360
United States
Everything about United States on 360n60: 6 news, 20 history, 117 dates in history, 8 future, 3 people, 2 explainers. Each told in 60 words.
News · 6
- News · 1 November 2026
Almgren wins New York in his marathon debut; Chepkirui takes the women's race
Sweden's Andreas Almgren won the New York City Marathon on Sunday, 1 November, in 2:06:01, in his first marathon. He is the first European man to win the race in 30 years. Kenya's Sheila Chepkirui won the women's race in 2:24:36, six seconds ahead of American Jess McClain, who ended a long US podium drought.
- News · 1 November 2026
US midterms: what is on the ballot on 3 November
Americans vote on Tuesday, 3 November, in midterm elections that decide control of Congress. All 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are on the ballot, along with more than 30 governorships. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win the House. Around 50 million people had already voted early by the final weekend.
- News · 31 October 2026
SpaceX flies its 700th Falcon 9 rocket
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg in California just after midnight Eastern time on 31 October, carrying 27 Starlink internet satellites. It was the 700th Falcon 9 launch since the rocket first flew in 2010, and the 118th this year. The first stage landed on a drone ship in the Pacific minutes later.
- News · 30 October 2026
Wall Street has its worst day since June as AI worries grow
US stocks had their worst day since June on Friday, 30 October. The S&P 500 fell 1.8% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq about 2.9%, led by chipmakers including Nvidia. Investors are asking whether hundreds of billions of dollars spent on artificial intelligence will pay off. The market is still only about 3.4% below its record high.
- News · 29 October 2026
Spacewalkers give the space station a power upgrade
NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk spent 7 hours and 11 minutes outside the International Space Station on 29 October, installing and unrolling a new solar array. It is the seventh of eight. When the last one goes up, in a spacewalk planned for 5 November, the station will have up to 30% more power.
- News · 28 October 2026
Milwaukee Brewers win their first World Series
The Milwaukee Brewers won baseball's World Series for the first time in their 57-year history, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 on 28 October to take the series four games to one. Catcher William Contreras, who batted .381, was named the series' Most Valuable Player. It was Milwaukee's first World Series since 1982.
History · 20
- History · 21 May 2023
Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni fly to the space station
On 21 May 2023, Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni launched from Florida on the Ax-2 mission and became the first Saudis to visit the International Space Station. Barnawi, a biomedical researcher, became the first Saudi woman in space. During about eight days on the station, they carried out 14 scientific experiments.
- History · 11 May 1997
IBM's Deep Blue beats the world chess champion
On 11 May 1997, IBM's chess computer Deep Blue won the sixth and final game of a match against the world champion Garry Kasparov in New York, winning the match 3½ to 2½. It was the first time a computer had beaten a reigning world champion in a match under tournament conditions, a milestone for artificial intelligence.
- History · 20 August and 5 September 1977
NASA launches the two Voyager spacecraft
In August and September 1977, NASA launched Voyager 2 and Voyager 1 to explore the outer planets, using a rare alignment that occurs every 175 years. Together they visited Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Both have since entered interstellar space and are the most distant human-made objects. Each carries a golden record of sounds from Earth.
- History · 3 April 1973
The first call from a handheld mobile phone
On 3 April 1973, Martin Cooper, an engineer at Motorola, made the first public call from a handheld mobile phone, on a street in New York. He called a rival at Bell Labs. The prototype weighed about 1.1 kg and its battery lasted about 20 minutes. Ten years later, the first handheld mobile phone went on sale.
- History · 20 July 1969
Humans walk on the Moon for the first time
On 20 July 1969, NASA's Apollo 11 landed on the Moon. Hours later, Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on its surface, followed by Buzz Aldrin, while Michael Collins orbited above. Hundreds of millions of people watched on television. The crew returned safely to Earth on 24 July, completing one of humanity's greatest journeys.
- History · 10 July 1962
Telstar relays the first live television across the Atlantic
On 10 July 1962, the satellite Telstar 1 was launched from Florida. Within weeks, it relayed the first live television pictures between the United States and Europe. Viewers saw each other's countries live for the first time. A pop instrumental named after it reached number one in Britain and America. Satellites now carry television and phone calls worldwide.
- History · 12 April 1955
The Salk polio vaccine is declared safe and effective
On 12 April 1955, scientists announced that Jonas Salk's polio vaccine was safe and effective, after a trial involving about 1.8 million children in the United States. Polio had paralysed tens of thousands of children every year. Vaccination began at once. With Albert Sabin's oral vaccine and a global campaign, wild polio now survives in only two countries.
