1783—General George Washington, later 1st American President, bids farewell to his army after the American Revolutionary War.
1824—Popular presidential vote 1st recorded; Andrew Johnson beats JQ Adams.
1889—North Dakota becomes 39th & South Dakota becomes 40th state in the United States.
1903—Lyceum Theater (New Lyceum) opens at 149 West 45th Street, New York City.
1915—First US election by proportional representation, Ashtabula, Ohio.
1936—First high-definition TV broadcast service, by BBC in London.
1948—President Harry Truman re-elected in an upset over Republican Thomas Dewey.
1954—Charles C. Diggs, Jr. elected Michigan’s 1st black congressman.
1954—JS Thurmond is 1st US senator elected by write-in vote (SC)
1960—Roger Maris nips Mickey Mantle as AL MVP, 225-222.
1972—Construction begins on Kingdome, Seattle.
1976—NJ voters approve gambling for Atlantic City.
1983—President Reagan signs bill establishing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
1984—Capital punishment: Velma Barfield becomes the first woman executed in the United States since 1962.
1988—Mexican radio station erroneously reports Mike Tyson dies in car crash.
1989—“Meet Me in St. Louis” opens at Gershwin Theater NYC for 253 performances.
1991—Nevada makes biggest comeback in NCAA football history, overcoming a 35-point deficit in the 3rd quarter & rallying to beat Weber State 55-49.
1992—First test flight of Airbus A330.
1993—Rudolph Guliani (R) elected 107th mayor of NYC.
2000—The first crew arrives at the International Space Station.
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