The German air force bombarded London for the first time during World War II.  Nazi leader Adolf Hitler used the intense bombing to prepare for an eventual invasion of Britain.  The air attacks, which continued for 57 consecutive nights, are commonly referred to in Britain's history as "the Blitz."

Lt. Col. Guion Bluford became the first African-American in space, one of a crew of five on the space shuttle Challenger.  The space shuttle, launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, stayed in orbit almost six days.  This was the Challenger's third flight into space.

During the Civil War, confederate raider William Clarke Quantrill launched a raid on Lawrence, Kansas.  Most of the town was burned, and 183 men and boys were killed.

Quantrill was killed in Kentucky in 1865.

The Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 5 was launched into Earth's orbit carrying two dogs named "Belka" (Squirrel) and "Strelka" (Little Arrow), along with various other small animals and plants.  The following day the landing capsule was recovered and Belka and Strelka became the first living organisms to be recovered alive from space.

The former Soviet Union launched many animals into space in the late 1950s and 1960s.

US President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law a bill that established the Social Security Act.  This act provided for the establishment of a Social Security Board to administer old age and survivors insurance.  By signing the bill into law, Roosevelt fulfilled a 1932 campaign promise.

Three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the US bomber "Bock's Car" dropped a plutonium bomb called "Big Fat" on the Japanese city of Nagasaki.  Its original target was the city of Kokura, but poor visibility and heavy clouds forced a change in destination.  The explosion killed an estimated 70,000 people and destroyed half of the city.

Richard M. Nixon's resignation from the US presidency became effective at noon.  Nixon, under threat of impeachment as a result of the Watergate scandal, became the first president to resign the presidency. He was succeeded by Vice President Gerald Ford.

Nixon announced his resignation the night before in a nationally televised speech.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.  Inside the large dome of the memorial, Jefferson's immortal words are inscribed:  "For I have sworn on the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."

John Pope used Jefferson's own architectural sensibilities to design the memorial:

http://sc94.ameslab.gov/TOUR/jeffmem.html

Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union became the first human in space when he made a 108-minute voyage around the Earth.  Gagarin made his trip aboard the Soviet spacecraft Vostok I at a speed of 18,000 mph (28,800 kph).  As pilot of the spaceship, he proved that humans could endure the rigors of lift-off, re-entry, and weightlessness.

Gagarin's extraordinary feat pushed the doors wide open to space exploration:

http://www.analogue.com/rao/gallery/gagarin/

President Harry Truman fired Gen. Douglas MacArthur from his post as commander of UN forces in Korea.  The dismissal followed MacArthur's public disclosure of Truman's refusal to allow him to bomb bases in China; Truman feared an escalation of the Korean War and a direct confrontation with China.

See the letter of dismissal written by Truman:

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/episodes/05/documents/macarthur/

After combined forces of US and Filipino soldiers surrendered to Japan in Bataan, Philippines, more than 10,000 Americans and about 60,000 Filipinos were forced to march 55 miles (88 km) to Camp O'Donnell.  The prisoners were starved and beaten, and those who fell, bayoneted.  Between 5,000 and 11,000 died during the march.

The trek has become known as the "Bataan Death March":

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/macarthur/sfeature/bataan_capture.html

One of the first major revolts of African slaves in the American British Colonies took place when about 20 slaves, armed with guns, set fire to houses in New York City.  Nine whites were killed before the militia arrived to suppress the uprising.  The city responded by executing 21 slaves, and six others committed suicide.

New York and Long Island had at the time the largest number of slaves in the North:

http://www.lihistory.com/3/hs313a.htm

Dag Hammarskjold of Sweden was elected Secretary General of the United Nations, a post he retained until 1961 when he died in a plane accident in Congo.  His tireless work included the organization of the first UN international conference on the peaceful uses of atomic energy, and his support for armistice agreements between Israel and the Arab States.

In 1961, Hammarskjold was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize:

www.nobel.se/laureates/peace-1961-bio.html

While being a prisoner of English settlers in Jamestown, Pocahontas married colonist John Rolfe.  Pocahontas was the daughter of Powhatan, chief of the Algonquian Indian tribes.  Their marriage brought temporary peace between settlers and Native Americans.  In 1616, Pocahontas went with Rolfe to England where she died, probably due to a respiratory illness.

