On this date...

Eugene V. Debs

In 1774, a Boston Town Meeting, moderated by Samuel Adams, passed a resolution calling for an economic boycott in response to the Boston Port Act.

In 1776, Washington directs officers to identify precise alarm posts in New York for each regiment, ensuring the army can respond instantly to an attack.

In 1776, Washington writes to William Gordon, a Massachusetts clergyman. He emphasizes that substantial defenses are now rising in New York and expresses confidence that the city will be defensible in “ten or twelve days,” despite the recent loss of troops sent to Canada.

In 1781, in Sampson County, North Carolina, the Battle of Myhand’s Bridge took place.

In 1781, the Battle of Legat’s Bridge in North Carolina took place.

In 1846, the US declared war against Mexico in a dispute over Texas.

In 1864, the first military interment occurred on the grounds of Arlington House. The mansion and the surrounding 200 acres were established as Arlington National Cemetery in the next month.

In 1865, the last battle of the Civil War was fought near Brownsville—more than a month after the Confederacy’s forces under the command of Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.

In 1905, World heavyweight boxing champion James J. Jeffries retires undefeated after 7 title defences; returns in 1910 to be beaten by Jack Johnson

In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt delivered the opening address, “Conservation as a National Duty,” at the outset of a three-day meeting billed as the Governors’ Conference on the Conservation of Natural Resources.

In 1916, First observance of Indian (Native American) Day

In 1920, the Socialist Party nominated Eugene V. Debs as its presidential candidate for the upcoming November election. There’s a slight complication, though: Debs is serving a 10-year sentence at a federal penitentiary in Atlanta and isn’t due to get out until 1928.

In 1958, during a goodwill trip through Latin America, Vice President Richard Nixon’s car was attacked by an angry crowd and nearly overturned while traveling through Caracas, Venezuela.

In 1973, during the early years of the women’s liberation movement, tennis stars Bobby Riggs and Margaret Court faced off in a $10,000 winner-take-all challenge match.

In 1980, a tornado struck downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan, killing five people and injuring 79.

In 1985, Years of conflict between the Black liberation group MOVE and Philadelphia police culminated in a day-long standoff that ended when police dropped a makeshift bomb from a helicopter onto a house where MOVE members were living. Eleven people died in the subsequent fire, and more than 250 people in the neighborhood were left homeless.

In 2003, the government unveiled a new version of the $20 bill - the first to be colorized in an effort to thwart counterfeiters.

In 2016, the Obama administration issued a directive requiring public schools to permit transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their chosen gender identity.

In 2025, Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pete Rose, two players who had been banned for life from Major League Baseball following accusations of gambling involvement, were posthumously reinstated by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.