1898: USS Maine Explodes in Havana Harbor
On February 15, 1898, the U.S. battleship Maine blew up in Havana Harbor, escalating tensions with Spain and contributing to the outbreak of the...
1872: Susan B. Anthony Votes in Presidential Election
On Nov. 5, 1872, 48 years before the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote, women’s rights activist Susan B. Anthony and a...
1954: Puerto Rican Nationalists Launch Assault on U.S. Congress
On March 1, 1954, Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire on the House of Representatives, injuring five congressmen.
Nationalists Attack Congress
Three members of the Puerto Rico...
1933: Arsonist Torches the Reichstag
On February 27, 1933, the Reichstag building in Berlin was burned down by a Dutch communist, possibly with the assistance of Nazi officials. The...
1943: United States Defeats Japan at Guadalcanal
On February 9, 1943, the United States declared victory against Japan in the seven-month World War II campaign for Guadalcanal and nearby islands in...
1974: Russian Dissident Writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn Charged With Treason
On February 14, 1974, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Russian writer who revealed the horrors of the Soviet gulag, was charged with treason a day after...
1839: Dueling Outlawed in DC
On February 20, 1839, Congress passed legislation barring the practice of dueling in the District of Columbia.
Fatal Duel Between Congressmen Prompts Ban
The passage of...
1820: The “Mayflower of Liberia” Sets Sail
On February 6, 1820, a ship of freed black slaves set sail from New York for the coast of West Africa, where they would...
1991: “Birmingham Six” Freed After 16 Years in Prison
On March 14, 1991, six men wrongfully accused of carrying out Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombing attacks on two Birmingham pubs were released after...
1937: Gas Leak Causes New London School Explosion
On March 18, 1937, the worst school disaster in American history occurred when a gas explosion killed nearly 300 schoolchildren in Texas.
Gas Explosion Destroys...
