On this day …

May 22, 2015

  • In 1807, a grand jury indicted former Vice President Aaron Burr on a charge of treason.
  • In 1849, Abraham Lincoln was granted a patent for an invention that lifted boats over obstacles in a river; he is the only U.S. President to have received a patent.
  • In 1856, Congressman Preston Brooks beat Senator Charles Sumner with a cane in the hall of the U.S. Senate.
  • In 1906, the Wright brothers were granted U.S. patent number 821,393 for their “flying machine.”
  • In 1942, Red Sox left fielder Ted Williams enlisted in the Marine Corps as a flight instructor.
  • In 1960, a 9.5-magnitude earthquake hit southern Chile; it is the most powerful earthquake ever recorded.
  • In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson announced the goals of his “Great Society,” a series of reforms aimed at ending “poverty and racial injustice in America.”
  • In 1972, Ceylon adopted a new constitution and changed its name to Sri Lanka.
  • In 1992, Johnny Carson hosted his last Tonight Show after a 30-year run as host.