1850 – US population hits 24,191,876 (African American population: 3,638,808 (15.7%)
1880 – 1st town to claim to be completely illuminated by electric lighting (Wabash, Indiana)
1918 – 1stt daylight savings time in the US goes into effect.
1930 – The Motion Picture Production Code is instituted, imposing strict guidelines on the treatment of sex, crime, religion and violence in film for the next 38 years.
1932 – Ford publicly unveils its V-8 engine.
1943 – Rodgers & Hammerstein’s musical “Oklahoma!” opens at the St. James Theatre, NYC; runs for 2,212 performances.
1945 – US artillery lands on Keise Shima, begins firing on Okinawa.
1955 – Merger of Chase National Bank (3rd largest bank) and Bank of Manhattan Company (15th largest bank) forms Chase Manhattan.
1964 – LA ends streetcar service after 90 years.
1968 – President Lyndon B. Johnson authorizes a troop surge in Vietnam, bringing the total number of US soldiers to a peak of 549,500.
1970 – Federal bankruptcy court allows Seattle Pilots to be sold to Milwaukee.
1974 – American golfer Lee Trevino goes bogey-free for the full 4 rounds as he wins the Greater New Orleans Open by 8 strokes from Bobby Cole and Ben Crenshaw.
1980 – President Jimmy Carter deregulated the banking industry.
1986 – 48th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Louisville beats Duke, 72-69, first tournament to use a shot clock (initially set at 45 seconds)
1989 – Donald Trump purchases Eastern’s Northeast Shuttle.
1995 – Federal judge Sonia Sotomayor of US District Court in NYC issues an injunction against Major League Baseball owners in move that effectively ends 232-day strike.
2003 – Cincinnati Reds open their new home, The Great American Ball Park, with a 10-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates; former President George H.W. Bush throws out the first ceremonial pitch.
2009 – “Boom Boom Pow” single released by The Black Eyed Peas (Grammy Award for Best Music Video 2010, Billboard Song of the Year 2009)
2021 – President Joe Biden unveils “the American Jobs Plan,” one of the largest infrastructure plans in US history – worth $2 trillion.
2022 – US announces it will release 1 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for 6 months to drive down prices.