This Week In American History

February 15 1898 A massive explosion sank the USS Maine in Cuba’s Havana harbor, killing 260 of the fewer than 400 American crew members aboard. One of the first American...

February 8 1943 Japanese troops evacuated Guadalcanal, leaving the island in Allied possession after a prolonged campaign. The American victory paved the way for other Allied wins in the Solomon...

February 1 1790 In the Royal Exchange Building on New York City’s Broad Street, the Supreme Court of the United States met for the first time, with Chief Justice John...

January 25    1949 The first Emmy Awards ceremony was held at the Hollywood Athletic Club. The awards recognize excellence in television (which in the 1940s was a novel medium)....

January 18 1919 Leaders of the Allied powers—France, Great Britain, the United States and Italy meet in Paris to begin the negotiations that would officially mark the end of the...

January 11 1908 U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt declared the massive Grand Canyon in northwestern Arizona a national monument. He declared, “Let this great wonder of nature remain as it now...

January 4 1847 Samuel Colt rescued the future of his faltering gun company by winning a contract to provide the U.S. government with 1,000 of his .44 caliber revolvers. Before...

December 28 1832 Citing political differences with President Andrew Jackson and a desire to fill a vacant Senate seat in South Carolina, John C. Calhoun becomes the first vice president...

December 21 1891 30-year-old James Naismith introduced the first game of basketball. Based on 13 rules created by Naismith, the game was tested by 18 students at the International Young...

December 14 1799 George Washington, the American revolutionary leader and first president of the United States, died at his estate in Mount Vernon, Virginia at 67 years old. Of his...

December 7 1787 In Dover, Delaware, the U.S. Constitution is unanimously ratified by all 30 delegates to the Delaware Constitutional Convention, making Delaware the first state of the modern United...

November 30 1954 The first modern instance of a meteorite striking a human being occurred in Sylacauga, Alabama, when a meteorite crashed through the roof of a house and into...