- History · 16 December 1947
Bell Labs scientists build the first transistor
On 16 December 1947, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain, working in William Shockley's group at Bell Labs in New Jersey, built the first transistor, a tiny device that could amplify electrical signals. It replaced bulky vacuum tubes. Billions of transistors now fill every computer chip and phone, and the three men shared the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics.
- History · 20–21 May 1927
Charles Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic
On 20 and 21 May 1927, the American pilot Charles Lindbergh flew alone and non-stop from New York to Paris in the Spirit of St. Louis, a single-engine plane. The 5,800 km flight took 33 and a half hours. He won a $25,000 prize, and huge crowds greeted him. The flight inspired public enthusiasm for air travel.
- History · 15 August 1914
The Panama Canal opens between the Atlantic and Pacific
On 15 August 1914, the cargo ship SS Ancon made the first official passage through the Panama Canal. The 82 km canal across the Isthmus of Panama joined the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, using giant locks to lift ships over the land. It cut the sea journey from New York to San Francisco by about 13,000 km.
- History · 15 April 1912
The Titanic sinks on its first voyage
In the early hours of 15 April 1912, the RMS Titanic, then the largest ship in the world, sank in the North Atlantic after hitting an iceberg on its first voyage from Southampton to New York. More than 1,500 people died. The disaster led to major new rules for safety at sea.
- History · 1 October 1908
Ford launches the Model T, the car for the many
On 1 October 1908, the Ford Motor Company in Detroit began selling the Model T, a simple, tough car priced at $850. In 1913, Henry Ford introduced the moving assembly line, which cut production time and prices sharply. More than 15 million Model Ts were built by 1927, putting much of America on wheels.
- History · 17 December 1903
The Wright brothers make the first powered flight
On 17 December 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville Wright flew the Wright Flyer for 12 seconds and 37 metres, the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered aeroplane. By the end of the day, his brother Wilbur had flown 260 metres in 59 seconds. Aviation was born.
- History · October–December 1879
Edison's light bulb brings practical electric light
In late 1879, Thomas Edison's team in Menlo Park, New Jersey, tested a light bulb with a carbon filament that glowed for many hours. In England, Joseph Swan had developed a similar lamp. Edison also built power stations to supply electricity, and electric light soon replaced gas and candles.
- History · 7 March 1876
Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone
On 7 March 1876, Alexander Graham Bell received a US patent for the telephone. Three days later, he spoke the first words over it to his assistant: 'Mr Watson, come here, I want to see you.' Telephone exchanges soon spread to cities worldwide, beginning the age of instant voice communication.
- History · 1 March 1872
Yellowstone becomes the world's first national park
On 1 March 1872, US President Ulysses S. Grant signed a law making Yellowstone, in the Rocky Mountains, the world's first national park, protected 'for the benefit and enjoyment of the people'. Home to geysers, hot springs, canyons and wildlife such as bison and wolves, it inspired a worldwide movement. There are now thousands of national parks.
- History · 10 May 1869
America's first transcontinental railroad is completed
On 10 May 1869, a ceremonial golden spike was driven at Promontory Summit, Utah, joining the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads. The line linked the eastern United States with California. A journey across the country that had taken months by wagon or ship could now be made in about a week. Thousands of Chinese and Irish workers built it.
- History · 16 October 1846
Ether anaesthesia is shown in public for the first time
On 16 October 1846, at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, the dentist William Morton gave a patient ether before the surgeon John Collins Warren removed a tumour from his neck. The patient felt no pain. The public demonstration spread anaesthesia around the world within months and made modern surgery possible.
- History · 17 August 1807
Robert Fulton's steamboat opens a new era of travel
On 17 August 1807, Robert Fulton's steamboat, later known as the Clermont, set off up the Hudson River from New York to Albany. It covered about 240 km in 32 hours, far faster than sailing boats against the current. It became the first commercially successful steamboat service, and steam soon transformed river and ocean travel.
- History · 4 July 1776
The United States declares independence
On 4 July 1776, representatives of thirteen American colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, announcing their separation from Britain and the birth of the United States. Largely written by Thomas Jefferson, it stated that all men are created equal with rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Americans celebrate the date as Independence Day.
On this day · 117
- On this day · 21 May 2023
Saudi astronauts launch to the International Space Station
On 21 May 2023, the Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni launched from Florida on the Ax-2 mission. They became the first Saudis to visit the International Space Station, and Barnawi became the first Saudi woman in space. They carried out 14 experiments in about eight days.
