On This Day in America
To remember our past - to improve the present - to influence the future
John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry
“I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood.”
Dolly Parton releases hit single “Jolene”
The sensational song with 200 words and a haunting melody became a No. 1 country hit in both the U.S. and Canada.
Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier
The rocket plane, nicknamed “Glamorous Glennis” (after Yeager's wife), was designed with thin, unswept wings and a streamlined fuselage modeled after a .50-caliber bullet.
William Shatner goes to space
He said the journey into space filled him with “overwhelming sadness.”
“The Iceman Cometh,” by Eugene O’Neill, opens on Broadway
Hailed by many critics as Eugene O’Neill’s finest work.
Great Chicago Fire begins
In 1997, the Chicago City Council exonerated Mrs. O’Leary and her cow.
Georgia Tech shuts out Cumberland, 222-0, in most lopsided college football game
Georgia Tech led 63-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Fannie Lou Hamer 1917 – 1977
An American voting and women's rights activist, community organizer, and leader of the civil rights movement
Harry Truman delivers first-ever presidential speech on TV
He asked Americans to cut back on their use of grain in order to help starving Europeans.
Thurgood Marshall sworn in as first Black Supreme Court justice
During his 24 years on the high court, Associate Justice Marshall consistently challenged discrimination based on race or sex, opposed the death penalty and vehemently defended affirmative action.