1639 – Virginia is first colony to order surplus crops (tobacco) destroyed.
1838 – The forerunner of Morse code, the telegraph system, is first demonstrated by Alfred Vail.
1853 – Franklin Pierce, the President-elect of the United States at the time, and his family are involved in a train wreck in Massachusetts.
1861 – NYC mayor proposes NY become a free city, trading with North and South.
1893 – The Washington National Cathedral is chartered by Congress. The charter is signed by President Benjamin Harrison.
1898 – 1st telephone message from a submerged submarine, by Simon Lake.
1914 – Stock brokerage firm of Merrill Lynch founded.
1930 – 1st diesel engine automobile trip (in a Packard) completed.
1931 – Thomas Edison submits his last patent application.
1941 – US President Franklin Roosevelt makes his “Four Freedoms” speech (freedom of speech and worship; freedom from want and fear) during his US State of Union address.
1942 – Pan American Airlines becomes the first commercial airline to schedule a flight around the world (“Pacific Clipper”)
1963 – Charlie Finley announces he wants to move his Kansas City A’s baseball team to Louisville.
1974 – In response to the 1973 energy crisis, daylight saving time commences nearly four months early in United States.
1987 – 100th US Congress convenes.
1992 – The US government urges doctors to stop using silicone breast implants, outlining the health effects.
1994 – Dow Jones hits record 3803.88.
1998 – Barry Switzer resigns as Dallas Cowboys coach.
2005 – Mississippi Civil Rights Workers Murders: Edgar Ray Killen is arrested as a suspect for the 1964 murders of three Civil Rights workers.
2016 – Californian Governor Jerry Brown declares state of emergency over methane gas leak on outskirts of Los Angeles.
2017 – Elizabeth Warren announces her intention to run for a second term as Massachusetts Senator.
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