The Saturday Night Massacre
On October 20, 1973, President Nixon's order to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox triggered resignations at the top of the Justice Department.
Tagged: politics
The Senate Vote That Doubled America
On October 20, 1803, the U.S. Senate voted 24–7 to ratify the Louisiana Purchase, doubling the size of the nation for $15 million.
Peace at Last: The Good Friday Agreement
On April 10, 1998, after an all-night final session at Stormont, negotiators signed the Good Friday Agreement, the peace deal that largely ended Northern Ireland's Troubles.
Thirty-Nine Men Sign a Piece of Parchment That Rules a Nation
On September 17, 1787, thirty-nine delegates signed the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia — a document almost nobody loved, written by men who openly doubted it would work.
The Cold War Argument That Started in a Kitchen
On July 24, 1959, Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev squared off in a model kitchen in Moscow — and their impromptu 'Kitchen Debate' aired in both nations.
The House Vote That Killed Slavery
On January 31, 1865, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Thirteenth Amendment 119–56, writing the end of slavery into the Constitution.
The Day Both Pistols Misfired
On January 30, 1835, an unemployed house painter fired two pistols at President Andrew Jackson outside the U.S. Capitol — and both misfired in what experts called a 1-in-125,000 fluke.
Checkers: The Speech That Saved Nixon's Career
On September 23, 1952, Richard Nixon took to national television to answer a campaign-fund scandal — and a cocker spaniel named Checkers made broadcast history.
The Day the World Drew a Line in the Stars
On January 27, 1967, the United States, the Soviet Union, and Britain signed the Outer Space Treaty — the law that still keeps nuclear weapons off the Moon and out of orbit.
The Farmer Rebellion That Forged the U.S. Constitution
On January 25, 1787, debt-crushed Massachusetts farmers led by Daniel Shays attacked the federal arsenal at Springfield — and their defeat helped give America its Constitution.
The Day Britain Said Goodbye to Churchill
On January 24, 1965, Winston Churchill died at his London home at age 90, and the world prepared the grandest farewell given to a statesman in modern times.
Roses Topple a President
On November 23, 2003, Georgia's Eduard Shevardnadze resigned after three weeks of peaceful protests, ending the bloodless Rose Revolution.
Roe v. Wade: The 7–2 Decision That Reshaped American Law
On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7–2 that the Constitution protects a woman's right to choose an abortion, a landmark that stood for nearly 50 years.
The Speech That Ended Apartheid
On February 2, 1990, South African president F. W. de Klerk stunned parliament by unbanning the ANC and announcing Nelson Mandela's release, starting the end of apartheid.
444 Days: The Iran Hostages Come Home
On January 20, 1981, minutes after Ronald Reagan's inauguration, Iran freed 52 American hostages after 444 days in captivity.
"While I Strongly Disagree, I Accept It"
On December 13, 2000 — 36 days after the election — Al Gore conceded the presidency to George W. Bush, a day after the Supreme Court's 5–4 decision in Bush v. Gore ended the Florida recount.
The 'Dumb Doll' Who Ruled India: Indira Gandhi Takes Power
On January 19, 1966, Indira Gandhi won a secret ballot to lead India, becoming the first woman to govern the world's largest democracy.
The 88–2 Vote That Bought a War
On August 7, 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution nearly unanimously, handing President Johnson sweeping war powers on the basis of a disputed attack.
An Empire Proclaimed in the Enemy's Palace: Germany, 1871
On January 18, 1871, Prussia's Wilhelm I was proclaimed German Emperor in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, forging a new empire in the palace of a defeated France.
The Day France Became a Republic: September 22, 1792
On September 22, 1792, France's National Convention proclaimed the First French Republic — ending a thousand years of monarchy and declaring that day Year I of a new calendar.
Four Republics Walk Into a Theater — a Superpower Walks Out
On December 30, 1922, delegates at Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre proclaimed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, redrawing the map of the 20th century.
The Penstroke That Opened the Ballot Box
On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, outlawing the literacy tests and poll taxes used to keep Black Americans from voting.
11,000 Fired in One Day: Reagan's Strike That Changed American Labor
On August 5, 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired 11,359 air traffic controllers who refused to end their illegal strike — a shock to organized labor that echoed for decades.
Iron Lady of Monrovia: Africa Elects Its First Woman President
On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was sworn in as president of Liberia, becoming the first woman ever elected to lead an African nation.
The Afternoon the Presidency Changed Hands
On September 14, 1901, hours after William McKinley died, Theodore Roosevelt took the presidential oath in the library of a friend's Buffalo home.
The Vote That Ended 2,000 Years of Emperors
On December 29, 1911, delegates in Nanjing elected Sun Yat-sen provisional president of China, closing the book on more than two millennia of imperial rule.
The Senator from Maine
On September 13, 1948, Maine voters elected Margaret Chase Smith to the U.S. Senate, making her the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress.
Four Freedoms for the World: FDR's Boldest Promise
On January 6, 1941, eleven months before Pearl Harbor, Franklin D. Roosevelt told Congress the world must be founded on four essential human freedoms.
The Handshake That Shook the World
On September 13, 1993, Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat shook hands on the White House lawn after the signing of the Oslo I Accord, the first agreement between Israel and the PLO.
The Widow Who Wouldn't Campaign — and Became Governor
On January 5, 1925, grieving widow Nellie Tayloe Ross was inaugurated as governor of Wyoming — the first woman ever elected governor of a U.S. state — without having campaigned a single day.
Burma Wins Its Freedom at 4:20 in the Morning
At 4:20 a.m. on January 4, 1948, at an hour chosen by an astrologer, Burma became the Union of Burma — though the leader who won its freedom, Aung San, had been assassinated months earlier.
One Vote Away: Andrew Johnson Survives Impeachment
On May 26, 1868, the Senate acquitted President Andrew Johnson on impeachment charges by a single vote — 35 to 19 — setting a precedent for every impeachment since.
The Samurai Coup That Made Modern Japan
On January 3, 1868, samurai from the Satsuma and Choshu domains seized Kyoto's Imperial Palace and proclaimed the Meiji Restoration — the lightning modernization that made Japan a world power.
The State That Beat Congress to It
On September 9, 1850, California became the 31st state — a free state that had already been governing itself for nearly a year.
A Pen Stroke for Equality: The End of Don't Ask, Don't Tell
On December 22, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' ending the ban on openly gay service in the U.S. military.
The South's First Yes: Georgia Ratifies the Constitution
On January 2, 1788, Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution — unanimously — joining the new nation as its first southern member.
Forever Free: Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation Takes Effect
On January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, declaring that all enslaved people in the rebelling states "shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free."
The House Elects Thomas Jefferson President
On February 17, 1801, the House elected Thomas Jefferson president on the 36th ballot, ending a seven-day deadlock and delivering America's first peaceful transfer of power between parties.
The Red Ark: America's Most Famous Anarchist Is Deported
On December 21, 1919, Emma Goldman and 248 other radicals were deported to Soviet Russia aboard the ship Buford, dubbed the 'Red Ark.'
The Night the Winter Palace Fell — and Barely Fought Back
On November 7, 1917 (October 25 in Russia's old calendar), the Bolsheviks seized the Winter Palace in an almost bloodless coup that reshaped the 20th century.
One Signature, Five Million Futures: The Hong Kong Agreement
On December 19, 1984, Britain's Margaret Thatcher and China's Zhao Ziyang signed the treaty that would return Hong Kong to China in 1997.
The Grandson of Slaves Who Became Governor
On January 13, 1990, L. Douglas Wilder was sworn in as Virginia's governor, becoming the first elected African-American governor in American history.
The Senate's First Elected Woman
On January 12, 1932, Arkansas voters elected Hattie Caraway to the U.S. Senate with 92 percent of the vote — the first woman ever elected to that chamber.
The Day the European Union Was Born
On November 1, 1993, the Maastricht Treaty took effect and the European Union was born, turning a trading bloc into a political union of 12 nations.
A League to End All Wars
On January 10, 1920, the Treaty of Versailles took effect and with it the League of Nations — humanity's first attempt at a world organization dedicated to keeping the peace.
The Treaty That Drew a Line Across Europe
On August 24, 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty took effect, binding twelve nations to defend one another — the alliance still standing today.
The Day China Stood Up: A New People's Republic Is Proclaimed
On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic of China from Tiananmen Gate in Beijing, before some 300,000 people gathered in the square below.
The Island That Traded 150 Years of Empire for Independence
On September 21, 1964, Malta became an independent nation, ending a century and a half of British rule over the island fortress of the Mediterranean.
The 150 Bullets That Couldn't Kill de Gaulle
On August 22, 1962, gunmen ambushed Charles de Gaulle's car outside Paris, firing more than 150 rounds — and the French president walked away without a scratch.
Wilson's Fourteen Points: A Blueprint to End All Wars
On January 8, 1918, Woodrow Wilson laid his Fourteen Points before Congress — a bold blueprint for peace promising open diplomacy, self-determination, and a league of nations.