★ The Archive
This Day in American History
Real dates, real founding documents, real battles. A growing daily archive — new dates added every week. Want the whole habit, plus a daily poll and your own Freedom Score? Take the 3-minute assessment.
January
January 1the Emancipation Proclamation takes effectJanuary 2Georgia ratifies the ConstitutionJanuary 3Alaska becomes the 49th stateJanuary 4Utah becomes the 45th stateJanuary 5the first woman governor takes officeJanuary 6FDR's "Four Freedoms" speechJanuary 7America holds its first presidential electionJanuary 8the Battle of New OrleansJanuary 9the first balloon flight in AmericaJanuary 10Thomas Paine publishes Common SenseJanuary 11Alexander Hamilton is bornJanuary 12the first woman elected to the U.S. SenateJanuary 13the first elected Black governor takes officeJanuary 14Congress ratifies the Treaty of ParisJanuary 15Martin Luther King Jr. is bornJanuary 16Prohibition is ratifiedJanuary 17Benjamin Franklin is bornJanuary 18the Paris Peace Conference opensJanuary 19Howard Hughes sets a transcontinental air recordJanuary 20JFK's "ask not" inauguralJanuary 21Carter pardons Vietnam draft evadersJanuary 22the Anzio landingJanuary 23Congress sets a uniform Election DayJanuary 24gold is discovered at Sutter's MillJanuary 25the first transcontinental phone callJanuary 26Franklin argues for the turkey over the eagleJanuary 27the National Geographic Society is foundedJanuary 28the Challenger disasterJanuary 29Poe's "The Raven" is publishedJanuary 30Franklin D. Roosevelt is bornJanuary 31Explorer 1, America's first satellite
February
February 1the Greensboro sit-ins beginFebruary 2the Treaty of Guadalupe HidalgoFebruary 3the 15th Amendment is ratifiedFebruary 4Rosa Parks is bornFebruary 5FDR unveils his "court-packing" planFebruary 6Ronald Reagan is bornFebruary 7Laura Ingalls Wilder is bornFebruary 8the Boy Scouts of America is foundedFebruary 9the House decides a presidential electionFebruary 10the Treaty of Paris ends the French and Indian WarFebruary 11Thomas Edison is bornFebruary 12Abraham Lincoln is bornFebruary 13the first magazine in AmericaFebruary 14Arizona becomes the 48th stateFebruary 15the USS Maine explodes in Havana HarborFebruary 16Stephen Decatur's daring raid at TripoliFebruary 17the House elects Thomas JeffersonFebruary 18Pluto is discoveredFebruary 19Executive Order 9066February 20John Glenn orbits the EarthFebruary 21Nixon arrives in ChinaFebruary 22George Washington is bornFebruary 23the flag is raised on Iwo JimaFebruary 24the first presidential impeachmentFebruary 25the first Black U.S. senator is seatedFebruary 26Grand Canyon National Park is establishedFebruary 27the 22nd Amendment limits presidents to two termsFebruary 28the Republican Party is founded
March
March 1Yellowstone becomes the first national parkMarch 2Texas declares independenceMarch 3"The Star-Spangled Banner" becomes the national anthemMarch 4the Constitution takes effectMarch 5the Boston MassacreMarch 6the fall of the AlamoMarch 7"Bloody Sunday" in SelmaMarch 8the first U.S. combat troops land in VietnamMarch 9the first battle of the ironcladsMarch 10the first telephone callMarch 11the Lend-Lease ActMarch 12FDR's first Fireside ChatMarch 13Harvard College is namedMarch 14Eli Whitney patents the cotton ginMarch 15Andrew Jackson is bornMarch 16James Madison is bornMarch 17the British evacuate BostonMarch 18Grover Cleveland is bornMarch 19the Senate rejects the Treaty of VersaillesMarch 20Uncle Tom's Cabin is publishedMarch 21Alcatraz closesMarch 22the Stamp ActMarch 23"Give me liberty, or give me death!"March 24the Quartering ActMarch 25the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fireMarch 26the Egypt-Israel peace treaty is signedMarch 27Congress establishes the permanent U.S. NavyMarch 28the Three Mile Island accidentMarch 29the last U.S. combat troops leave VietnamMarch 30Reagan survives an assassination attemptMarch 31LBJ declines to run again
