As war raged across Europe, America knew it needed to find its “voice.” Amidst the throes of World War II, the United States government recognized the need for a propaganda tool to counteract the misinformation spread by Axis powers. Voice of America began its…
Read MoreOn January 31, 1865, Robert E. Lee was appointed general-in-chief of all Confederate armies, a decision that came during the final, desperate months of the American Civil War. By this point, the Confederacy was struggling against relentless Union advances, and its military situation was…
Read MoreOn January 31, 1943, the German military catastrophe at Stalingrad reached its irrevocable conclusion. That day, Friedrich Paulus, commander of Germany’s Sixth Army, surrendered the southern pocket of his trapped forces to the Soviet Red Army. Two days later, the remaining German units in…
Read MoreOn January 31, 2020, Great Britain struck out on its own, officially leaving the European Union in a historic move known as Brexit. This departure marked a significant milestone in European politics and ended a complex, often contentious relationship between the UK and the…
Read MoreOn January 30, 1862, in the depths of the American Civil War, a vessel unlike any the world had ever seen slid into the waters of New York Harbor. The USS Monitor, squat, low-slung, and almost unsettling in appearance, marked a decisive break with…
Read MoreOn January 30, 1835, a startling event took place in Washington, D.C., marking the first recorded assassination attempt against a sitting U.S. president. Andrew Jackson, the nation’s seventh president, became the target of an attack by Richard Lawrence, an unemployed house painter. The dramatic…
Read MoreIn January 1649, England went through a radical upheaval. Charles I, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, faced execution after a tumultuous period of civil war and political upheaval. His authoritarian rule, clashes with Parliament, and attempts to impose Anglican worship across his kingdoms…
Read MoreOn January 29, 1886, a German engineer named Karl Benz quietly filed a patent that would help remake the modern world. The document, submitted to the Imperial Patent Office in Berlin, described a “vehicle powered by a gas engine.” It carried little fanfare at…
Read MoreOn January 29, 2002, President George W. Bush delivered a State of the Union address that became a defining moment of his presidency and reshaped U.S. foreign policy. Addressing Congress and a nation still grappling with the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist…
Read MoreCharles Curtis made history on January 29, 1907, becoming the first Native American to serve in the United States Senate. A member of the Kaw Nation, Curtis’s extraordinary career was marked by his dedication to public service, his advocacy for Native American issues, and…
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