- On this day · 12 July 2022
The James Webb Space Telescope's first images are revealed
On 12 July 2022, NASA released the first full-colour images from the James Webb Space Telescope, including the deepest, sharpest infrared view of the distant universe yet. Thousands of galaxies, some of whose light set out more than 13 billion years ago, filled a patch of sky the size of a grain of sand held at arm's length.
- On this day · 30 May 2020
The first crewed launch by a private spacecraft
On 30 May 2020, NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken launched to the International Space Station on SpaceX's Crew Dragon, the first time a privately built spacecraft carried people into orbit. It was also the first crewed launch from the United States since 2011.
- On this day · 8 July 2011
The last space shuttle mission launches
On 8 July 2011, the space shuttle Atlantis lifted off from Florida on STS-135, the 135th and final flight of NASA's space shuttle programme. The shuttles had flown for 30 years, launching the Hubble Space Telescope and building the International Space Station.
- On this day · 9 January 2007
Steve Jobs introduces the iPhone
On 9 January 2007, Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone in San Francisco, describing it as a phone, an iPod and an internet device in one. Its touchscreen and, from 2008, its App Store changed how billions of people communicate, take photos, shop and find their way.
- On this day · 19 January 2006
New Horizons sets off for Pluto
On 19 January 2006, NASA launched the New Horizons spacecraft, the fastest ever to leave Earth. After a journey of more than nine years, it flew past Pluto in July 2015 and sent back the first close-up pictures, revealing icy mountains and a vast heart-shaped plain.
- On this day · 4 January 2004
The rover Spirit lands on Mars
On 4 January 2004, NASA's rover Spirit bounced to a landing on Mars, cushioned by airbags. Planned to work for 90 days, it explored for more than six years and found strong signs that water once flowed there. Its twin, Opportunity, landed three weeks later and drove more than 45 km.
- On this day · 31 December 1999
Panama takes full control of the Panama Canal
At noon on 31 December 1999, the United States handed full control of the Panama Canal to Panama, under treaties signed in 1977. The canal, opened in 1914, links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and carries a significant share of world trade.
- On this day · 4 September 1998
Google is founded
On 4 September 1998, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two Stanford University students, incorporated Google in a friend's garage in California. Their search engine ranked web pages by how many other pages linked to them. Google became the world's most used website.
- On this day · 11 September 1997
Mars Global Surveyor reaches Mars
On 11 September 1997, NASA's Mars Global Surveyor arrived at Mars and went into orbit. Over nine years, it mapped the whole planet in detail and found gullies that suggested water had flowed on its surface in recent times. It helped choose landing sites for later rovers.
- On this day · 10 February 1996
A computer beats the world chess champion in a game
On 10 February 1996, IBM's Deep Blue computer beat Garry Kasparov, the world chess champion, in the first game of a match in Philadelphia. Kasparov came back to win the match, but in a rematch in 1997 Deep Blue won overall, a milestone for artificial intelligence.
- On this day · 29 June 1995
An American shuttle docks with the Russian space station Mir
On 29 June 1995, the US space shuttle Atlantis docked with the Russian space station Mir, forming the largest spacecraft then in orbit. Crews shook hands through the hatch. The partnership led directly to the International Space Station.
- On this day · 15 March 1985
The first .com internet address is registered
On 15 March 1985, a computer company in Massachusetts, Symbolics, registered symbolics.com, the first .com domain name. Few people noticed at the time. Today there are more than 150 million .com addresses, and the name became shorthand for the online economy.
- On this day · 13 July 1985
Live Aid concerts raise money for famine relief
On 13 July 1985, the Live Aid concerts were held at Wembley Stadium in London and in Philadelphia, organised by the musicians Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to help people facing famine in Ethiopia. Broadcast to an estimated 1.5 billion viewers, they raised tens of millions of pounds.
- On this day · 7 February 1984
An astronaut flies free in space
On 7 February 1984, the American astronaut Bruce McCandless flew about 100 m away from the space shuttle Challenger using a jet-powered backpack, with no safety line. It was the first untethered spacewalk. A famous photograph shows him floating alone against the blackness of space.
- On this day · 13 June 1983
Pioneer 10 passes beyond the outer planets
On 13 June 1983, NASA's Pioneer 10 crossed the orbit of Neptune, then the most distant planet from the Sun, becoming the first spacecraft to pass beyond all the known planets. It carries a plaque with a message for anyone who might find it.