April
April 1Apple Computer is foundedApril 2the Coinage Act creates the U.S. dollarApril 3the Pony Express beginsApril 4NATO is foundedApril 5Helen Keller learns her first wordApril 6America enters World War IApril 7the Battle of ShilohApril 8Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth's home run recordApril 9Lee surrenders at AppomattoxApril 10the first U.S. patent lawApril 11Truman fires General MacArthurApril 12the Civil War begins at Fort SumterApril 13Thomas Jefferson is bornApril 14Lincoln is assassinatedApril 15Jackie Robinson breaks baseball's color barrierApril 16"Letter from Birmingham Jail"April 17Benjamin Franklin diesApril 18Paul Revere's midnight rideApril 19the shot heard round the worldApril 20Fenway Park opensApril 21the Battle of San JacintoApril 22the Oklahoma Land RushApril 23the first public school in AmericaApril 24the Library of Congress is foundedApril 25the Hubble Space Telescope is deployedApril 26English colonists reach VirginiaApril 27Ulysses S. Grant is bornApril 28James Monroe is bornApril 29American troops liberate DachauApril 30Washington's first inauguration
May
May 1the Empire State Building opensMay 2Osama bin Laden is killedMay 3the Birmingham "Children's Crusade"May 4the Kent State shootingsMay 5Alan Shepard becomes the first American in spaceMay 6the Hindenburg disasterMay 7Germany surrenders, ending WWII in EuropeMay 8Harry Truman is bornMay 9"Join, or Die"May 10the transcontinental railroad is completedMay 11Deep Blue beats the world chess championMay 12Charleston falls to the BritishMay 13the U.S. declares war on MexicoMay 14Lewis and Clark set outMay 15the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps is createdMay 16the first Academy AwardsMay 17Brown v. Board of EducationMay 18Mount St. Helens eruptsMay 19the New England Confederation is formedMay 20the Homestead ActMay 21Lindbergh completes the first solo transatlantic flightMay 22the great wagon migration west beginsMay 23Bonnie and Clyde are killedMay 24the Brooklyn Bridge opensMay 25the Constitutional Convention beginsMay 26John Wayne is bornMay 27the Golden Gate Bridge opensMay 28Washington's first battleMay 29John F. Kennedy is bornMay 30the first Decoration DayMay 31the Johnstown Flood
June
June 1Kentucky becomes the 15th stateJune 2the Indian Citizenship ActJune 3the first American spacewalkJune 4the 19th Amendment passes CongressJune 5Robert F. Kennedy is assassinatedJune 6D-DayJune 7the motion for independenceJune 8Madison introduces the Bill of RightsJune 9the burning of the GaspeeJune 10Franklin's kite experimentJune 11the Committee of Five is appointedJune 12"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"June 13Miranda v. ArizonaJune 14the U.S. Army is founded (and the flag, two years later)June 15the Magna CartaJune 16Lincoln's "House Divided" speechJune 17the Battle of Bunker HillJune 18the War of 1812 beginsJune 19JuneteenthJune 20the Great Seal of the United States is adoptedJune 21the Constitution is ratifiedJune 22the GI Bill is signedJune 23Title IX is signedJune 24the Berlin Blockade beginsJune 25Custer's Last Stand at Little BighornJune 26the first American troops land in FranceJune 27Truman commits U.S. forces to KoreaJune 28the spark that ignites World War IJune 29the Interstate Highway ActJune 30the Pure Food and Drug Act
July
