On October 19, 1789, John Jay was sworn in as the first chief justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, becoming the head of a new judicial branch that would help define the rule of law in the young country. Though the event was modest in ceremony, it marked the beginning of one of the most important institutions in American government.
On October 18, 1898, US troops raised the American flag over Puerto Rico for the first time, marking the island’s transition to American control. The event followed Spain’s defeat in the Spanish-American War and began a new era of US governance in the Caribbean.
On October 17, 1777, British General Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga – one of the major American victories of the American Revolution. Often considered the turning point of the war, it proved that American troops could battle a European army on their own terms and win.
The United Way traces its beginnings to October 16, 1887, when a priest, two ministers, and a rabbi met in Denver, Colorado, to find a better way to help their struggling community. That meeting led to the creation of an organized, citywide effort to coordinate charitable giving—a movement that would eventually grow into the United Way of America.
On October 15, 1860, 11-year-old Grace Bedell wrote a letter to Republican presidential nominee Abraham Lincoln. She suggested he grow a beard – which he did shortly after!
Dr. William Boyd Allison Davis, born on October 14, 1902, in Washington, DC, was a scholar who devoted his life to breaking down the barriers of race, class, and inequality in education. At a time when few African Americans were given a platform in the nation’s top universities, Davis used his voice and intellect to challenge the systems that defined how—and for whom—education worked in America. His pioneering research changed the way educators and policymakers viewed learning, fairness, and opportunity.
On October 13, 1987, the US Navy sent five bottlenose dolphins to the Persian Gulf to help with two important tasks: detecting underwater mines and guarding against enemy divers who might try to sabotage ships or naval installations. These dolphins were part of the Navy’s Marine Mammal Program (NMMP), which had been developing for decades. The deployment marked one of the first times dolphins were used in a combat—or near-combat—environment in the Gulf, during the Iran-Iraq War.
After more than two months at sea, Christopher Columbus reached what he believed was the edge of East Asia on October 12, 1492. In reality, he had arrived in the islands of the Caribbean, but at the time he thought he had discovered a new route to the riches of India and China. The voyage marked the beginning of sustained European exploration and colonization in the Americas, changing the course of world history.
On October 11, 1968, NASA launched Apollo 7, the first crewed mission of the Apollo program. The success of Apollo 7 would prove to be a crucial turning point, restoring faith in NASA’s ability to send humans safely to the Moon.