On this date
In 1848, James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget at Sutter’s Mill in northern California, a discovery that led to the gold rush of ’49.
In 1942, the Roberts Commission placed much of the blame for America’s lack of preparedness for Imperial Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor on Rear Adm. Husband E. Kimmel and Lt. Gen. Walter C. Short, the Navy and Army commanders. In 1965, British statesman Winston Churchill died in London at age 90.
In 1984, Apple Computer began selling its first Macintosh model, which boasted a built-in 9-inch monochrome display, a clock rate of 8 megahertz and 128k of RAM. In 1989, confessed serial killer Theodore Bundy was executed in Florida’s electric chair. In 1993, retired Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall died in Bethesda, Md., at age 84. In 2003, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge was sworn as the first secretary of the new Department of Homeland Security. Ten years ago: President Barack Obama met with his economic advisers after asking Americans to support his economic package as a way to better schools, lower electricity bills and health coverage for millions who lose insurance. Five years ago: A truck bombing struck the main security headquarters in Cairo, one of a string of bombings targeting police in a 10-hour period, killing six people on the eve of the third anniversary of the revolt that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak. One year ago: Former sports doctor Larry Nassar, who had admitted molesting some of the nation’s top gymnasts for years under the guise of medical treatment, was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison.