1787: The Federalist Papers appear in New York newspapers under the pseudonym “Publius,” offering reasoned arguments in favor of a centralized government with checks and balances. The authors’ names — Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay — are kept secret until Hamilton dies in 1804.
Above, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.; the first-ever World AIDS Day; and Ralph Nader
1795: Pinckney’s Treaty creates the official boundary of Spain and the United States, and also gives Americans the right to navigate the Mississippi River freely.
1838: Settlers from the Church of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) are ordered to leave the state of Missouri or be killed under an executive order from Missouri Gov. Lilburn Boggs. The so-called Extermination Order accuses Mormons, who had retaliated against violence against them by burning homes and pillaging stores, of “open and avowed defiance of the laws” and making “war upon the people of this State.”
1913: ““We will never again seek one additional foot of territory by conquest,” U.S. President Woodrow Wilson said in a speech in Mobile, Ala., during which he rejected the country’s history of colonialism.
1938: DuPont announces creation of a new fiber called “nylon,” now expected to grow into a $53 million industry by 2030.
1954: Benjamin O. Davis Jr. becomes the first African-American general in the United States Air Force and remains part of it for 35 years. The Washington, D.C., native was also the first Black cadet to attend West Point in the 20th century.
1969: Ralph Nader gathers a group of students to monitor government effectiveness, calling them Nader’s Raiders. The group generated 17 books within three years, earned numerous judgments against corporations and the government, and would continue researching and advocating for consumers until 1980.
1970: U.S. President Richard Nixon classifies cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug , amove that declared marijuana to have no medical value and placed it in a category with heroin and cocaine. Though cannabis remains a Schedule I drug today, U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed support for rescheduling it to a Schedule3 drug, in the same category as ketamine and steroids.
2022: Elon Musk takes ownership and control of Twitter, immediately fires 4 executives.
2023: The Gaza Strip drops into a complete communications blackout as Israel launches a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza in pursuit of Hamas as part of retaliation for the October 7 attacks.
