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.
On October 23, 1973, Nixon agreed to surrender the Watergate tapes, marking a major shift toward transparency and legal accountability.
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Scanned the code in your magazine? You’re in the right place.Picture it: the windows are rolled down, a paper map unfolded across the front seat, and up ahead a glowing neon sign promises a hot meal or a clean room. There’s no GPS announcing the next turn — the road itself is part of the adventure. For generations of Americans, that road was Route 66.
Share your score and tell us — What’s your favorite Route 66 or road-trip memory?
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An abbreviated version of the article that appears in AMAC Magazine.
For generations of Americans, the road was Route 66. Stretching roughly 2,400 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles, it carried workers searching for opportunity, servicemen heading west, and families on vacation eager to see what waited beyond the next town.
By the 1920s, automobiles were changing how Americans traveled, but the roads hadn’t caught up. Oklahoma civic leader Cyrus Avery pushed for a numbered highway linking Chicago and Los Angeles — and on November 11, 1926, U.S. Highway 66 was born. It stitched together existing roads across eight states and wasn’t paved end to end until 1938.
The Dust Bowl sent thousands west, and John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath gave the highway an enduring nickname: the “Mother Road.” After World War II, Route 66 entered its golden age — families packed station wagons for the Grand Canyon, California beaches, and Disneyland, rolling past diners, motels, and neon signs. The journey itself had become the vacation.
At its peak, the Mother Road was pure Americana — neon-lit filling stations, roadside giants, and motels shaped like teepees, each one promising weary travelers a reason to pull over and stay a while. Songwriter Bobby Troup captured the feeling in “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66,” the 1946 hit that turned the highway’s towns into a coast-to-coast singalong.
Progress brought its decline. The 1956 Federal-Aid Highway Act built wider, faster interstates that bypassed the small towns, and on June 27, 1985, Route 66 was officially removed from the U.S. Highway System.
But it wouldn’t stay gone. Arizona barber Angel Delgadillo — Route 66’s “Guardian Angel” — helped form the Historic Route 66 Association, sparking preservation across all eight states. Neon signs were restored, motels reopened, and in 2026 the Mother Road celebrates its 100th anniversary. One hundred years later, we’re still getting our kicks on Route 66.
Pick any date to see what happened on that day in American history.
Days earlier, Germany and the Soviet Union had secretly agreed to split Poland between them, clearing Hitler's path to a war that killed tens of millions.
Read the story : Germany Invades Poland, Beginning World War IIBoston’s Tremont Street Subway, opened in 1897, was the first subway in the U.S., marking a milestone in urban transit and shaping Boston’s rapid transit system.
Read the story : The Boston Tremont Street SubwayOn September 2, 1789, Congress created the U.S. Department of the Treasury—establishing a structured system for national financial governance under Alexander Hamilton.
Read the story : The U.S. Treasury Was EstablishedOn September 2, 1969, a Chemical Bank branch in Rockville Centre, New York put out the first U.S. ATM, dreamed up by a man tired of waiting in a bank line.
Read the story : First U.S. ATM Opens for BusinessThe Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, officially ended the American Revolutionary War and marked a major turning point in world history.
Read the story : Treaty of Paris Was SignedA contaminated dish left out during Fleming's 1928 vacation killed the surrounding bacteria, but it took Oxford scientists until the 1940s to make penicillin usable on wounded…
Read the story : Penicillin Discovered by Sir Alexander FlemingOn September 4, 1781, 44 settlers founded Los Angeles as a Spanish pueblo along the LA River, marking the city’s multicultural beginnings.
Read the story : Spanish Settlers Founded Los AngelesOn September 4, 2016, Pope Francis canonized the nun who ran the Missionaries of Charity, which by her 1997 death operated hundreds of centers in more than 90 countries.
Read the story : Mother Teresa Becomes a SaintThe first Labor Day parade took place in New York City on September 5, 1882, uniting thousands of workers in a historic show of labor solidarity.
Read the story : The First Labor Day ParadeSamuel Wilson, a Troy, New York meat packer, stamped his beef barrels "U.S." for the Army in 1812, and soldiers joked the letters stood for "Uncle Sam."
Read the story : United States Nicknamed Uncle SamOn September 8, 1974, President Gerald Ford controversially pardoned Richard Nixon for any crimes related to the Watergate scandal, sparking national debate.
Read the story : President Ford Pardons NixonQueen Elizabeth II died at 96 at Balmoral after a 70-year reign, having taken the throne at 25 in 1952 and worked with prime ministers across seven decades.
Read the story : Queen Elizabeth II Dies; Charles Becomes KingOn September 9, 1776, the Continental Congress officially adopted “United States of America” as the nation's new name, replacing “United Colonies.”
Read the story : Congress Renames the NationOn September 9, 1956, 60 million people—more than 80 percent of the TV audience—watched, though neither Elvis nor Ed Sullivan was in the New York studio that night.
Read the story : Elvis Presley Makes First Appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show”On September 10, 1608, John Smith became president of the Jamestown colony, leading it from near collapse to stability through bold leadership and reforms.
Read the story : John Smith Was Elected President of JamestownGeorge Smith crashed his electric taxi into a London building in 1897 after two or three beers, pleaded guilty, and paid a 20-shilling fine.
Read the story : First Drunk Driving ArrestOn September 11, 1777, Howe outflanked Washington near Chadds Ford and won the day, yet Washington saved the Continental Army to fight on despite losing Philadelphia.
