On this date...

Religious Persecution

In 1656, English North American colony of Connecticut passes law against Quakers.

In 1780, British army officer John André was executed by the Americans as a spy after conducting secret meetings with American General Benedict Arnold during the American Revolution.

In 1789, George Washington transmits the proposed constitutional amendments, known as the United States Bill of Rights, to the states for ratification.

In 1835, Mexican soldiers were repelled as they attempted to take a cannon from the people of Gonzales. The Texians had hoisted a flag over their community depicting the cannon and emblazoned with the challenge: "Come And Take It."

In 1861, Former US VP John C. Breckinridge flees Kentucky.

In 1871, US Mormon leader Brigham Young arrested for bigamy.

In 1889, In Colorado, Nicholas Creede strikes it rich in silver during the last great silver boom of the American Old West.

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson, who had just cut short a tour of the country to promote the formation of the League of Nations, suffers a stroke.

In 1925, American Josephine Baker first performs in Paris in La Revue Nègre at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.

In 1936, First auto alcohol plant for the industrial production of fuel alcohol from grains and potatoes starts operations in Atchison, Kansas.

In 1944, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower distributes to his combat units a report by the U.S. Surgeon General that reveals the hazards of prolonged exposure to combat. During this time PTSD was known as "Shell Shock"

In 1950, Charles M. Schultz's “Peanuts” comic strip debuts in just seven US newspapers. (It would eventually run in more than 2,600.) The cartoonist almost named Charlie Brown's dog Sniffy—not Snoopy—but another comic dog had that name.

In 1954, Elvis Presley made his only appearance on the Grand Ole Opry radio show, drawing a tepid response from the audience.

In 1959, The science-fiction anthology TV series The Twilight Zone debuted and became hugely popular, known for its unexpected plot twists and moral lessons; the show was created by Rod Serling.

In 1965, during a football game between the University of Florida Gators and the Louisiana State University Tigers, UF players test a newly concocted sports drink to help them regain the essential chemicals their bodies lose from profuse sweating.

In 1967, Thurgood Marshall sworn in as first Black Supreme Court Justice.

In 1982, The Portland Building, designed by Michael Graves, is considered the first postmodern office tower and opens in Portland, Oregon.

In 1985, Rock Hudson is first major US celebrity to die from AIDS-related complications.

In 1990, The Senate voted 90-9 to confirm Supreme Court nominee David H. Souter.

In 2016, Hall of Fame baseball broadcaster Vin Scully signed off for the last time, ending 67 years behind the mic for the Dodgers as he called a 7-1 loss to the Giants in San Francisco.

In 2023, US Postal Service issues a commemorative stamp honoring late US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.