Every date on the calendar carries a piece of the American story — battles won, documents signed, inventions unveiled, and lives that changed the course of a nation. Stop by each day for the moments that made this date matter.
Pick a month to walk through its anniversaries, day by day.
No June entries yet — the archive grows every day.
The newest pages in the archive, fresh from the editorial desk.
By fall 1793, about 5,000 people had died in the nation's temporary capital, and President Washington and other federal officials fled the city as deaths hit 100 a day.
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At 17 years and 257 days old in 1945, Brown homered off Preacher Roe in an 11-1 Dodgers loss, setting a record that still stands more than 80 years later.
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On August 19, 1909, Louis Schwitzer won a five-mile race at 57.4 mph, but the crushed-rock track broke apart and killed drivers, mechanics, and spectators.
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When John White reached Roanoke in 1590, all 100 colonists—including his granddaughter Virginia Dare—were gone, with only the word "CROATOAN" carved into a post.
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For 119 years, 17 attempts failed and at least seven balloonists died before three Americans crossed in six days on hot dogs and canned sardines in 1978.
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On August 14, 1935, FDR signed the law creating old-age benefits funded by payroll taxes, born from a Depression that had wiped out the savings of older Americans.
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