today in history

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1865 – Robert E. Lee surrenders his army to Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the Civil War (More info) 1959 – NASA announces its first seven astronauts, later dubbed the “Mercury Seven” (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1792 – President George Washington casts the first presidential veto (More info) 1922 – The American Birth Control League, forerunner of Planned Parenthood, is incorporated (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1818 – The US Congress adopts a flag with 13 red and white stripes and one star for each state (More info) 1841 – President William Henry Harrison dies from pneumonia just one month after his inauguration (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1860 – The first successful United States Pony Express run begins (More info) 1882 – Jesse James is killed by Robert Ford, one of his own gang members (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1513 – Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León first sights land in what is now Florida (More info) 1917 – President Woodrow Wilson asks the US Congress for a declaration of war on Germany (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1842 – Anesthesia is used for the first time during surgery (More info) 1867 – US Secretary of State William H. Seward agrees to purchase Alaska from Russia for $7 million (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1867 – The North America Act is passed by the British parliament, creating the dominion of Canada (More info) 1929 – Herbert Hoover becomes the first president to have a telephone installed in the Oval Office (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1834 – President Andrew Jackson becomes the first president to be censured by Congress (More info) 1939 – The Spanish Civil War ends (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1866 – President Andrew Johnson vetoes a civil rights bill which later becomes the 14th Amendment (More info) 1912 – Japanese cherry trees are planted along the Potomac, giving rise to the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1945 – The battle of Iwo Jima ends (More info) 1979 – Anwar al-Sadat, Menachem Begin and Jimmy Carter sign the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty (More info)