Read the story : The Battle of Brandywine BeginsA powerful remembrance of the September 11 attacks, honoring the lives lost, the heroes who responded, and the lasting global impact of that day.
Read the story : September 11th, 2001On September 12, 1962, John F. Kennedy inspired a nation with his “We choose to go to the Moon” speech at Rice University, defining the Space Race era.
Read the story : JFK Delivered "We Choose to Go to the Moon" SpeechOn September 14, 1964, a breakfast staple that would become a fixture in American kitchens made its debut when the Kellogg Company began selling Pop-Tarts.
Read the story : Pop-Tarts DebutThe Inchon Landing of September 15, 1950, changed the Korean War’s course as U.S. Marines executed a bold amphibious assault to recapture Seoul.
Read the story : The Battle of InchonBob Gaudio wrote "Sherry" in about 15 minutes before a rehearsal, and the New Jersey group took its name from a bowling alley that had turned them down for a job.
Read the story : The Four Seasons Earn Their First #1 Hit With “Sherry”A former carriage maker who disliked cars folded some 30 companies into General Motors in two years, gathering Oldsmobile, Cadillac and the brand that became Pontiac.
Read the story : William Durant Creates General MotorsThe Mayflower's 1620 voyage to the New World marked a pivotal chapter in American history, setting the stage for Plymouth Colony and early self-governance.
Read the story : The Mayflower Departs EnglandOn September 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution was signed, shaping the legal and political framework of the United States that still endures today.
Read the story : The U.S. Constitution Was SignedNamed after the Star Trek starship following a fan letter-writing campaign, the Enterprise never reached orbit but proved the reusable shuttle could land like a glider.
Read the story : NASA Unveils Its First Space Shuttle, the EnterpriseOn September 18, 1793, George Washington laid the Capitol’s cornerstone, marking the start of a lasting symbol of American democracy.
Read the story : First Cornerstone in U.S. HistoryAfter a dispute over accommodations, Castro moved his delegation to Harlem's Hotel Theresa in September 1960, where he met with Malcolm X and Langston Hughes.
Read the story : Fidel Castro Arrives in New YorkThe Battle of Freeman’s Farm on September 19, 1777, marked the bloody start of the Saratoga campaign and proved the resilience of American forces.
Read the story : The Battle of Freeman's FarmDiscover how celebrated American General Benedict Arnold betrayed his country in 1780, plotting to surrender West Point to the British.
Read the story : Benedict Arnold Commits TreasonAt 21, the Yale-educated schoolteacher volunteered to spy behind British lines on Long Island, was caught with documents on September 22, 1776, and hanged the next morning.
Read the story : Nathan Hale is Executed by the British for SpyingOn September 22, 1862, Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, redefining the Civil War as a battle for freedom as well as union.
Read the story : The Preliminary Emancipation ProclamationOn September 23, 1806, Lewis and Clark returned to St. Louis, completing their epic expedition across North America and forever shaping U.S. history.
Read the story : The End of the Lewis & Clark ExpeditionOn September 23, 1846, Johann Galle found Neptune the same night he received Urbain Le Verrier's math, which predicted the planet's location from wobbles in Uranus's orbit.
Read the story : Planet Neptune is DiscoveredOn September 24, 1968, CBS aired the first episode with no ticking stopwatch, airing every other Tuesday at 10 p.m. and struggling for years before its Sunday move in 1975.
Read the story : First Episode of “60 Minutes” AirsOn Black Friday 1869, Jay Gould and James Fisk's gold scheme rocked Wall Street and exposed corruption at the highest levels of U.S. government.
Read the story : Black Friday Financial PanicOn September 25, 1970, David Cassidy and Shirley Jones boarded that painted bus, and within two months "I Think I Love You" hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart.
Read the story : “The Partridge Family” Premieres on ABCEstablished in 1890, Sequoia National Park protects the world's largest trees and showcases over a century of U.S. conservation history.
Read the story : Sequoia National Park EstablishedThe 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debate marked a turning point in U.S. politics, launching the era of televised presidential debates and media-driven campaigns.
Read the story : First-Ever Televised Presidential DebateBoston Red Sox star Ted Williams completed one of the greatest individual seasons in baseball history, finishing the year with a .406 batting average.
Read the story : Ted Williams Becomes Last MLB Player to Hit .400Three militiamen stopped André near West Point and found Arnold's plans hidden in his boot, while Arnold himself escaped to a British warship before he could be arrested.
Read the story : British Spy John André is Sentenced to DeathOn September 29, 1789, Congress formally created the U.S. Army under the Constitution, shaping military power within civilian control.
Read the story : Congress Establishes the U.S. ArmyOn September 30, 1954, the U.S. Navy commissioned USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine—redefining naval warfare forever.
Read the story : The USS Nautilus Was CommissionedThe 24-year-old had received a speeding ticket hours before his Porsche collided at a Cholame intersection, days before "Rebel Without a Cause" reached theaters.
Read the story : James Dean Dies in Car AccidentThe people and ideas that made America, and what they still ask of us.
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The newest pages in the archive, fresh from the editorial desk.
October 22 1962 JFK’s Address on Cuban Missile Crisis Shocks the Nation Added Oct 22 
October 21 1967 Thousands Protest the War in Vietnam Added Oct 21 
October 20 1962 “Monster Mash” Hits No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart Added Oct 20 
October 19 1985 First Blockbuster Store Opens Added Oct 19 
October 16 1923 Walt Disney Company is Founded Added Oct 16 
October 15 1991 Clarence Thomas Confirmed to the Supreme Court Added Oct 15 