- On this day · 30 August 1983
Guion Bluford becomes the first African American in space
On 30 August 1983, the astronaut Guion Bluford launched aboard the space shuttle Challenger, becoming the first African American to travel into space. A US Air Force pilot and aerospace engineer, he flew four shuttle missions.
- On this day · 1 August 1981
MTV goes on the air
On 1 August 1981, MTV, a cable television channel playing music videos around the clock, began broadcasting in the United States. Its first video was, fittingly, 'Video Killed the Radio Star'. MTV changed the music industry, making a song's video as important as the song.
- On this day · 18 May 1980
Mount St Helens erupts
On 18 May 1980, the volcano Mount St Helens in Washington state, USA, erupted after an earthquake caused its north side to collapse in the largest landslide ever recorded. Ash spread across 11 states. The eruption taught scientists much about predicting volcanic eruptions.
- On this day · 1 June 1980
CNN launches the first 24-hour news channel
On 1 June 1980, Ted Turner launched CNN, the Cable News Network, in Atlanta, the first television channel to broadcast news 24 hours a day. Rolling live coverage changed how the world followed events, and many other 24-hour news channels followed.
- On this day · 5 March 1979
Voyager 1 flies past Jupiter
On 5 March 1979, NASA's Voyager 1 made its closest approach to Jupiter. It revealed volcanoes erupting on the moon Io, the first active volcanoes seen beyond Earth, and faint rings around the planet. Voyager 1 later left the solar system and is the most distant human-made object.
- On this day · 3 January 1977
Apple Computer is incorporated
On 3 January 1977, Apple Computer was incorporated in California by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, with early backing from the investor Mike Markkula. That year it released the Apple II, one of the first successful personal computers. Apple later created the Macintosh, the iPod and the iPhone.
- On this day · 25 May 1977
Star Wars opens in cinemas
On 25 May 1977, George Lucas's science-fiction film Star Wars opened in American cinemas. Its groundbreaking special effects and story of good against evil made it a worldwide hit. It launched one of the biggest film series in history and changed how films were made and marketed.
- On this day · 20 August 1977
Voyager 2 is launched
On 20 August 1977, NASA launched Voyager 2. It became the only spacecraft to visit all four giant planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, and later entered interstellar space. It carries a golden record of sounds and greetings from Earth.
- On this day · 5 September 1977
Voyager 1 is launched
On 5 September 1977, NASA launched Voyager 1. It flew past Jupiter and Saturn, and in 2012 became the first spacecraft to enter interstellar space. More than 24 billion km away, it is the most distant human-made object, and still sends faint signals home.
- On this day · 3 September 1976
Viking 2 lands on Mars
On 3 September 1976, NASA's Viking 2 lander touched down on Utopia Planitia, a plain on Mars, weeks after its twin, Viking 1. The landers photographed the red, rocky surface, measured the weather and tested the soil for signs of life. Viking 2 worked for more than three and a half years.
- On this day · 29 March 1974
Mariner 10 makes the first visit to Mercury
On 29 March 1974, NASA's Mariner 10 flew past Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun, and sent back the first close-up pictures. They showed a cratered world that looks much like the Moon. Mariner 10 was also the first spacecraft to use a planet's gravity, Venus's, to change course.
- On this day · 3 April 1973
The first call from a handheld mobile phone
On 3 April 1973, Martin Cooper, an engineer at Motorola, made the first public call from a handheld mobile phone, on a street in New York. He called a rival at another company. The prototype weighed about 1.1 kg. Today there are more mobile phone subscriptions than people on Earth.
- On this day · 9 June 1973
Secretariat wins horse racing's Triple Crown
On 9 June 1973, the racehorse Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes in New York by an astonishing 31 lengths, completing the American Triple Crown. His time of 2 minutes 24 seconds is still a record for the race, and he is widely considered the greatest racehorse ever.
- On this day · 14 November 1971
Mariner 9 becomes the first spacecraft to orbit another planet
On 14 November 1971, NASA's Mariner 9 entered orbit around Mars, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. After waiting out a planet-wide dust storm, it mapped most of the Martian surface, revealing giant volcanoes, a huge canyon system and ancient riverbeds.
- On this day · 22 January 1970
The Boeing 747 jumbo jet enters service
On 22 January 1970, Pan Am flew the first passenger service of the Boeing 747 from New York to London. The 'jumbo jet' could carry about 400 passengers, more than twice as many as earlier jets. Lower fares followed, and air travel opened up to millions of people.
