidential candidate debate hosted by Fox, held in Des Moines, Iowa.
2017 – US President Donald Trump and Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull have a contentious phone call over deal for US to take 1,250 refugees.
2019 – Draft framework for peace agreement to end 27-year conflict in Afghanistan agreed by US and Afghan negotiators.
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