July 1the Battle of Gettysburg beginsJuly 2the Civil Rights Act is signedJuly 3Washington takes command of the Continental ArmyJuly 4the Declaration of Independence is adoptedJuly 5"What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?"July 6the first Major League Baseball All-Star GameJuly 7the United States annexes HawaiiJuly 8the Declaration gets its first public readingJuly 9Washington's troops hear the DeclarationJuly 10Wyoming joins the UnionJuly 11the Hamilton–Burr duelJuly 12the Medal of Honor is bornJuly 13the Northwest OrdinanceJuly 14the Sedition Act becomes lawJuly 15Georgia rejoins the UnionJuly 16Congress establishes Washington, D.C.July 17Disneyland opens its gatesJuly 18the 54th Massachusetts storms Fort WagnerJuly 19the Seneca Falls Convention opensJuly 20Apollo 11 lands on the MoonJuly 21the First Battle of Bull RunJuly 22the Roanoke colonists arriveJuly 23the ice cream cone goes mainstreamJuly 24pioneers reach the Salt Lake ValleyJuly 25Wyoming Territory is createdJuly 26the Continental Congress creates the Post OfficeJuly 27the Korean War armistice is signedJuly 28the 14th Amendment is ratifiedJuly 29NASA is createdJuly 30America's first elected assembly convenesJuly 31the first U.S. patent is issued
August
August 1Colorado joins the UnionAugust 2most delegates actually sign the DeclarationAugust 3USS Nautilus crosses the North Pole submergedAugust 4the Revenue Cutter Service is foundedAugust 5the first federal income tax is enactedAugust 6the Voting Rights Act is signedAugust 7Washington creates the Purple HeartAugust 8a president announces his resignationAugust 9Gerald Ford is sworn in without an electionAugust 10Missouri becomes the 24th stateAugust 11the first prisoners arrive at AlcatrazAugust 12Edison completes the phonographAugust 13East Germany begins building the Berlin WallAugust 14Social Security is signed into lawAugust 15the Panama Canal opensAugust 16the Battle of BenningtonAugust 17Fulton's steamboat changes everythingAugust 18the 19th Amendment is ratifiedAugust 19"Old Ironsides" earns her nameAugust 20the Civil War is formally declared overAugust 21Hawaii makes it fiftyAugust 22a president rides in an automobileAugust 23the State of Franklin declares itselfAugust 24the British burn WashingtonAugust 25the National Park Service is bornAugust 26the Amistad reaches American watersAugust 27the Battle of BrooklynAugust 28the March on WashingtonAugust 29Hurricane Katrina makes landfallAugust 30the Washington–Moscow hotline goes liveAugust 31FDR signs the Neutrality Act
September
September 1Germany invades PolandSeptember 2V-J Day, Japan formally surrendersSeptember 3the Treaty of Paris ends the RevolutionSeptember 4Los Angeles is foundedSeptember 5the First Continental Congress convenesSeptember 6President McKinley is shotSeptember 7the Panama Canal Treaties are signedSeptember 8the Pledge of Allegiance is first publishedSeptember 9Congress officially names the "United States"September 10Elias Howe patents an improved sewing machineSeptember 11the September 11 attacksSeptember 12"We choose to go to the Moon"September 13the bombardment of Fort McHenry beginsSeptember 14Key writes "The Star-Spangled Banner"September 15the Inchon landingSeptember 16the Mayflower sets sailSeptember 17the Constitution is signedSeptember 18the U.S. Air Force is establishedSeptember 19Washington's Farewell Address is publishedSeptember 20the New York Stock Exchange shuts its doorsSeptember 21"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus"September 22the preliminary Emancipation ProclamationSeptember 23Benedict Arnold's plot is exposedSeptember 24the Judiciary Act creates the federal courtsSeptember 25Congress sends the Bill of Rights to the statesSeptember 26the first televised presidential debateSeptember 27the Warren Commission reportSeptember 28the Siege of Yorktown beginsSeptember 29Congress establishes the U.S. ArmySeptember 30USS Nautilus is commissioned
October