Pocahontas was buried at a churchyard in Gravesend, England:

http://www.apva.org/history/pocahont.html

Winston Churchill, the leader who helped guide Great Britain through World War II, retired as Prime Minister of Great Britain.  A master diplomat, military strategist, and writer, Churchill was Britain's Prime Minister in two different occasions, and then in 1953 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Churchill was one of the most important political leaders of the 20th century:

http://www.winstonchurchill.org/

The Pony Express was inaugurated when the first rider left St. Joseph, Missouri, and headed west.  The idea was to deliver letters in 10 days or less between Missouri and California.  Before the Pony Express, the fastest delivery service between the East and West Coast was by ship around South America.

With the advent of the telegraph, the Pony Express ceased operations in 1861:

http://www.ci.st-joseph.mo.us/pony.html

US revolutionary and lawyer Patrick Henry delivered a moving speech for arming the Virginia militia against the English in Richmond, Virginia.  During his speech he said, "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death."

Henry became known as "the Orator of Liberty":

http://www.history.org/people/bios/biohen.htm

The spacecraft Gemini 8 executed the first docking of orbiting spacecraft.  After docking, one of Gemini's thrusters started to malfunction.  To avoid further problems, the mission was aborted and the crew members, Neil Armstrong and David Scott, made an emergency landing in the Pacific Ocean.

Photographs of Gemini 8 and its crew members:

http://www.friends-partners.org/~mwade/flights/gemini8.htm

Following the death of her brother, King Kalakaua, Lydia Liliuokalani was proclaimed queen of the Hawaiian Islands.  Queen Liliuokalani sought to restore the monarchy's traditional authority in defiance of US investors and sugar planters.  With the support of US Marines, Sanford Dole staged a coup against the queen in 1893 and took over the government.

Queen Liliuokalani was the last monarch of Hawaii:

http://www.uic.edu/depts/owa/history/liliuokalani.html

In a historic meeting between China and the US, Chinese Vice-Premier Deng Xiaoping met with US President Jimmy Carter and signed scientific and cultural exchange accords.  A member of the Communist Party from its beginnings, Deng participated in the Long March of the 1930s.  A repressive leader, he oversaw the Tiananmen Massacre. Deng, who died in 1997, was the most powerful Chinese leader since.

Mao Zedong:

http://www.freep.com/news/nw/deng/deng.htm

The Vietnam War officially ended when the US and North Vietnam, along with South Vietnam and the Viet Cong, signed an "Agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam."  Signed in Paris, it took effect the following day.  However, fighting continued and it was not until 1975 that North Vietnamese forces captured Saigon thus ending the war.

The Vietnam War was the longest war in US history:

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/vietweb.htm

Japanese soldier Shoichi Yokoi was discovered in Guam after having spent 28 years hiding in the jungle thinking World War II was still going on. Yokoi survived from a bare diet of nuts, berries, frogs, snails, and rats, and wove his clothing from tree bark.  Received as a national hero by the Japanese people, his first words upon arriving in Tokyo were, "It is with much embarrassment that I return."

Yokoi became known as the "man who never surrendered":

http://home.texoma.net/~hardini/soldier.html

After marching for more than 1,400 miles and confronting 2,000 US soldiers along the way, Chief Joseph surrendered with starving remnant of Nez Perce people.  Chief Joseph was best known for his resistance to the US Government's attempts to force his tribe onto reservations.  The Nez Perce was a peaceful nation that spread from Idaho to Washington State.

In his surrender speech he said, "From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever":

http://www.spindle.net/lotto/chief.html

The first British atomic bomb was detonated on the Monte Bello Islands, Australia, becoming the third country in the world to employ the destructive weapon.  The device tested was a plutonium implosion bomb similar to "Fat Man," one of the bombs dropped over Japan by the US.

British physicist William Penney led the team that developed the first British bomb:

http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Penney.html

Federal troops were sent to Little Rock, Arkansas, to protect nine Black students at their newly integrated Central High School.  The nine students had been prevented earlier that month from entering Central High by the Arkansas National Guard.  Due to intense opposition, full integration at public schools in Arkansas was not completed until 1972.

The nine students became known as the "Little Rock Nine":

http://www.centralhigh57.org/The_Little_Rock_Nine.html#LR9

The first all-instrument flight took place in New York when Lt. James H. Doolittle guided a Consolidated NY2 Biplane over Mitchell Field.  Before the use of instruments, pilots guided themselves using a sophisticated knowledge of astronomy and geography.

More on James Doolittle:

http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/cc/doo.html

M*A*S*H, one of the most widely viewed TV sitcoms, made its debut. Set during the Korean War, the show followed the lives of doctors and nurses on the war front with both humor and pathos. The initials stood for "Mobile Army Surgical Hospital."  The series ran until 1983.

