history

1666 – The Great Fire of London breaks out and burns for three days, destroying St. Paul’s Cathedral and 10,000 other buildings (More info) 1789 – The United States Department of the Treasury is founded (More info)

1864 – Atlanta falls to Union forces during the Civil War (More info) 1897 – The Boston subway opens, becoming the first underground rapid transit system in North America (More info)

1803 – Lewis and Clark start their expedition to the west (More info) 1888 – Mary Ann Nichols, the first of Jack the Ripper’s confirmed victims, is murdered (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 30 BC – Cleopatra commits suicide (More info) 1963 – The “hotline” between the leaders of the US and the Soviet Union goes into operation (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1831 – Michael Faraday discovers electromagnetic induction (More info) 1898 – The Goodyear tire company is founded (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1867 – During World War II, the United States takes possession of the then-unoccupied Midway Atoll (More info) 1963 – At the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Martin Luther King, Jr. gives his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1812 – The American frigate USS Constitution earns the nickname “Old Ironsides” after defeating the British frigate HMS Guerriere off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada (More info) 1909 – The first race is held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the home of the Indianapolis 500 (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1929 – Babe Ruth becomes the first baseball player to hit 500 home runs in his career with a home run at League Park in Cleveland, Ohio (More info) 1934 – The first civilian prisoners arrive at the Federal prison on Alcatraz Island (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1492 – Christopher Columbus sets sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain (More info) 1900 – The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company is founded (More info) 1949 – The National Basketball Association is formed (More info) 1972 – The United States Senate ratifies the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (More info) 1981 – US air

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1864 – Confederate spy Belle Boyd is arrested by Union troops and detained at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C. (More info) 1899 – The First Hague Convention is signed (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1775 – Congress establishes the United States Post Office and names Benjamin Franklin the first US Postmaster General (More info) 1908 – The Office of the Chief Examiner, which later becomes the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is created (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1844 – Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his brother Hyrum Smith are murdered by a mob at the Carthage, Illinois jail (More info) 1898 – The first solo circumnavigation of the globe is completed by Joshua Slocum from Briar Island, Nova Scotia (More info)