2006—Clarence Thomas asks a question—the last one for 10 years.
2004—A Pentagon document leaks: climate change may spell doom.
1994—The FBI arrests a spy: CIA officer Aldrich Ames.
1974—Samuel Byck, planning to crash an airliner into the White House, carelessly shoots the pilot before takeoff. He’s then shot dead, too.
1967—Operation Junction City begins in Vietnam—largest U.S. offensive operation of the War.
1966—Barry Bondhus dumps human digestive byproduct on draft files in Elk River, Minn. He gets 14 months.
1965—The New York Times calls the late Malcolm X “an extraordinary and twisted man [who turned] many true gifts to evil purposes.”
1965—Gen. Westmoreland asks LBJ for Marines to protect the Danang airbase. Despite Ambassador Taylor’s qualms, LBJ says “OK.”
1965—Sam Lovejoy cuts down a weather tower for a proposed nuke plant in Montague, Mass.
1945—Rep. John Rankin [D-Miss.] calls Rep. Frank Hook [D-Mich.] a Communist, whereupon Hook calls Rankin a “God damned liar.” Rankin, 63 and 140 lbs., attempts to punch out Hook, 52 and 195 lbs., to little effect.
1838—Penn. amends its Constitution to take the vote from free Black men.
1837—In the White House, Andy Jackson celebrates Washington’s Birthday with a 1,400 pound cheese.