1630 – 1st colonial legislation prohibiting gambling enacted (Boston)
1841 – A method for alkali starch extraction is patented in the US by Orlando Jones, which is later applied to corn (cornstarch)
1871 – William Holden of North Carolina becomes 1st governor removed by impeachment.
1903 – Niagara Falls runs out of water because of a drought.
1903 – US Anthracite Coal Commission, set up by President Theodore Roosevelt, submits its recommendations for shorter hours, a 10-cent wage increase, and an ‘open shop’
1917 – The USA is the first nation to recognize the new government of Russia.
1933 – FDR makes wine & beer with up to 3.2% alcohol legal.
1935 – Blood tests authorized as evidence in court cases (NY).
1946 – 1st US rocket to leave the Earth’s atmosphere (50 miles up)
1954 – Northland Center, the world’s largest shopping mall of the time, opens in Oakpark, Michigan.
1960 – 1st patent for lasers granted to Arthur Schawlow & Charles Townes.
1965 – US confirms its troops used chemical warfare against the Vietcong.
1972 – Congress approves Equal Rights Amendment (never ratified)
1972 – In Eisenstadt v. Baird the US Supreme Court rules unmarried people have same right to contraception as married people.
1978 – Karl Wallenda of the Flying Wallendas dies after falling off a tight-rope between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
1988 – US Congress overrides President Reagan’s veto of sweeping civil rights bill.
1996 – STS 76 (Atlantis 16), launches into orbit.
2014 – 43 people are killed by a mudslide in Oso, Washington.
2014 – The US and EU impose sanctions on Russia.
2018 – US President Donald Trump imposes $60 billion worth of tariffs on Chinese products.
About Author
