On January 20, 1937, Franklin D. Roosevelt and John Nance Garner began their second terms as President and Vice President of the United States. This marked the first time a presidential inauguration occurred on January 20, a change brought about by the 20th Amendment…
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The Iranian Hostage Crisis was a significant diplomatic and political event that unfolded between 1979 and 1981, marking a period of heightened tension between the United States and Iran. The crisis began on November 4, 1979, when a group of Iranian militants seized the…
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On January 19, 1915, a quiet but consequential patent filing helped tilt the modern city toward light. Georges Claude, a French engineer and industrial chemist, secured legal protection for the neon discharge tube as a device for advertising—transforming an obscure laboratory phenomenon into one…
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On January 19, 1953, nearly three-quarters of all television sets in the United States—an estimated 44 million viewers—were tuned to a single half hour of programming. What they watched was not a presidential address or a breaking national emergency, but an episode of I…
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The United States Senate’s rejection of the League of Nations was a defining moment in American history, highlighting significant concerns over national sovereignty, political divisions, and the nation’s global role. Following World War I, President Woodrow Wilson championed the League of Nations as a…
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On January 18, 1967, Albert DeSalvo was sentenced to life imprisonment in Massachusetts, closing one chapter of the most terrifying murder spree Boston had ever known—and opening a far more unsettling debate about guilt, justice, and the limits of certainty in criminal law. By…
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On January 18, 1943, armed Jewish resistance erupted inside the Warsaw Ghetto, marking the first organized uprising by Jews against Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. Though smaller and less well-known than the April revolt that would follow, the January uprising fundamentally altered the moral…
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Marion Barry’s arrest on January 18, 1990, was a pivotal moment in the history of Washington, D.C. As mayor, Barry had long been a prominent and controversial figure, celebrated for his achievements and criticized for his personal scandals. His arrest for drug possession during…
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On January 17, 1773, Captain James Cook, a distinguished British explorer, achieved a historic milestone by leading the first recorded expedition to cross the Antarctic Circle. This extraordinary accomplishment marked a turning point in the Age of Exploration, cementing Cook’s status as one of…
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On January 17, 1920, Americas beer taps went dry. On that day, The Volstead Act, officially known as the National Prohibition Act, passed by Congress a few months earlier, went into effect. The new law provided for the enforcement of the 18th Amendment to…
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