Discover What Happened Today in History
The Continental Congress of the United States ratified the Treaty of Paris, formally ending the American Revolutionary War. The treaty recognized American independence and established borders between the U.S. and British North America.
A devastating magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Kingston, Jamaica, killing over 1,000 people and destroying most of the city's buildings. It remains one of the deadliest natural disasters in the island's history.
Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill began a pivotal wartime conference in Casablanca, Morocco. They planned the Allied European strategy and famously issued the demand for the 'unconditional surrender' of the Axis powers.
American film icon Marilyn Monroe married baseball legend Joe DiMaggio in a simple civil ceremony in San Francisco. The union of two major cultural figures created a media sensation dubbed the 'Marriage of the Century.'
A massive gathering of 20,000-30,000 people took place in Golden Gate Park, launching the 'Summer of Love' and the hippie counterculture movement. Speakers included Timothy Leary, who urged the crowd to 'turn on, tune in, drop out.'
A catastrophic accidental explosion caused by a Zuni rocket warhead occurred on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise off Hawaii. The disaster killed 28 crewmen, injured 314, and destroyed 15 aircraft.