Post by MacBeth on Apr 4, 2009 8:41:13 GMT -5
In 1818, Congress decided the United States flag would consist of 13 red and white stripes and 20 stars, with a new star to be added for every new state of the Union.
In 1841, President William Henry Harrison succumbed to pneumonia one month after his inaugural, becoming the first U.S. chief executive to die in office.
In 1850, the city of Los Angeles was incorporated.
In 1859, 150 years ago, "Dixie" was performed publicly for the first time by Bryant's Minstrels at Mechanics' Hall in New York. (The song is popularly attributed to Daniel Decatur Emmett, although his authorship has been called into question.)
In 1887, Susanna Madora Salter became the first woman elected mayor of an American community: Argonia, Kansas.
In 1902, British financier Cecil Rhodes left $10 million in his will to provide scholarships at Oxford University in England.
In 1945, during World War II, U.S. troops on Okinawa encountered the first significant resistance from Japanese forces at the Machinato Line. U.S. forces liberated the Nazi death camp Ohrdruf in Germany.
In 1949, 12 nations, including the United States, signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington.
In 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., 39, was shot to death at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. (James Earl Ray later pleaded guilty to assassinating King, then spent the rest of his life claiming his innocence before dying in prison in 1998.)
In 1983, the space shuttle Challenger roared into orbit on its maiden voyage.
In 1988, Arizona Governor Evan Mecham (R) becomes the first U.S. governor to be impeached and removed from office in nearly 60 years. He was convicted for obstructing justice by discouraging a state official from investigating a death threat, and also misusing $80,000 in public money. Mecham was known for rescinding the state's observation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, requesting lists of state employees who were gay, and using the word "pickaninnies."
In 1999, NATO warplanes and missiles attacked an army headquarters, oil refineries and other targets in and around Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
In 2006, the Iraq tribunal charged Saddam Hussein and six others, accusing them of genocide and crimes against humanity stemming from a 1980s crackdown against Kurds.
In 2008, Texas authorities started removing the first of more than 400 girls from a compound built by a polygamist sect. Pirates seized the French luxury yacht Le Ponant and its 30 crew members off the coast of Somalia. (The crew was released a week later; six alleged pirates ended up being captured.)
In 1841, President William Henry Harrison succumbed to pneumonia one month after his inaugural, becoming the first U.S. chief executive to die in office.
In 1850, the city of Los Angeles was incorporated.
In 1859, 150 years ago, "Dixie" was performed publicly for the first time by Bryant's Minstrels at Mechanics' Hall in New York. (The song is popularly attributed to Daniel Decatur Emmett, although his authorship has been called into question.)
In 1887, Susanna Madora Salter became the first woman elected mayor of an American community: Argonia, Kansas.
In 1902, British financier Cecil Rhodes left $10 million in his will to provide scholarships at Oxford University in England.
In 1945, during World War II, U.S. troops on Okinawa encountered the first significant resistance from Japanese forces at the Machinato Line. U.S. forces liberated the Nazi death camp Ohrdruf in Germany.
In 1949, 12 nations, including the United States, signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington.
In 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., 39, was shot to death at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. (James Earl Ray later pleaded guilty to assassinating King, then spent the rest of his life claiming his innocence before dying in prison in 1998.)
In 1983, the space shuttle Challenger roared into orbit on its maiden voyage.
In 1988, Arizona Governor Evan Mecham (R) becomes the first U.S. governor to be impeached and removed from office in nearly 60 years. He was convicted for obstructing justice by discouraging a state official from investigating a death threat, and also misusing $80,000 in public money. Mecham was known for rescinding the state's observation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, requesting lists of state employees who were gay, and using the word "pickaninnies."
In 1999, NATO warplanes and missiles attacked an army headquarters, oil refineries and other targets in and around Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
In 2006, the Iraq tribunal charged Saddam Hussein and six others, accusing them of genocide and crimes against humanity stemming from a 1980s crackdown against Kurds.
In 2008, Texas authorities started removing the first of more than 400 girls from a compound built by a polygamist sect. Pirates seized the French luxury yacht Le Ponant and its 30 crew members off the coast of Somalia. (The crew was released a week later; six alleged pirates ended up being captured.)