this day in history

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1879 – Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time (More info) 1907 – The first New Year’s Eve celebration is held in Times Square — then known as Longacre Square — in New York City (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1922 – The USSR is formed, comprising a confederation of Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine, and the Transcaucasian Federation (More info) 1936 – The United Auto Workers union stages its first sit-down strike (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1170 – Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by knights acting on the orders of King Henry II (More info) 1851 – The first YMCA in the US opens in Boston, Massachusetts (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1065 – Westminster Abbey is consecrated (More info) 1832 – John C. Calhoun becomes the first Vice President of the United States to resign (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1831 – Charles Darwin embarks on his journey aboard the HMS Beagle, during which he will begin to formulate the theory of evolution (More info) 1900 – Prohibitionist Carry Nation smashes up her first saloon, causing several thousand dollars in damage and landing in jail (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1946 – Mobster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel opens The Pink Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas (More info) 1966 – The first Kwanzaa is celebrated by Maulana Karenga, the chair of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1066 – William the Conqueror is crowned King of England (More info) 1776 – George Washington and the Continental Army cross the Delaware River, hoping to surprise a Hessian force celebrating Christmas at their winter quarters in Trenton, New Jersey (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1818 – ‘Silent Night’ is composed by Franz Gruber (More info) 1914 – An extraordinary Christmas truce begins during World War I (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1823 – ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas,’ more commonly known as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,’ is published anonymously (More info) 1888 – Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, suffering from severe depression, cuts off the lower part of his left ear with a razor (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1807 – At the urging of President Thomas Jefferson, Congress passes the Embargo Act, forbidding trade with all foreign countries (More info) 1941 – British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrives in Washington, DC for a series of meetings with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on a unified Anglo-American war strate

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1620 – William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims land on what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts (More info) 1898 – Pierre and Marie Curie discover radium (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1803 – The Louisiana Purchase is completed at a ceremony in New Orleans (More info) 1860 – South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the United States (More info)