historical events

This week in history: Feb. 19 to Feb. 25

February 19, 2026 Dan Reeves

Feb. 19 1473: Astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was born in Torun, Poland. 1942: During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the internment of about 125,000 people of Japanese ancestry, including […]

This week in history: Feb. 12 to Feb. 18

February 12, 2026 Dan Reeves

Feb. 12 1554: Lady Jane Grey, who claimed the English throne for nine days, and her husband, Guildford Dudley, were beheaded after being convicted of high treason. 1809: Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the […]

This week in history: Jan. 29 to Feb. 4

January 29, 2026 Dan Reeves

Jan. 29 1891: Lili‘uokalani was sworn in as the first and only queen of the Hawaiian Kingdom following the death of her brother, King Kalākaua. 1936: The first five inductees of baseball’s Hall of Fame […]

This week in history: Jan. 22 to Jan. 28

January 22, 2026 The Associated Press

Jan. 22 1901: Britain’s Queen Victoria died at age 81 after a reign of more than 63 years; she was succeeded by her eldest son, Edward VII. 1953: Arthur Miller’s drama “The Crucible” opened at […]

This week in history: Dec.25 to Dec. 31

December 25, 2025 The Associated Press

Dec. 25 1066: William the Conqueror was crowned King of England. 1776: Gen. George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River for a surprise attack against Hessian forces at Trenton, New Jersey, during the […]

This week in history: Dec. 18 to Dec. 24

December 18, 2025 The Associated Press

Dec. 18 1865: The 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolishing slavery was declared in effect by Secretary of State William H. Seward. 1892: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker” publicly premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia; […]

This week in history: Dec. 4 to Dec. 10

December 4, 2025 Dan Reeves

Dec. 4 1783: Gen. George Washington bade farewell to his Continental Army officers at Fraunces Tavern in New York. 1956: Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins — later dubbed the “Million […]

This week in history: Nov. 27 to Dec. 3

November 27, 2025 Dan Reeves

Nov. 27 1895: Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel signed a will allocating most of his fortune to establish the Nobel Prizes, honoring achievements in peace, physics, chemistry, literature and physiology or medicine. 1934: Bank robber Lester […]

This week in history: Nov. 20 to Nov. 26

November 20, 2025 Dan Reeves

Nov. 20 1910: Francisco Madero led a revolt against Mexican President Porfirio Díaz, marking the beginning of the decade-long Mexican Revolution. 1945: Twenty-two former Nazi officials went on trial for war crimes in Nuremberg, Germany; […]

This week in history: Nov. 13 to Nov. 19

November 13, 2025 Dan Reeves

Nov. 13 1775: During the Revolutionary War, American forces under Continental Army Gen. Richard Montgomery captured Montreal. 1956: The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling that struck down Alabama’s bus segregation laws as […]