In 1685, James II became King of England upon the death of his brother, Charles II. In 1788, Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. In 1820, 86 African American immigrants...

In 1631, Roger Williams emigrated to Boston. In 1919, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith founded United Artists. In 1945, General Douglas MacArthur returned, as...

In 1789, George Washington was unanimously elected as President of the United States by the Electoral College. In 1801, John Marshall was sworn in as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. In...

In 1690, the Massachusetts Bay Colony issued the first paper money in the Americas. In 1783, Spain recognized the independence of the United States. In 1809, the Territory of Illinois was created...

In 1653, the city of New Amsterdam (later renamed New York City) was incorporated. In 1709, Alexander Selkirk was rescued after being shipwrecked on a desert island; his story inspired the novel Robinson...

In 1861, Texas seceded from the United States. In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In 1893, Thomas Edison finished construction of the first motion...

In 1606, Guy Fawkes was executed for his role in the "Gunpowder Plot" against Parliament. In 1801, John Marshall was appointed Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1915, Germany was the first...