October 1the Ford Model T goes on saleOctober 2Thurgood Marshall joins the Supreme CourtOctober 3Washington proclaims the first national ThanksgivingOctober 4Sputnik launches the Space RaceOctober 5the first televised presidential addressOctober 6The Jazz Singer ushers in the "talkies"October 7the Stamp Act Congress convenesOctober 8the Great Chicago Fire breaks outOctober 9Roger Williams is banished from MassachusettsOctober 10the U.S. Naval Academy opensOctober 11Eleanor Roosevelt is bornOctober 12Columbus reaches the AmericasOctober 13the U.S. Navy is foundedOctober 14Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrierOctober 15a girl's letter tells Lincoln to grow a beardOctober 16John Brown raids Harpers FerryOctober 17the American victory at SaratogaOctober 18the U.S. formally takes possession of AlaskaOctober 19Cornwallis surrenders at YorktownOctober 20the Senate ratifies the Louisiana PurchaseOctober 21the USS Constitution is launchedOctober 22JFK reveals the Cuban Missile CrisisOctober 23the Beirut barracks bombingOctober 24the first transcontinental telegraph is completedOctober 25U.S. forces land in GrenadaOctober 26the Gunfight at the O.K. CorralOctober 27the first Federalist Paper is publishedOctober 28the Statue of Liberty is dedicatedOctober 29Black Tuesday and the great stock market crashOctober 30John Adams is bornOctober 31Nevada becomes a state
November
November 1John Adams becomes the first president in the White HouseNovember 2the first commercial radio broadcastNovember 3"Dewey Defeats Truman"November 4the Iran hostage crisis beginsNovember 5Susan B. Anthony is arrested for votingNovember 6Abraham Lincoln is elected presidentNovember 7Jeannette Rankin is elected to CongressNovember 8Lincoln is reelected in the middle of the Civil WarNovember 9the Berlin Wall fallsNovember 10the U.S. Marine Corps is foundedNovember 11the Armistice ends World War INovember 12Ellis Island closesNovember 13the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicatedNovember 14Moby-Dick is published in AmericaNovember 15Congress adopts the Articles of ConfederationNovember 16Oklahoma becomes the 46th stateNovember 17Congress meets in Washington, D.C. for the first timeNovember 18American railroads adopt standard timeNovember 19Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg AddressNovember 20the Nuremberg trials beginNovember 21the Mayflower Compact is signedNovember 22President Kennedy is assassinated in DallasNovember 23the first issue of Life magazineNovember 24the D.B. Cooper skyjackingNovember 25the British evacuate New York CityNovember 26the first national Thanksgiving is observedNovember 27the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day ParadeNovember 28America's first automobile raceNovember 29Byrd flies over the South PoleNovember 30Mark Twain is born
December
December 1Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seatDecember 2the Monroe Doctrine is declaredDecember 3Illinois becomes the 21st stateDecember 4Washington bids farewell to his officersDecember 5Prohibition endsDecember 6the 13th Amendment abolishes slaveryDecember 7the attack on Pearl HarborDecember 8America enters World War IIDecember 9A Charlie Brown Christmas premieresDecember 10the Universal Declaration of Human RightsDecember 11Germany and Italy declare war on the United StatesDecember 12Pennsylvania ratifies the ConstitutionDecember 13the National Guard is bornDecember 14George Washington diesDecember 15the Bill of Rights is ratifiedDecember 16the Boston Tea PartyDecember 17the Wright brothers flyDecember 18the first voice broadcast from spaceDecember 19Washington's army enters Valley ForgeDecember 20the U.S. Space Force is establishedDecember 21the Pilgrims land at PlymouthDecember 22"Nuts!" at BastogneDecember 23Washington resigns his commissionDecember 24Apollo 8 reads Genesis from lunar orbitDecember 25Washington crosses the DelawareDecember 26the Battle of TrentonDecember 27Radio City Music Hall opensDecember 28the Endangered Species Act is signedDecember 29Texas becomes a stateDecember 30the Gadsden PurchaseDecember 31"Watch Night" before Emancipation