1494, Spain ratifies the Treaty of Tordesillas, dividing the New World between Spain and Portugal. Learn more →
1644, Parliamentary forces hand King Charles I's Royalists their first major defeat at the Battle of Marston Moor. Learn more →
1776, The Second Continental Congress unanimously votes to adopt Richard Henry Lee's resolution for independence from Great Britain. Learn more →
1839, Enslaved Africans led by Sengbe Pieh seize the Cuban schooner Amistad, sparking a landmark U.S. Abolitionist court battle. Learn more →)
1890, The U.S. Congress passes the Sherman Antitrust Act, the first federal law targeting monopolies and unfair business competition. Learn more →
1937, Aviator Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan vanish over the Pacific during their round-the-world flight attempt. Learn more →
1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act, outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Learn more →
2002, Steve Fossett lands the Spirit of Freedom in Australia, completing the first solo balloon circumnavigation of the globe. Learn more →