Today In History
In 1933: National Prohibition came to an end as Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, repealing the 18th Amendment.
In 1848: President Polk triggered the Gold Rush of ‘49 by confirming that gold had been discovered in California.
In 1932: German physicist Albert Einstein was granted a visa to travel to the United States.
In 1955: the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merged to form the AFL-CIO under its first president, George Meany.
In 1978: The American space probe “Pioneer Venus 1,” orbiting Venus, began beaming back its first information and picture of the planet.
In 1994: Jubilant Republicans chose Newt Gingrich to be the first GOP speaker of the House in four decades.