- On this day · 16 July 1969
Apollo 11 launches for the Moon
On 16 July 1969, a Saturn V rocket launched Apollo 11 from Florida, carrying Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. About a million people watched nearby. Four days later, Armstrong and Aldrin became the first people to walk on the Moon.
- On this day · 29 October 1969
The first message is sent over the internet's ancestor
On 29 October 1969, a student programmer at the University of California, Los Angeles, sent the first message over ARPANET to a computer at the Stanford Research Institute. He meant to type 'login', but the system crashed after 'lo'. ARPANET grew into the network of networks we now call the internet.
- On this day · 18 July 1968
Intel is founded
On 18 July 1968, Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore founded Intel in California. In 1971, it released the 4004, the first commercial microprocessor: a whole computer processor on a single chip. Intel's chips powered most personal computers for decades.
- On this day · 9 December 1968
The 'Mother of All Demos' shows the future of computing
On 9 December 1968, the engineer Douglas Engelbart gave a 90-minute demonstration in San Francisco showing the computer mouse, linked text, video calling and shared editing of documents. It is remembered as the 'Mother of All Demos', because it previewed the way people use computers today.
- On this day · 23 August 1966
The first photograph of Earth from the Moon
On 23 August 1966, NASA's Lunar Orbiter 1 took the first photograph of the Earth from near the Moon, showing a crescent Earth above the lunar horizon. Two years later, the Apollo 8 crew took the famous colour photograph 'Earthrise'.
- On this day · 8 September 1966
Star Trek is first broadcast
On 8 September 1966, the science-fiction television series Star Trek was first broadcast in the United States. Its crew, from many nations and backgrounds, explored space on the starship Enterprise. It lasted only three seasons but inspired films, new series and many future scientists and engineers.
- On this day · 3 June 1965
Ed White makes the first American spacewalk
On 3 June 1965, the astronaut Ed White floated outside the Gemini 4 spacecraft for about 23 minutes, using a hand-held gas gun to move around. He enjoyed it so much that he was reluctant to go back inside, calling it 'the saddest moment of my life'.
- On this day · 17 April 1964
Geraldine Mock flies solo around the world
On 17 April 1964, the American pilot Geraldine 'Jerrie' Mock landed in Columbus, Ohio, after 29 days, becoming the first woman to fly solo around the world. She flew a small single-engine plane called the Spirit of Columbus, covering about 37,000 km.
- On this day · 20 February 1962
John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit Earth
On 20 February 1962, the astronaut John Glenn circled the Earth three times in the Friendship 7 capsule, in a flight of almost five hours. He was the first American to orbit the planet. In 1998, aged 77, he flew in space again on the shuttle Discovery.
- On this day · 12 September 1962
Kennedy says 'We choose to go to the Moon'
On 12 September 1962, US President John F. Kennedy gave a speech at Rice University in Houston, promising to land astronauts on the Moon before the end of the decade, 'not because they are easy, but because they are hard'. Apollo 11 landed in July 1969.
- On this day · 5 May 1961
Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space
On 5 May 1961, the astronaut Alan Shepard flew into space aboard Freedom 7, a 15-minute flight that rose about 187 km before splashing down in the Atlantic. Ten years later, he walked on the Moon with Apollo 14, and famously hit two golf balls there.
- On this day · 22 March 1960
A patent for the laser is granted
On 22 March 1960, Arthur Schawlow and Charles Townes received a US patent for the 'optical maser', the idea behind the laser. Theodore Maiman built the first working laser that May. Lasers now read barcodes, carry internet data along fibres, cut metal and help eye surgeons.
- On this day · 17 February 1959
The first weather satellite is launched
On 17 February 1959, the United States launched Vanguard 2, the first satellite designed to measure weather, by observing cloud cover. It wobbled in orbit, so its data was hard to use. But it opened the way for weather satellites, which now help forecast storms and save lives.
- On this day · 9 March 1959
The Barbie doll goes on sale
On 9 March 1959, the American company Mattel introduced the Barbie doll at the American International Toy Fair in New York. Created by Ruth Handler and named after her daughter, Barbara, it became one of the best-selling toys in history, with more than a billion sold.
- On this day · 9 April 1959
NASA introduces its first astronauts
On 9 April 1959, NASA introduced the 'Mercury Seven', the first American astronauts, chosen from military test pilots. They included Alan Shepard, the first American in space, and John Glenn, the first to orbit Earth. They became national heroes.