M*A*S*H has been one of the funniest sitcoms of US television:

http://mash.users.netlink.co.uk/

The Constitution of the United States of America was signed by delegates from twelve states at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  The US Constitution is the world's oldest working Constitution.

Photographs of the original Constitution:

http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/constitution/conmain.html

Mexico City was occupied by US troops after the defeated forces of Gen.  Santa Anna were forced to abandon the city.  The day before, young Mexican cadets had tried unsuccessfully to defend the fortified hill of Chapultepec.  With the occupation of Mexico City, the US-Mexico conflict virtually came to an end.

While some call the 1846-48 period the "Mexican War," others call it the "US Invasion":

http://www.lnstar.com/mall/texasinfo/mexicow.htm http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/dialogues/prelude/manifest/ d2geng.html

Spanish explorers led by Pedro Menendez de Aviles founded St. Augustine in Florida, the first permanent European settlement in North America.  St. Augustine was founded 42 years before the English settlement of Jamestown in Virginia.

More on the history of St. Augustine:

http://macserver.stjohns.k12.fl.us/history/history.html

Sioux chief Crazy Horse was fatally bayoneted by a US soldier after resisting arrest at Fort Robinson, Nebraska.  A year earlier, Crazy Horse had led combined Sioux-Cheyenne forces to victory over George A. Custer's troops at the Battle of Little Bighorn, Montana.  Crazy Horse was killed when he was only 34 years of age.

"My lands are where my dead lie buried," said Crazy Horse once:

http://www2.pbs.org/weta/thewest/wpages/wpgs400/w4crazy.htm

Legendary Apache leader Geronimo surrendered to Gen. Nelson Miles at Skeleton Canyon, Arizona, ending the last major US-Indian conflict.  Miles lied to Geronimo, promising him that he would be reunited with his family and that the US would grant him a pardon for his actions.  Instead, he was made a prisoner of war and banned from his homeland, Arizona.

An image of Geronimo:

http://www.tombstone1880.com/archives/geronimo.jpg

The Paris Peace Treaty was signed between the US and Great Britain, officially ending the American Revolutionary War for independence.  The treaty was signed by David Hartley (representing Great Britain) and by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay (representing the United States).

John Jay would later become Governor of the State of New York:

http://www.leftjustified.com/leftjust/lib/sc/ht/fed/jbio.html

Germany invaded Poland with 1.8 million troops, beginning World War II.  The invasion took place one week after the governments of Germany and the Soviet Union signed a secret pact of non-aggression. Two days after the invasion, England and France declared war on Germany.

Images of Poland's invasion:

http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/resource/galleryt/NR1939.htm

British troops invaded the city of Washington and burned the White House, the Capitol, and other public buildings. President James Madison and other high government officials fled to safety until British troops (not knowing the strength of their position) left the city two days later. The invasion was a part of the War of 1812 between the US and Great Britain.

Military actions that preceded the invasion of Washington:

http://www.tc-solutions.com/croom/1812.html

After a U-boat (German submarine) sunk several Brazilian ships, Brazil declared war on Germany and Italy during World War II.  Two years later Brazil sent the "Brazilian Expeditionary Force" to Italy, the only South American country to send combat forces to Europe.

Image of the "National Monument to the Dead of WW II" in Rio de Janeiro:

http://www.123-rio.com/foto/b-00004p.htm

The second of three Seminole wars, usually referred to as the "Second Seminole War", ended with the forced relocation of most Seminoles from Florida to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).  The war, which lasted for seven years, pitted between 3,000 to 5,000 poorly armed warriors against more than 200,000 US troops.

The Seminoles resisted successive attacks by white soldiers and settlers:

http://dhr.dos.state.fl.us/flafacts/semwar.html

During the Cold War, the government of the East German Democratic Republic started to build a wall to divide the city of Berlin in two.  With the Wall, the East German government prevented East Germans from fleeing into the non-Communist west.  The Wall remained in place for almost three decades.

Images of the Wall during the 1960s:

http://www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall/berlinwall_1961.htm

A badge of military honor, known as the "Purple Heart," was established by General George Washington.  The Purple Heart is awarded to any civilian or member of the armed forces who is wounded or killed in action.  The badge consists of a purple heart bordered with gold, with a bust of Washington in the middle.

