TODAY IN HISTORY

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

Dec. 2, 1859

Militant abolitionist John Brown was hanged for his raid on Harpers Ferry the previous October.

ON THIS DATE

1942

An artificially created, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was demonstrated for the first time at the University of Chicago.

1954

The U.S. Senate passed, 67-22, a resolution condemning Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, R-Wis., saying he had “acted contrary to senatorial ethics and tended to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute.”

1970

The newly created Environmental Protection Agency opened its doors under its first director, William D. Ruckelshaus.

2001

In one of the largest corporate bankruptcies in U.S. history, Enron filed for Chapter 11 protection.