U.S. History

What Happened On June 5th? On June 5, 1968, the United States plunged into mourning as news spread that Senator Robert F. Kennedy had been assassinated. Just moments after delivering a victory speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, following his triumph in the California Democratic primary, Kennedy was gunned down by Sirhan Sirhan, a 24-year-old Palestinian. This tragic event deprived America of a promising leader and deepened the nation’s wounds, already raw from the civil rights struggles and the Vietnam War. A Turbulent Era The 1960s in America was defined by social upheaval and political unrest. The civil rights movement, led by figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., sought to dismantle institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination. The Vietnam ...

What Happened On May 27th? On May 27, 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge officially opened to the public, connecting San Francisco to Marin County, California. Spanning the Golden Gate Strait, this suspension bridge became a symbol of architectural innovation and human determination​. The bridge's construction began in 1933 during the Great Depression, led by engineer Joseph Strauss. Despite strong tides, deep waters, and frequent fog, Strauss and his team pressed forward, overcoming numerous challenges​. The opening of the Golden Gate Bridge was celebrated with a week-long event, starting with "Pedestrian Day" on May 27, 1937. On this day, the bridge was closed to vehicles, allowing 200,000 pedestrians to walk across its span. People dressed in their finest attire, carried picnic bask...

What Happened On May 24th? On May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge officially opened to the public after nearly 14 years of construction. President Chester A. Arthur and New York Governor Grover Cleveland attended, alongside 150,000 people. The festivities included a procession of horse-drawn carriages, a military parade, and a spectacular fireworks display that lit up the New York skyline. In a bid to prove the bridge's stability to skeptical New Yorkers, showman P.T. Barnum led a parade of 21 elephants across the bridge in 1884. This quelled fears about the bridge's safety. People walked, rode, and even cycled across the bridge, marveling at the panoramic views of the East River and the cityscape. The sense of pride and accomplishment was palpable, as the bridge was hailed as ...

What Happened On May 23rd? On the morning of May 23, 1934, notorious outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were ambushed and killed by law enforcement officers on a rural road in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. As their stolen Ford V8 drove into a carefully planned trap, a posse of six officers opened fire, instantly killing the couple and ending their two-year crime spree​. Photo credit: BOB WESTON via Getty Images Who Were Bonnie & Clyde? Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were not born into infamy; their paths to criminality were shaped by the harsh realities of the Great Depression. Bonnie, a petite and spirited young woman from Rowena, Texas, had harbored dreams of becoming a famous poet or a movie star. Her poetry, such as "The Story of Suicide Sal" and "The Trail's End,...

What Happened On May 20th? On May 20, 1927, in the early morning hours at Roosevelt Field, New York, Charles Lindbergh began an audacious journey. At precisely 7:52 AM, the Spirit of St. Louis, a single-engine monoplane, took off from a rain-soaked runway. Its pilot aimed to become the first person to complete a solo non-stop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris. As the aircraft ascended, its heavy load of 450 gallons of fuel made the takeoff perilous, barely clearing the telephone wires at the end of the runway. Lindbergh's flight was a daring venture into the unknown, fraught with potential hazards​. Facing The Unknown Lindbergh faced numerous challenges during his 33-and-a-half-hour flight. The most immediate was the weight of the fuel-laden aircraft. The Spirit...

What Happened On May 18th? On May 18, 1927, the deadliest school massacre in U.S. history rattled the quiet farming community of Bath Township, Michigan. At approximately 8:45 a.m., an explosion ripped through the north wing of the school, collapsing the roof and trapping students and teachers under the rubble. Through the panic, rescuers worked frantically to free the survivors. As the community reeled from the initial explosion, the culprit in full business attire, drove his truck to the scene. Around 9:45 a.m., he detonated the truck, killing himself and several others, including the school superintendent, Emory Huyck. Who Did This? It was Andrew Kehoe, a 55-year-old school board treasurer, who was the mastermind behind the massacre. Kehoe, who had a reputation for bein...

What Happened On May 17th? On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. This decision declared racial segregation in public schools as unconstitutional. Delivered by Chief Justice Earl Warren, the ruling stated that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal," thus overturning the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision that had established the doctrine of "separate but equal." The decision was a leap forward in the fight for equal rights in America, galvanizing the Civil Rights Movement. The Legal Battle First off, the dedicated efforts of several organizations challenged the status quo of racial segregation. At the forefront was the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Pe...

What Happened On April 6th? Pre-war America came to an end on April 6th, 1917 when President Woodrow Wilson stood before a joint session of Congress. Delivering a famous speech, he declared war on Germany, formally dragging the United States into the bloody conflict raging across Europe. However, simmering tensions and shifting public opinion ultimately pushed America to abandon its initial stance of neutrality. The Great War, as it was known then, had begun in 1914, embroiling European powers in a brutal struggle. Initially, President Wilson, a staunch believer in neutrality, advocated for America to remain uninvolved. He believed the U.S. could serve as a mediator, promoting peace and democracy. However, public opinion in America remained divided. While some citizens supporte...

What Happened On April 4th? Tension hung heavy over Memphis, Tennessee on April 4th, 1968. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Baptist minister and civil rights leader who had become the face of the movement for racial equality in America, was there leading a sanitation workers' strike. Exhausted but determined, Dr. King had just delivered a powerful speech the night before, now known as the "I've Been to the Mountaintop" address, expressing both hope for the future and a chilling premonition of his own mortality. Little did anyone know, the tragedy was just around the corner. Intriguingly, Dr. King himself seemed to foreshadow his own demise. In that same iconic speech, he delivered a message tinged with an air of finality. He spoke of having "seen the Promised Land," yet conceded...

What Happened On April 2nd? Having emerged victorious from the Revolutionary War, the United States now faced a new challenge: rebuilding the economy. More specifically, the nation was in need of a stable and unified currency. So, on April 2nd, 1792, this challenge was addressed with the passage of the Coinage Act. In turn, the legislation not only created the United States Mint, but also introduced the dollar as the nation's official currency. How The Founding Fathers Played A Role The Coinage Act wasn't born out of thin air. Founding Fathers like Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury, recognized the importance of a standardized currency for a burgeoning nation. Hamilton, a champion of a strong federal government, envisioned the dollar as a symbol of unity and ...