Ellis Island Closes
On November 12, 1954, Ellis Island closed, after serving as America’s busiest immigration inspection station for over 60 years.
Army
MacArthur’s Triumphant Return To Philippines
On October 20, 1944, General Douglas MacArthur fulfilled his promise to return to the Philippines.
Birth of Baron von Steuben
Revolutionary War hero Wilhelm von Steuben was born on September 17, 1730, in Magdeburg, Kingdom of Prussia (present-day Germany).
Death of Glenn Curtiss
Aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss died on July 23, 1930, in Buffalo, New York. Glenn Hammond Curtiss was born on May 21, 1878, in Hammondsport, New York. He became interested in bicycles as a young man and was a champion racer, riding bikes he had designed and built.
The Second Battle of Petersburg
In the spring of 1864, stinging from his failure to take the Confederate capital of Richmond, General Ulysses S. Grant set his sights on Petersburg.
Death of Medgar Evers
On June 12, 1963, civil rights activist Medgar Evers was killed by a white supremacist while standing in his own driveway.
Siege of Vicksburg
On May 18, 1863, the key Siege of Vicksburg Began.
Winfield Scott’s “Anaconda Plan”
On May 3, 1861, General-in-Chief Winfield Scott presented a plan to end the Civil War without a great loss of life – it was later dubbed the “Anaconda Plan.”
Birth of Winfield Scott Hancock
Civil War commander Winfield Scott Hancock was born on February 14, 1824, in Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania.