1797 – Charles Newbold patents 1st cast-iron plow. He can’t sell it to farmers, though, they fear effects of iron on soil.
1848 – 1st pure food law enacted in US.
1862 – US Army of Virginia establishes under Gen. John Pope.
1870 – The Christian holiday of Christmas is declared a federal holiday in the United States.
1894 – Karl Benz of Germany receives US patent for gasoline-driven auto.
1919 – NY Daily News begins publishing.
1924 – Ziegfeld Follies opens on Broadway.
1934 – FDR signs Federal Credit Union Act, establishing Credit Unions.
1946 – Fred Allen’s last radio show, his guest is Jack Benny.
1964 – Beatles release “A Hard Day’s Night” album.
1968 – Iwo Jima & Bonin Islands returned to Japan by US.
1971 – “Man of La Mancha” closes at ANTA Washington Square Theater NYC after 2329 performances.
1977 – Elvis Presley sings in Indianapolis, the last performance of his career.
1984 – Barbara Streisand records “Here We Are at Last”
1989 – Supreme Court rules 16 year olds can receive death penalty.
1992 – Supreme Court rules fund soliciting can be banned at airports.
1993 – “Late Night with David Letterman” airs for last time on NBC-TV.
1997 – The US Supreme Court strikes down Internet indecency law.
2003 – The US Supreme Court rules in Lawrence v. Texas that gender-based sodomy laws are unconstitutional.
2015 – US Supreme Court rules 5-4 same-sex marriage is a legal right across all US states.