1776 – Halifax resolution for independence adopted by North Carolina.
1811 – 1st US colonists on Pacific coast arrive at Cape Disappointment, Washington.
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.
1892 – George C Blickensderfer patents portable typewriter.
1900 – The US Congress passes the Foraker Act, establishing Puerto Rico as an unincorporated territory (effective 1 May)
1932 – “Grand Hotel” directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Greta Gabo and John Barrymore premieres in New York, includes the line “I want to be alone” (Best Picture/Production 1932)
1940 – NFL cuts clipping penalty from 24 yards to 15 yards.
1945 – US President Franklin Roosevelt dies in office and Vice President Harry Truman is sworn in as 33rd US President.
1953 – 17th Masters Golf Tournament: Ben Hogan wins, shooting a 274.
1954 – Bill Haley and the Comets record “Rock Around Clock” and Joe Turner releases “Shake, Rattle & Roll”
1955 – Polio vaccine tested by Dr. Jonas Salk announced to be ‘safe and effective’
1961 – 3rd Grammy Awards: Theme From a Summer Place, Ray Charles wins 4.
1963 – Police in Birmingham, Alabama use dogs & cattle prods on peaceful demonstrators.
1966 – Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium opens: Pirates beat Braves 3-2.
1970 – Yankees dedicate plaques to Mickey Mantle & Joe DiMaggio.
1987 – Texaco files for bankruptcy.
1991 – US announces closing of 31 major US military basis.
1999 – US President Bill Clinton is cited for contempt of court for giving “intentionally false statements” in a sexual harassment civil lawsuit.
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 interstellar project to send robot spacecraft to Alpha Centauri.
About Author
