First Observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day
On January 20, 1986, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first observed as a federal holiday after a decades-long battle.
Civil Rights
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Birth of Lady Bird Johnson
First Lady Lady Bird Johnson was born on December 22, 1912, in Karnack, Texas.
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Bill of Rights Becomes Law
On December 15, 1791, Virginia became the 11th state to ratify the Bill of Rights, earning the three-fourths majority needed to add the first 10 amendments to the Constitution.
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Birth of Felix Frankfurter
Associate Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter was born on November 15, 1882, in Vienna, Austria-Hungary.
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Happy Birthday Grenville Clark
Grenville Clark was born on November 5, 1882, in New York City.
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Voting Rights Act of 1965
On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, prohibiting racial discrimination in voting.
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Happy Birthday John F. Kennedy
The youngest man ever elected President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, on May 29, 1917.
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Civil Rights Act of 1964
On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law, fulfilling a goal set by his predecessor, John F. Kennedy.
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Death of Sojourner Truth
Abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth died on November 26, 1883, in Battle Creek, Michigan.
