1781 – Continental Congress officially adopts the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States of America after ratification by the 13th state, Maryland.
1872 – Yellowstone becomes the world’s first national park.
1909 – 1st US university school of nursing established, University of Minnesota.
1917 – 1st federal land bank chartered in the USA..
1927 – Bank of Italy (later Bank of America) becomes an American National Bank.
1928 – Paul Whitman and His Orchestra record “Ol’ Man River” for Victor Records featuring Bing Crosby.
1933 – Bank holidays declared in 6 states, to prevent run on banks.
1937 – US Steel raises workers’ wages to $5 a day.
1945 – US President Franklin D. Roosevelt announces success of Yalta Conference.
1954 – 4 Puerto Ricans open fire in the US House of Representatives injuring 5 members.
1962 – American Airlines 707 plunges nose first into Jamaica Bay, NY, killing 95.
1969 – New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle announces his retirement due to persistent knee injuries; finishes 18-season career with 536 home runs and .298 batting average.
1974 – Watergate grand jury indicts 7 presidential aides.
1977 – Bank of America adopts the name VISA for its credit cards.
1983 – Tornado tears through Los Angeles, injuring 33 people.
1991 – 37 year-old Pat Day becomes the 6th jockey in history whose mounts earned $100 million when he rode Wild Sierra to 2nd place in the 1st race at Oaklawn Park, Arkansas.
1998 – Mark Martin drives his Ford Taurus to victory in the inaugural NASCAR Winston Cup event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Martin finishes 1.6 seconds ahead of teammate Jeff Burton.
2007 – Tornadoes swarm across the southern United States, killing at least 20; eight of the deaths were at a high school in Enterprise, Alabama.
2014 – President Barack Obama warns Russian President Vladimir Putin over involvement in Ukraine.
2022 – Cargo ship carrying 4,000 luxury Volkswagen Group cars sinks off the Portuguese Azores archipelago, two weeks after it caught fire.