- On this day · 28 May 1959
Two monkeys return safely from space
On 28 May 1959, the monkeys Able and Baker flew about 480 km high on a US rocket and returned safely, becoming the first primates to survive a flight into space. Their journey helped show that living creatures could withstand launch, weightlessness and re-entry.
- On this day · 7 August 1959
The first photograph of Earth from orbit
On 7 August 1959, the United States launched the satellite Explorer 6. A week later, it sent back the first photograph of Earth taken from orbit, a crude, blurry image of sunlit clouds over the Pacific. Today satellites photograph the whole planet every day.
- On this day · 29 December 1959
Richard Feynman imagines nanotechnology
On 29 December 1959, the physicist Richard Feynman gave a talk called 'There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom' in California. He imagined writing an entire encyclopedia on the head of a pin and building machines from individual atoms. The talk is often seen as the starting point of nanotechnology.
- On this day · 31 January 1958
Explorer 1, America's first satellite, is launched
On 31 January 1958, the United States launched Explorer 1, its first satellite. An instrument designed by James Van Allen detected belts of radiation trapped around the Earth by its magnetic field. They are now known as the Van Allen belts.
- On this day · 29 July 1958
NASA is created
On 29 July 1958, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the law creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, in response to the Soviet Sputnik. NASA put astronauts on the Moon and has since sent robotic explorers to every planet in the solar system.
- On this day · 3 August 1958
A submarine reaches the North Pole under the ice
On 3 August 1958, the American nuclear-powered submarine USS Nautilus became the first vessel to reach the North Pole, travelling under the Arctic ice. Its crew of 116 crossed from the Pacific to the Atlantic beneath the ice cap, proving there was no land under the Pole.
- On this day · 4 August 1958
The Billboard Hot 100 chart begins
On 4 August 1958, the American magazine Billboard published its first Hot 100 chart, ranking songs by sales and radio play. Ricky Nelson's 'Poor Little Fool' was the first number one. The Hot 100 remains the best-known measure of a hit song in the United States.
- On this day · 17 July 1955
Disneyland opens in California
On 17 July 1955, Walt Disney opened Disneyland in Anaheim, California, a theme park with lands built around stories and characters. The opening day was chaotic, with heat and crowds, but the park became a huge success and inspired theme parks around the world.
- On this day · 31 August 1955
A model solar-powered car is demonstrated
On 31 August 1955, the carmaker General Motors showed the 'Sunmobile', a 38 cm model car powered by solar cells, at an exhibition in Chicago. It was a small demonstration, but it hinted at the future. Solar power is now one of the fastest-growing sources of electricity in the world.
- On this day · 25 October 1955
The first microwave oven for the home goes on sale
On 25 October 1955, the American company Tappan introduced the first microwave oven for home kitchens, priced at about $1,300. The idea came from Percy Spencer, a radar engineer who noticed a chocolate bar melting in his pocket. Microwaves are now in most homes.
- On this day · 26 March 1953
Jonas Salk announces a polio vaccine
On 26 March 1953, the American scientist Jonas Salk announced on radio that he had successfully tested a vaccine against polio, a disease that paralysed thousands of children every year. After a huge trial, it was approved in 1955. Salk did not patent it. Polio is now close to being wiped out.
- On this day · 14 June 1951
UNIVAC I, the first US commercial computer, is delivered
On 14 June 1951, UNIVAC I was formally dedicated at the US Census Bureau, the first computer made for business and government use in the United States. In 1952, it correctly predicted the result of the US presidential election on live television, surprising many viewers.
- On this day · 20 December 1951
Nuclear power first lights electric bulbs
On 20 December 1951, the Experimental Breeder Reactor I in Idaho, in the United States, produced the first usable electricity from nuclear energy, lighting four light bulbs. Nuclear power stations now supply around a tenth of the world's electricity.
- On this day · 14 October 1947
Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier
On 14 October 1947, the US Air Force pilot Chuck Yeager flew the rocket-powered Bell X-1 faster than the speed of sound, over the Mojave Desert in California. Many had feared aircraft would break apart at that speed. His plane was named Glamorous Glennis, after his wife.
- On this day · 26 June 1945
The United Nations Charter is signed
On 26 June 1945, delegates from 50 countries signed the Charter of the United Nations in San Francisco, at the end of the Second World War. Its aim was to save future generations from war. The UN came into being that October and now has 193 member states.
- On this day · 15 May 1940
Nylon stockings go on sale across the United States
On 15 May 1940, nylon stockings went on sale in shops across the United States, and about four million pairs were sold within days. Nylon, invented at DuPont by Wallace Carothers's team, was the first fully synthetic fibre. It is now used in clothing, ropes and countless products.
- On this day · 27 May 1937
San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge opens
On 27 May 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge opened to pedestrians, and about 200,000 people walked across. Its main span of about 1,280 m made it the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time. Painted 'International Orange', it is one of the most photographed bridges on Earth.
- On this day · 9 August 1936
Jesse Owens wins his fourth Olympic gold
On 9 August 1936, the American athlete Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics, in the 4 x 100 m relay, after winning the 100 m, 200 m and long jump. His achievement made him one of the most celebrated athletes in history.
- On this day · 30 September 1935
The Hoover Dam is dedicated
On 30 September 1935, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, between Nevada and Arizona. The 221 m concrete dam created Lake Mead, controls floods, supplies water to millions and generates hydroelectric power.
- On this day · 22 July 1933
Wiley Post completes the first solo flight around the world
On 22 July 1933, the American pilot Wiley Post landed in New York after flying alone around the world in 7 days, 18 hours and 49 minutes, in his plane Winnie Mae. He used an autopilot and radio direction finder, new technologies that made long solo flights possible.
- On this day · 18 February 1930
Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto
On 18 February 1930, the young astronomer Clyde Tombaugh found Pluto by comparing photographs of the night sky at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona. The name was suggested by an 11-year-old girl in England, Venetia Burney. Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.
- On this day · 29 November 1929
The first flight over the South Pole
On 29 November 1929, the American aviator Richard Byrd and his crew flew over the South Pole in a Ford Trimotor aircraft named Floyd Bennett. To clear the high mountains on the way, they threw supplies overboard to lighten the plane. The round trip from their Antarctic base took about 19 hours.
- On this day · 7 July 1928
Sliced bread goes on sale
On 7 July 1928, a bakery in Chillicothe, Missouri, began selling bread sliced by a machine invented by Otto Rohwedder. Customers loved the convenience, and within a few years most bread in the United States was sold sliced, giving rise to the saying 'the best thing since sliced bread'.
- On this day · 13 December 1928
Gershwin's An American in Paris premieres
On 13 December 1928, George Gershwin's orchestral piece An American in Paris was first performed at Carnegie Hall in New York. Inspired by his visit to Paris, it even included real taxi horns. It later inspired an Oscar-winning film of the same name in 1951.
- On this day · 7 January 1927
The first transatlantic telephone call
On 7 January 1927, the first commercial telephone service across the Atlantic opened, linking New York and London by radio. A three-minute call cost about $75, a huge sum at the time. Undersea telephone cables followed in 1956, and calls between continents became part of everyday life.
- On this day · 20 May 1927
Charles Lindbergh sets off to fly solo across the Atlantic
On 20 May 1927, the American pilot Charles Lindbergh took off from New York in the Spirit of St. Louis. After 33 and a half hours alone, he landed in Paris, completing the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic. Huge crowds greeted him, and he won a $25,000 prize.
- On this day · 6 October 1927
The Jazz Singer brings sound to feature films
On 6 October 1927, The Jazz Singer opened in New York, the first feature-length film with synchronised singing and spoken dialogue. Audiences heard Al Jolson say: 'You ain't heard nothin' yet!' Within a few years, silent films had almost disappeared.
- On this day · 16 March 1926
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fuelled rocket
On 16 March 1926, the American physicist Robert Goddard launched the first rocket powered by liquid fuel, from a farm in Auburn, Massachusetts. It flew for about two and a half seconds and rose about 12 m. Modern space rockets use the same basic idea.
- On this day · 26 August 1920
American women win the right to vote
On 26 August 1920, the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution was certified, giving women in the United States the right to vote. It followed decades of campaigning by women such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The date is marked as Women's Equality Day.
- On this day · 5 August 1914
The first electric traffic light is installed
On 5 August 1914, the first electric traffic signal in the United States was installed at a crossroads in Cleveland, Ohio, with red and green lights and a buzzer to warn of changes. Amber lights came later. Traffic lights now control roads in almost every city in the world.
- On this day · 15 August 1914
The Panama Canal opens
On 15 August 1914, the cargo ship SS Ancon made the first official passage through the Panama Canal, joining the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Using giant locks to lift ships over the land, it cut the sea journey from New York to San Francisco by about 13,000 km.
- On this day · 1 December 1913
Ford starts its moving assembly line
On 1 December 1913, Henry Ford's Highland Park plant in Michigan began using a moving assembly line for the whole Model T. Cars moved past workers who each did one task. Build times fell from about 12 hours to about 90 minutes, and prices fell too.
