On this date...

Coercive Acts

In 1774, King George III approves the Coercive Acts in response to the Boston Tea Party

In 1805, the King of Spain ordered that the boundary between Louisiana and Texas (then under Spanish rule) be fully documented.

In 1862, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, which provided 160 acres of public land virtually free of charge to those who had lived on and cultivated the land for at least five years.

In 1873, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis were granted a patent for using copper rivets to strengthen certain areas of trousers, notably pocket corners; the patent was credited with giving rise to blue jeans.

In 1927, Charles Lindbergh takes off across the Atlantic in the Spirit of St. Louis

In 1932, In 1932, Amelia Earhart departed from Newfoundland in an attempt to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.

In 1956, the United States exploded the first airborne hydrogen bomb over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific.

In 1961, a white mob attacked a busload of Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Alabama, prompting the federal government to send in U.S. marshals to restore order.

In 1969, the Battle of Hamburger Hill ends after 10 days of gruesome fighting.

In 1992, To combat the scourge of graffiti vandalism, the Chicago City Council enacts an ordinance banning retail sale of spray paint and large markers within city limits, calling them "weapons of terror."

In 1996, In a victory for the gay and lesbian civil rights movement, the U.S. Supreme Court votes six to three to strike down an amendment to Colorado’s state constitution that would have prevented any city, town, or county in the state from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action to protect the rights of gays and lesbians.