This Week In American History

February 16 1804 In 1803, the U.S. frigate Philadelphia ran aground near Tripoli and was captured by Tripolitan gunboats. The Americans feared that the well-constructed warship would be both a...

February 9 1950 During a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, Senator Joseph McCarthy (Republican-Wisconsin) claimed that he has a list with the names of over 200 members of the Department...

February 2 1848 The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, ending the Mexican-American War in favor of the United States. The Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo added an additional 525,000 square...

January 26    1970 U.S. Navy Lt. Everett Alvarez Jr. spent his 2,000th day in captivity in Southeast Asia. First taken prisoner when his plane was shot down on August...

January 19 1840 During an exploring expedition, Captain Charles Wilkes sighted the coast of eastern Antarctica and claimed it for the United States. Wilkes’ group had set out in 1838,...

January 12 1962 The United States Air Force launched Operation Ranch Hand, a “modern technological area-denial technique” designed to expose the roads and trails used by the Viet Cong. Flying...

January 5 1920 The New York Yankees major league baseball club announced its purchase of the heavy-hitting outfielder George Herman “Babe” Ruth from the Boston Red Sox for the sum...

December 29 1835 The Treaty of New Echota was signed in New Echota, Georgia, by officials of the United States government and representatives of a minority Cherokee political faction, the...

December 22 1894 The Amateur Golf Association of the United States—later renamed the United States Golf Association—was formed in New York to govern the sport. Five charter golf clubs join...

December 15 1925 The New York Americans lose to the Montreal Canadiens, 3-1, in the formal opening of New York's Madison Square Garden, which became one of the world's most...

December 8 1941 As America’s Pacific fleet lay in ruins at Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt requested, and received, a declaration of war against Japan. FDR walked haltingly into the...

December 1 1913 Henry Ford installed the first moving assembly line for the mass production of an entire automobile. His innovation reduced the time it took to build a car...