History

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1870: The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge begins (more info) 1938: The March of Dimes is established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (more info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1863: President Abraham Lincoln signs the final Emancipation Proclamation, ending slavery in the rebelling states (more info) 1934: Alcatraz Island becomes a United States federal prison (more info)

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: 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)

Everyone knows Christmas Day is all about tearing open presents, spending time with loved ones, gorging on lots of good food and celebrating the holiday spirit in general. Even though most of us have got the holiday thing down by now, some folks out there might not be aware of some of the unusual and history-making events marking Christmas Day and Christmas Eve in the past.

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, D.C., for a series of meetings with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on a unified Anglo-American war strat

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)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1776: Thomas Paine publishes one of a series of pamphlets in the Pennsylvania Journal titled 'The American Crisis' (more info) 1777: George Washington's Continental Army goes into winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (more info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1903: Near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright make history's first successful flight in a self-propelled, heavier-than-air aircraft (more info) 1944: The U.S. Army announces the end of its policy of holding Japanese-Americans in internment camps, allowing "evacuees" to return home (more in