1904
The advent of industrial warfare
The Russo-Japanese war began when the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the Russian fleet at Port Arthur in northeast China.
-
1587
Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded.
-
1693
College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., received its charter, becoming the second institution of higher learning in the United States.
-
1870
The National Weather Service was established under the U.S. Army Signal Corps.
-
1915
D. W. Griffith's controversial epic, The Birth of a Nation premiered in Los Angeles.
-
1924
The gas chamber was used for the first time as a method of execution in the United States. Gangster Gee Jon was put to death at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City.
-
1960
The payola (pay for broadcast airplay) hearings opened in the U.S. House of Representatives. Dick Clark would testify in April.
-
1980
President Jimmy Carter revealed his plan to reinstate selective service draft registration.