More on the Purple Heart:

http://www.purpleheart.org/explanation.htm

At 8:15 am, local time, a US plane dropped an atomic bomb named "Little Boy" over Hiroshima, Japan.  The bomb exploded about 1,800 ft. (600 m) above ground, killing more than 100,000 civilians and devastating the city.  At least 100,000 more people died later due to radiation exposure.  It was the first time in history that such a devastating weapon was used by any nation.

The Atomic Bomb Dome is one of the memorials of the destruction: http://www.csi.ad.jp/ABOMB/retain.html

The submarine USS Nautilus began the first crossing of the Arctic Ocean under ice cap.  With a crew of 116 men, the Nautilus was commanded by William R. Anderson.  The Nautilus was the world's first nuclear powered submarine.

Tour the USS Nautilus:

http://www.ussnautilus.org/ussnautilus/nautilus.html

The motto "In God We Trust" was adopted as the US national motto by President Dwight Eisenhower.  The phrase, originally printed on US coins during the Civil War, was adopted as the national motto in part as a response to the growing influence of the Soviet Union around the world.

History of the adoption of "In God We Trust":

http://www.ustreas.gov/opc/opc0011.html

The "Potsdam Declaration," an agreement calling for the unconditional surrender of Japan, was signed by leaders from the United States, Great Britain, and China in Potsdam, Germany.  Two days later, the Japanese Prime Minister Admiral Kantaro Suzuki rejected the Potsdam Declaration.

The declaration was part of the Potsdam Conference, the last of the major meetings during World War II:

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-dpl/ hd-state/potsdam.htm

Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee had his US citizenship restored by Congress-nearly 110 years after he applied for citizen status. Although Lee applied for amnesty and signed an oath of allegiance to the US shortly after his surrender in 1865, his documents got lost and were not recovered until the 1970s.

More on Robert E. Lee:

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~UG97/stone/lee.html

The Veterans Administration was established by Executive Order 5398 as an independent agency under the President.  It was succeeded in 1989 by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), an executive department which is now headed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

The US Navy warship USS Vincennes mistakenly shot down Iran Air flight 655, destroying the plane and killing all 290 passengers and crew aboard.  The Vincennes, boasting the world's most sophisticated radar detection equipment, mistook the civilian airbus for a hostile F-14 fighter jet.  A military inquiry blamed the disaster on human failure.

More on the disaster:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpsrv/inatl/longterm/flight801/stories/july88crash.htm

The Battle of Gettysburg (Pennsylvania), one of the Civil War's most crucial combats, began.  In the battle Confederate troops led by General Robert E. Lee fought against Union troops led by Gen. George Meade.  The battle ended three days later when Confederate troops were forced to retreat back to Virginia.

An account of the three days of battle:

http://californiacentralcoast.com/commun/map/civil/getty.html

Germany and the Allied forces signed the Treaty of Versailles, which officially ended World War I. The treaty, named for the royal palace outside of Paris where it was negotiated, established new national boundaries and demanded that Germany pay large sums for war damage and accept all blame for the war.

The terms of the treaty have been considered controversial:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/modern/versaill/versahtm.htm

Lt. Col. George A. Custer and more than 200 federal troops of the 7th Cavalry lost their lives in what became known as the Battle of the Little Bighorn, or Custer's Last Stand.  The battle, which took place after the 7th Calvary attacked a large camp of Sioux and Cheyenne Indians, was part of a governmental effort to remove Indian groups from Southern Montana.

Kate Bighead, a Cheyenne woman, participated in the battle:

http://www.stedwards.edu/cfpages/farrall/eye.htm

The GI Bill of Rights was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  One of the most important governmental measures of the post-World-War-II era, the bill was designed to provide greater opportunities for returning war veterans.  An important result of the bill was the training of almost 8 million veterans.

More on the GI Bill of Rights:

http://www.va.gov/education/GI_Bill.htm

Congress approved the design of the Great Seal made by Charles Thomson, first US official record keeper.  He made his drawing out ofprevious designs drawn by three congressional committees.  It was Thomson who gave the eagle the prominent position it has today.

More on Thomson's designs:

http://www.greatseal.com/committees/finaldesign/finalseals.html

In what became known as the Bear Flag Revolt, California was declared an independent republic.  A group of American rebels took over the headquarters of Mexican Governor Mariano Vallejo in Sonoma, California.  California's independence ended 25 days later when the US army occupied the city of Monterey, and declared California as part of the US.  The rebels' flag was later adopted as the official flag of the state of California.

http://www.sonomavalley.com/revolt.html

The French soldier Marquis de Lafayette (whose given name was Gilbert du Mothier) landed in the United States to aid the former colonies against Great Britain.  His military career spanned five decades, during which he was a French Musketeer, a commander of American troops, and an anti-Bourdon revolutionary leader.

