Early History & Exploration
- 1493: Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to land on Puerto Rico during his second voyage to the New World, naming it San Juan Bautista.
- 1620: The Mayflower reaches Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and begins exploring the coast before settling at Plymouth.
- 1805: The Lewis and Clark Expedition, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, reaches the Pacific Ocean, becoming the first European Americans to successfully cross the Western United States.
Notable Political and Military Events
- 1794: The United States and Great Britain sign the Jay Treaty, which helped to resolve lingering issues from the American Revolutionary War and avert a new conflict.
- 1863: During the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address while dedicating the Soldiers’ National Cemetery at the site of the recent battle.
- 1942: Soviet forces launch Operation Uranus, a massive counter-offensive during the Battle of Stalingrad that encircled the German Sixth Army and turned the tide of World War II on the Eastern Front.
- 1977: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat becomes the first Arab leader to officially visit Israel and address the Knesset, an historic step towards peace.
- 1985: U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev meet for the first time at a summit in Geneva, beginning a dialogue that would contribute to the end of the Cold War.
- 1998: The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee begins impeachment hearings against President Bill Clinton following the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
Science, Culture, and Other Events
- 1969: Apollo 12 astronauts Charles “Pete” Conrad and Alan Bean become the third and fourth humans to walk on the Moon.
- 1969: Brazilian football (soccer) legend Pelé scores his 1,000th professional goal.
- 1978: Over 900 members of the Peoples Temple cult, led by Jim Jones, die in a mass murder-suicide at Jonestown, Guyana.
- 2001: In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush signs the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, which established the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
- 2004: The infamous “Malice at the Palace” brawl, one of the worst in NBA history, breaks out between players of the Indiana Pacers and fans of the Detroit Pistons.
