U.S. National Archives

97 facts cite this source

History Modern

The 1918 flu killed more people than the First World War

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History War & Conflict

A German U-boat sinks the liner Lusitania off Ireland

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

American women won the constitutional right to vote

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Space Space Exploration

Apollo 15 landed the first car on the Moon

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

Barack Obama was elected the first Black U.S. president

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History Modern

'Bloody Sunday' marchers were beaten in Selma

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Society & Economy Crime

Charles Ponzi promised to double your money in 90 days

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

Congress passed the women's suffrage amendment

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

America's First Federal Department Was Born on July 27

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Technology Inventions

Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

FDR signs Japanese American internment order

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The first impeachment of a U.S. president

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Society & Economy Economics

FDR was inaugurated amid the Great Depression

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

George Washington is unanimously elected first U.S. president

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History Modern

George Washington was sworn in as the first US President

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History Modern

Germany reunified after the Cold War

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History War & Conflict

Germany signs its unconditional surrender, ending WWII in Europe

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Geography Countries

Hawaii became the 50th US state

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The House finally picks a president on the 36th ballot

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History War & Conflict

Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, pulling the U.S. into World War II

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Space Space Exploration

John Glenn orbits the Earth

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History Modern

Juneteenth marked the end of slavery in Texas

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History Modern

Kennedy revealed the Cuban Missile Crisis to the world

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History Modern

Khrushchev denounces Stalin in the 'Secret Speech'

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History Medieval

King John sealed Magna Carta at Runnymede

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History Modern

Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation

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Culture & Arts Performing Arts

Marilyn Monroe sings 'Happy Birthday' to President Kennedy

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History War & Conflict

Marines raise the flag on Iwo Jima

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech

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History Modern

Parisians stormed the Bastille, igniting the French Revolution

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas

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Society & Economy Economics

President Truman signed the Marshall Plan to rebuild postwar Europe

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History Modern

Reagan dared Gorbachev to 'tear down this wall'

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat in Montgomery

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

Susan B. Anthony voted illegally and was arrested

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The 13th Amendment was officially proclaimed in effect

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History War & Conflict

The Battle of the Bulge began in the Ardennes

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Culture & Arts Music

The Beatles land in America

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Technology Transportation

The first flight around the world landed back in Seattle

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History War & Conflict

The first battle between ironclad warships was fought

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The first national Thanksgiving under the Constitution was held

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson ends in acquittal

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History War & Conflict

The Korean War armistice silenced the guns

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History War & Conflict

The Korean War began with an invasion from the north

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History Modern

The Louisiana Purchase transferred to the United States

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History War & Conflict

The My Lai massacre occurred in Vietnam

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History Modern

The Treaty of Paris recognized American independence

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The U.S. Bill of Rights came into force

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

Congress sent twelve amendments to the states

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The U.S. Congress passes the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The U.S. Constitution was signed in Philadelphia

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History Modern

The U.S. embassy in Tehran was seized, starting a 444-day hostage crisis

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Geography Borders & Maps

The U.S. signed the Gadsden Purchase treaty with Mexico

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Geography Borders & Maps

The U.S. formally took possession of Alaska

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Technology Transportation

The U.S. Interstate Highway System was born

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The Judiciary Act of 1789 built the federal court system

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History War & Conflict

The U.S. won the Battle of Lake Erie

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Geography Borders & Maps

The Louisiana Purchase nearly doubled the size of the United States

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Geography Borders & Maps

The US agreed to buy Alaska from Russia

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History Modern

The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence

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History Modern

The US re-established its Navy with six frigates

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The US Supreme Court rules school segregation unconstitutional in Brown v. Board

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Space Space Exploration

The world's first communications satellite reached orbit

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Technology Inventions

The Wright brothers patent the secret of controlled flight

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

Twelve nations signed the treaty creating NATO

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History War & Conflict

USS Maine explodes in Havana Harbor

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History War & Conflict

World War II formally ended aboard the USS Missouri

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Geography Landmarks & Wonders

Yellowstone became the world's first national park

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Space Space Exploration

Ham the chimpanzee survives a U.S. spaceflight

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History Modern

Solomon Northup walks free after twelve stolen years

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Technology Inventions

Edison Patents the Light Bulb

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History War & Conflict

Allied Nations Celebrate V-E Day

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History War & Conflict

British Forces Burned Washington, D.C.

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History Modern

Martin Luther King Jr. Was Assassinated

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History Modern

Delegates Began Signing the Declaration of Independence

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Culture & Arts Music

Elvis Presley Was Inducted Into the US Army

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The House Picks a President

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History Modern

Israel Declares Independence

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Society & Economy Crime

James Earl Ray Pleaded Guilty to Killing Martin Luther King Jr.

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Technology Inventions

The Patent That Riveted the World Into Blue Jeans

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

Lincoln Signs the Thirteenth Amendment

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Geography Countries

Maine Became the 23rd US State

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

Richard Nixon Announced His Resignation

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The 19th Amendment Was Certified Into Law

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History Modern

The Cuban Missile Crisis Formally Ended

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Society & Economy Crime

The Jonestown Mass Deaths Shocked the World

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Society & Economy Crime

The Los Angeles riots erupted after the Rodney King verdict

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Earth & Climate Natural Disasters

The Titanic Sank in the Early Hours

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The Truman Doctrine Was Announced

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The United Nations Charter Was Signed

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History War & Conflict

The United States Entered World War I

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The US Civil Rights Act Was Signed Into Law

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Technology Engineering

The US Navy Bought Its First Submarine, USS Holland

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Society & Economy Crime

The Watts riots erupted in Los Angeles

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

Habeas corpus: the writ that forces the state to justify a detention

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Culture & Arts Film & TV

Early movie film could catch fire — and burn underwater

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