Category: Today in History
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August 12, 1990
Sue, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton found to date, is discovered by Sue Hendrickson in South Dakota. ㅤSue (officially designated FMNH PR 2081) is one of the largest, most complete, and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons ever found, which was roughly 90% complete. Discovered in South Dakota on August 12, 1990, by explorer…
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August 4, 1790
United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by an Act of Congress at the recommendation of the nation’s first secretary of the treasury, Alexander Hamilton. ㅤEstablished on August 4, 1790, as a system of cutters designed to enforce tariffs for the new nation, the modern United States Coast Guard traces its origins directly to the…
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July 4, 1776
The United States Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress, formally announcing and explaining separation from the Kingdom of Great Britain and the creation of the United States. ㅤAdopted on July 4, 1776, by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, the Declaration of Independence is the foundational document of the United States.…
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June 18, 1983
NASA’s seventh Space Shuttle mission, STS-7, launched carrying Sally Ride, America’s first female astronaut and the first astronaut in space known to have been LGBTQ. ㅤSTS-7, launched on June 18, 1983, was a historic mission for NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Commanded by Robert Crippen, the five-person crew was the largest to fly in a single…
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May 1, 2003
In what becomes known as the “Mission Accomplished” speech, on board the USS Abraham Lincoln, U.S. President George W. Bush declares that “major combat operations in Iraq have ended”. ㅤOn May 1, 2003, President George W. Bush delivered a televised address from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, notably arriving in a military jet and…
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April 30, 1945
Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide in the Führerbunker while the invading Red Army raise the Soviet flag over the Reichstag. ㅤBy early 1945, Nazi Germany faced total military collapse as Allied forces advanced from the west and the Soviet Red Army closed in on Berlin from the east. Retreating to the Führerbunker, Adolf…
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March 30, 1981
U.S. President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest outside a Washington, D.C., hotel by John Hinckley Jr.; three others are wounded in the same incident. ㅤOn March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan was seriously wounded outside a Washington, D.C. hotel by John Hinckley Jr., who carried out the shooting in a delusional attempt to…
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January 21, 1968
A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete. ㅤOn January 21, 1968, a United States Air Force B-52 bomber carrying four thermonuclear bombs crashed onto sea ice near Thule Air Base in Greenland…
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October 13, 1775
The Continental Congress establishes the Continental Navy, predecessor of the United States Navy. ㅤEstablished on October 13, 1775, by the Continental Congress, the Continental Navy served as the naval force for the United Colonies during the American Revolutionary War. Championed by patrons like John Adams, the navy was created to combat British forces, though it…
