On this date...

Robert A. Millikan

In 1620, 41 Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, anchored off Massachusetts, signed the Mayflower Compact, calling for a “civil body politick, for our better ordering and preservation.”

In 1647, Massachusetts passes first compulsory school attendance law in the American colonies.

In 1750, First collegiate secret society in the United States, the F.H.C. Society (Flat Hat Club), is formed at Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg, Virginia.

In 1775, Washington writes to John Hancock, reporting the capture of the British sloop Ranger by Captain John Manley’s schooner Lee. The vessel, once a British prize, is now in American hands—an early naval victory.

In 1778, Patriot Colonel Ichabod Alden refuses to believe intelligence about an approaching hostile force. As a result, a combined force of Loyalists and Native Americans, attacking in the snow, killed more than 40 Patriots, including Alden, and took at least an additional 70 prisoners, in what is known today as the Cherry Valley Massacre.

In 1807, Washington Irving's Salmagundi periodical, the first to associate the name "Gotham" with New York City, is published

In 1813, British troops under Colonel J.W. Morrison defeated U.S. forces led by General John Boyd at the Battle of Crysler's Farm during the War of 1812.

In 1831, Nat Turner is hanged after organizing rebellion of enslaved persons.

In 1839, The Virginia Military Institute is founded in Lexington, Virginia.

In 1864, on orders from Union General William T. Sherman, Union soldiers begin destroying all railroads, factories and commercial buildings in Atlanta, Georgia—anything that could help support the Confederacy's military or economic goals.

In 1864, US Civil War: Union General Sherman's troops destroy Rome, Georgia.

In 1865, For her work as a surgeon during the American Civil War, physician Mary Edwards Walker became the first woman to be granted the U.S. Medal of Honor; the award was rescinded in 1917 but reinstated in 1977.

In 1889, Washington was admitted to the union as the 42nd U.S. state

In 1918, Armistice signed by Germany and Allies, ending World War I.

In 1919, Armistice Day, now known as Veterans Day, observed for first time in the US.

In 1921, the remains of an unidentified American service member were interred in a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in a ceremony presided over by President Warren G. Harding.

In 1925, American scientist Robert A. Millikan announces discovery of cosmic rays.

In 1942, Congress approves lowering the draft age to 18 and raising the upper limit to age 37.

In 1966, Gemini 12 blasted off on a four-day mission with astronauts James A. Lovell and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. aboard; it was the tenth and final crewed flight of NASA’s Gemini program.

In 1972, The U.S. Army turned over its base at Long Binh to the South Vietnamese army, symbolizing the end of direct U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War.

In 1984, The "Three Servicemen" statue is unveiled near the Vietnam War Memorial. Honoring the diversity of soldiers who served in that war, it marks the first time an African American is depicted in a sculpture on the National Mall.

In 1987, following the failure of two Supreme Court nominations, President Ronald Reagan announced his choice of Judge Anthony M. Kennedy, who went on to win confirmation.

In 2000, Republicans went to court seeking an order to block manual recounts from continuing in Florida's presidential election.

In 2020, Georgia’s secretary of state announced an audit of presidential election results that he said would be done with a full hand tally of ballots because the margin was so tight; President-elect Joe Biden led President Donald Trump by about 14,000 votes out of nearly 5 million votes counted in the state. (The audit would affirm Biden’s win.)