On this day in
762, Baghdad is founded by caliph
Al-Mansur.
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On this day in
1619, colonial Virginia's House of Burgesses is established. The first popularly elected legislature in the New World, the House of Burgesses meant Americans had a 157-year head start on democracy once they declared full independence from England in 1776, assuring a relatively smooth transition towards self-rule. Of course this "democracy" applied only to land-owning white dudes. But hey, you know... baby steps, people!
***
On this day in
1733, the first Masonic Grand Lodge in the future United States (aka Grapes Tavern) is constituted in Massachusetts.
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On this day in
1839, a bloody revolt takes place on the slave ship
La Amistad, thereby laying the groundwork for yet another "message" movie by
Steven Spielberg.
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On this day in
1945, Japanese submarine I-58 sinks the USS Indianapolis, killing 883 seamen during World War II.
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On this day in
1962, the Trans-Canada Highway, the largest national highway in the world, is officially opened.
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On this day in
1965, U.S. President
Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Social Security Act of 1965 into law, establishing Medicare and Medicaid.
***
On this day in
1975, union boss
Jimmy Hoffa disappears from the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, at about 2:30 p.m. He is never seen or heard from again, and will be declared legally dead on this date in 1982.
***
On this day in
1991, publicists for
MTV announce that the groundbreaking cable music video channel would soon be splitting into three separate channels. Marketers call the move "expansion and diversification," while music lovers describe it as "metastasization."
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