1945 U.N. Charter is signed
On this day in 1945, the Charter for the United Nations is signed in San Francisco. The United Nations was born of perceived necessity, as a means of better arbitrating international conflict and negotiating peace […]
This Day In History
2009 “King of Pop” Michael Jackson dies at age 50
On this day in 2009, Michael Jackson, one of the most commercially successful entertainers in history, dies at the age of 50 at his home in Los Angeles, California, after suffering from cardiac arrest caused […]
1953 Jacqueline Bouvier and Senator John F. Kennedy announce engagement
On this day in 1953, Jacqueline Bouvier and Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy publicly announce their engagement. Kennedy went on to become the 35th president and Jackie, as she was known, became one of the […]
1902 “Mercedes” registered as a brand name
On this day in 1902, German automaker Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) first registers “Mercedes” as a brand name; the name will gain full legal protection the next September. Mechanical engineer Gottlieb Daimler sold his first luxury gasoline-powered […]
1944 FDR signs G.I. Bill
On this day in 1944, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the G.I. Bill, an unprecedented act of legislation designed to compensate returning members of the armed services–known as G.I.s–for their efforts in World War […]
1965 Mr. Tambourine Man is released, and the folk-rock revolution is on
Released on this day in 1965, the Byrds’ debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man, marked the beginning of the folk-rock revolution. In just a few months, the Byrds had become a household name, with a #1 […]
1975 Jaws released
On this day in 1975, Jaws, a film directed by Steven Spielberg that made countless viewers afraid to go into the water, opens in theaters. The story of a great white shark that terrorizes a […]
1997 Jonathan Levin is tortured and killed by his former student
Jonathan Levin, a popular 31-year-old English teacher, is stabbed and shot to death in his Upper West Side apartment in New York City. The son of Time Warner chairman Gerald Levin, Jonathan was known by […]
1969 U.S. troops abandon “Hamburger Hill”
U.S. troops abandon Ap Bia Mountain. A spokesman for the 101st Airborne Division said that the U.S. troops “have completed their search of the mountain and are now continuing their reconnaissance-in-force mission throughout the A […]
Music 1963 Dylan’s breakthrough album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, is released
On this day in 1963, Bob Dylan releases his second album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, which goes on to transform him from a popular local act to a global phenomenon. “Of all the precipitously emergent […]