More on Lafayette's life:

http://www2.lucidcafe.com/lucidcafe/library/95sep/lafayette.html

June 6, 1944

D-DAY * the Allied forces began the invasion of Normandy, France, during World War II.  The assault was led by the largest invasion fleet in history - 1,200 fighting ships, 10,000 planes, and more than 150,000 soldiers.  The successful landing was hailed as the beginning of the end of Nazi Germany.

Images of D-Day:

http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/dday.htm

Memorial Day became an officially sanctioned holiday when military commander John A. Logan chose May 30 to remember the soldiers who had died during the Civil War.  He called it "Decoration Day" after the custom in several Confederate and Union states of decorating the soldiers' graves with flowers.

Over the years, the observance was extended to commemorate all US soldiers killed in war:

http://www.dcpages.com/Memorial/History/memdayhistory.shtml

U.S. Forces captured Filipino rebel leader Emilio Aguinaldo.  He had been a leader of the pro-independence movement against Spain, and then took up arms against the United States when the US government failed to recognize Filipino independence.

Aguinaldo was a complex figure who at different times opposed and collaborated with the US:

http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/aguinaldo.html

Congress declared war against Mexico.  US President James Polk had presented his war message before Congress two days earlier.  The war declaration was vigorously opposed by abolitionists who saw the war as a ploy to extend slavery.

Abraham Lincoln, at the time a member of congress, voted against the war:

http://www.nara.gov/education/teaching/lincoln/home.html

The Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia was destroyed by Confederate forces to prevent its capture by Union troops.  The Virginia was built from the salvaged hull of the USS Merrimack.  Two months prior to its destruction, the Virginia fought several Union ships in what became known as "The Battle of Hampton Roads."

More on the famous naval battle:

http://www.civilwar-va.com/va-tidewater/showdown2.html

The first battle of the American Revolutionary War started when British and American soldiers exchanged fire in Lexington and Concord (Massachusetts).  More than 650 British soldiers were sent to suppress rebellious colonists who had taken up on arms against the Crown.

This was the first revolutionary battle in which British soldiers were killed:

http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Depts/MilSci/BTSI/lexcon/lexcon.html

The first abolition society in America was established.  The "Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage" was organized in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush.

A 1791 anti-slavery announcement:

http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/african/sermon.jpg

In the US Civil War, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant.  The terms of the surrender were agreed by both parties at a meeting held in Appomattox Court House in Virginia.  With the acceptance of the surrender, the bloodiest war in US history was nearly at an end.

The terms for the surrender were written by General Grant:

http://www.nps.gov/apco/surrend.htm

The United States entered World War I by declaring war against Germany.  Just four days before, President Woodrow Wilson had delivered his war message before Congress urging it to end US neutrality.  "The world must be made safe for democracy," were Wilson's famous words.

Biography of Woodrow Wilson:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/glimpse/presidents/html/ww28.html

A company of angry American soldiers entered the South Vietnamese village of My Lai.  Commanded by Lt. William Calley, they came in shooting. More than 300 unarmed villagers were killed in what came to be known as the "My Lai Massacre."

My Lai was a critical factor in growing US anti-war sentiment:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/amex/vietnam/trenches/mylai.html

During the United States Civil War, two ironclad warships, the "Monitor" and the "Virginia" (formerly the "Merrimack"), attacked each other for five hours in a channel near Chesapeake Bay.  The result was a draw, but the battle changed naval combat forever.

The encounter marked the end of the use of wooden warships:

http://www.civilwar-va.com/va-tidewater/showdown.html

A crowd of jeering Boston citizens faced a troop of British soldiers. The soldiers opened fire, and five people were killed.  The incident, which became known as the "Boston Massacre," created strong anti-British sentiment.

Accounts of the Boston Massacre:

http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/1751-1775/bostonmassacre/anon.htm

Faced with an unprecedented threat of civil war, Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office as president of the United States.  Two weeks earlier Jefferson Davis had been inaugurated as president of the Confederacy.

In Lincoln's inaugural address, he promised to uphold the Constitution:

http://www.cc.columbia.edu/acis/bartleby/inaugural/pres31.html

The last episode of M*A*S*H, one of the most popular TV shows of all time, aired on CBS.  A record 125 million viewers watched as the beloved, dark comedy series about a military hospital camp in Korea came to a poignant end.

A  M*A*S*H site by a devoted fan: