US Capitol Historical Society

#OTD in #history, 1856, Charles Sumner was caned half-to-death on the Senate floor. The heinous act was retaliation for his inflammatory speech about the evils of slavery. Two years before Lincoln warned of a “House Divided,” many already wondered how long that house would stand.

#OTD in #history, 1927, Lindbergh flew the 1st solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic. OTD in 1932, Earhart was the 1st woman to do the same. “Everyone has oceans to fly,” she said, “if they have the heart to do it. Is it reckless? Maybe. But what do dreams know of boundaries?”

#OTD in #history, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act into law. It dispersed 270 million acres—10% of the #USA’s landmass—to hopeful #American settlers. It “seemed a godsend to penniless people,” a homesteader said, “who otherwise could not hope to buy land.”

#OTD in #history, 1756, the seeds of revolution were sowed when the Seven Years’ War began. Britain’s victory over France won it new lands but also new debt, leading to taxes in #America. But after a century of autonomy, Americans had no intent to let the embers of liberty expire

#OTD in 1804, the #USA began exploring the Louisiana Territory. After #Congress ratified the Louisiana Purchase, it appropriated funds for the Territory’s exploration. Guided by Sacagawea, Lewis & Clark learned of its resources & inhabitants, & an early trade route to the Pacific

#OnThisDay in 1789, #JohnAdams was sworn in as the #USA’s 1st VP. Before the 12th Amendment, the presidential candidate who came in 2nd became VP. His election was thus a remarkable statement: even among one of the greatest collection of minds in world #history, Adams stood apart

#OTD in #history 1775, the 1st shots of the Revolutionary War were fired at Lexington & Concord. When the sun fell, 49 Americans lay dead; 73 British soldiers never returned home. Many still hoped for reconciliation. But as John Adams knew: “the Die was cast, the Rubicon crossed”

#OTD in #history 1775, Paul Revere & William Dawes made their midnight rides to warn the countryside: “The regulars are coming out.” Perhaps 50 other riders relayed the alarm to minutemen who pledged to confront the British. Within hours shots were fired. Our revolution had begun

#OTD in #history, 1790, Ben Franklin passed. As a scientist, he forewent profit for the benefit of millions. As a Founder, he signed the Declaration & #Constitution. It thus befitted his legacy that he wrote: “Fear not death for the sooner we die, the longer we shall be immortal”

#OnThisDay in #history, 1912, #Titanic sank to the bottom of the Atlantic. The tragic loss of 1,500 people sent shockwaves across the world—leading #Congress to launch a frantic investigation, then work to reform maritime law so that the night to remember is never forgotten.

#OTD in #history, 1743, #ThomasJefferson was born. He was our 1st SOS, 2nd VP, & 3rd #POTUS; the governor of #Virginia; & oversaw the Louisiana Purchase. But for all his contributions to #America, he is most celebrated for the 36 words he wrote in #1776: “We hold these truths…”

#OTD in #history, 1816, the Government created the 2nd #USA Bank. When it wasn’t rechartered, fluctuating interest rates and sporadic recessions became the norm. #Congress thus created the Federal Reserve “to establish a more effective supervision of banking in the #UnitedStates”

#OTD in #history, 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered his army at #Appomattox. For years, a great civil war tested whether our nation—dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal—could long endure. 620,000+ souls lost their lives. But providence at last gave its answer

#OnThisDay in #history, 1922, the #UnitedStates Interior Secretary leased an oil reserve to a private company on suspiciously generous terms. The ensuing “Teapot Dome scandal” forever stained the legacy of #POTUS Warren Harding—and strengthened the oversight powers of #Congress.

#OnThisDay in #history, 1917, #Congress declared war on Germany—paving the way for #UnitedStates entry into WW1. The decision came four days after #POTUS Woodrow Wilson stood at the House lectern and famously asserted: “The world must be made safe for #democracy.”

#OTD in 1948, #POTUS Truman signed the Marshall Plan—which #Congress authorized to help Western Europe rebuild after the devastation of #WW2. Truman thus concluded, “The Marshall Plan will go down in #history as one of #America’s greatest contributions to the #peace of the world”

#OTD in #history, 1980, #JesseOwens passed away. At the 1936 Berlin #Olympics, the grandson of a slave won 4 gold medals—disproving Hitler’s theory of a master race. Thus, at Owens’ Congressional Gold Medal ceremony, #POTUS George H.W. Bush called it “a triumph for all humanity.”

#OTD in #history, 1981, #RonaldReagan survived an assassination attempt. The next morning, the #POTUS not only took visitors by his hospital bed; he signed legislation. In so doing, he assured the #USA—and its adversaries—that even amid chaos, everything was under control.

#OTD in #history 1874, #RobertFrost was born. The rural sage wrote unapologetically in an accessible #NewEngland dialect—earning the Congressional Gold Medal for “enrich[ing] the culture” of the #USA. He insisted: “Freedom lies in being bold.” And that has made all the difference

#OnThisDay in #history, 1863, the Congressional Medal of Honor was awarded to its first six recipients—its first six heroes. For this reason, we celebrate March 25 as “Medal of Honor Day,” to pay tribute—in the words of the #USA military—“only to the bravest of the brave.”