Also on this date
the Second Continental Congress voted unanimously to appoint George Washington head of the Continental Army.
In 1775,
In 1904,
more than 1,000 people died when fire erupted aboard the steamboat General Slocum in New York’s East River.
In 1934,
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an act making the National Guard part of the U.S. Army in the event of war or national emergency.
In 1944,
B-29 Superfortresses carried out their first raids on Japan during World War II.
In 1955,
the United States and Britain signed a cooperation agreement concerning atomic information for “mutual defence purposes.”
In 1969,
the TV variety show “Hee Haw,” a fast-paced mixture of country music and comedy skits, debuted on CBS.
In 1991,
Mount Pinatubo in the northern Philippines exploded in one of the biggest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century, killing about 800 people.
In his first Oval Office address, President Barack Obama promised that “we will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused,” describing the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as a “siege” on the shores of America.
Rachel Dolezal resigned as president of the NAACP’s Spokane chapter just days after her parents said she was a white woman posing as black.
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris held its first Mass since the devasting April 15th fire that ravaged its roof; the archbishop of Paris wore a hard-hat helmet and only about 30 people were allowed inside.
Associated Press