- On this day · 24 July 1911
Hiram Bingham reaches Machu Picchu
On 24 July 1911, the American explorer Hiram Bingham was guided by local farmers to Machu Picchu, a 15th-century Inca city high in the Andes of Peru. His photographs made it famous worldwide. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site visited by more than a million people a year.
- On this day · 13 January 1910
The first public radio broadcast
On 13 January 1910, the inventor Lee de Forest broadcast a live opera performance, featuring the tenor Enrico Caruso, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Only a few listeners with receivers could hear it, faintly. Within two decades, radio had become a mass medium in homes worldwide.
- On this day · 11 October 1910
Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first president to fly
On 11 October 1910, former US President Theodore Roosevelt took a short flight in a Wright Flyer piloted by Arch Hoxsey, at Kinloch Field near St Louis, Missouri. He was the first American president, current or former, to fly in an aeroplane.
- On this day · 18 April 1906
An earthquake strikes San Francisco
On 18 April 1906, a powerful earthquake struck San Francisco, followed by fires that burned for days. About 3,000 people are thought to have died, and much of the city was destroyed. Studies of the San Andreas Fault afterwards helped scientists understand how earthquakes happen.
- On this day · 4 May 1904
The United States takes over building the Panama Canal
On 4 May 1904, the United States took control of the unfinished Panama Canal project from a failed French company. After a decade of work, battling disease and landslides, the canal opened in 1914, joining the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
- On this day · 27 October 1904
The New York City Subway opens
On 27 October 1904, the first line of the New York City Subway opened, running 14 km from City Hall to 145th Street. About 150,000 people rode it on the first day. It grew into one of the world's largest metro systems, with 472 stations, open 24 hours a day.
- On this day · 17 December 1903
The Wright brothers make the first powered flight
On 17 December 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville Wright flew the Wright Flyer for 12 seconds, the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered aeroplane. His brother Wilbur made the longest flight of the day, 59 seconds. Aviation was born.
- On this day · 8 January 1889
Hollerith patents his punched-card tabulating machine
On 8 January 1889, the American inventor Herman Hollerith received a patent for a machine that counted data using punched cards. It processed the 1890 US census in a fraction of the usual time. His company later became part of IBM, and punched cards fed computers for decades.
- On this day · 23 November 1889
The first jukebox plays in San Francisco
On 23 November 1889, a coin-operated phonograph was installed at the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco. Customers paid a nickel to listen to a recording through one of four listening tubes. It is considered the ancestor of the jukebox and an early step in the music business.
- On this day · 22 September 1888
National Geographic magazine is first published
On 22 September 1888, the National Geographic Society published the first issue of its magazine in Washington, a plain scholarly journal. It later became famous for its photographs of wildlife, places and peoples, and for its yellow-bordered covers.
- On this day · 28 October 1886
The Statue of Liberty is dedicated
On 28 October 1886, the Statue of Liberty was dedicated on an island in New York Harbor. A gift from the people of France to the United States, it was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, with an iron frame by Gustave Eiffel. It welcomed millions of immigrants arriving by ship.
- On this day · 20 January 1885
A patent for the roller coaster
On 20 January 1885, the American inventor LaMarcus Thompson received a patent for a 'roller coasting structure'. His Switchback Railway at Coney Island in New York, opened in 1884, carried riders at about 10 km/h. Roller coasters became one of the world's favourite fairground rides.
- On this day · 13 October 1884
Greenwich is chosen as the Prime Meridian
On 13 October 1884, delegates from 25 countries at the International Meridian Conference in Washington voted to make the meridian through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, London, longitude zero. The world's time zones are still counted from it.
- On this day · 24 May 1883
New York's Brooklyn Bridge opens
On 24 May 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge opened across New York's East River, linking Manhattan and Brooklyn. Its central span of 486 m made it the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time, and the first to use steel wire cables. Emily Roebling helped oversee its completion.
- On this day · 18 November 1883
Railways create standard time zones
On 18 November 1883, railways in the United States and Canada switched to standard time zones. Before then, towns kept their own local time, which made timetables confusing. The day was nicknamed 'the day of two noons'. A year later, the world chose Greenwich as the prime meridian.
- On this day · 27 January 1880
Edison receives his patent for the electric lamp
On 27 January 1880, Thomas Edison received a US patent for his carbon-filament electric lamp. Long-lasting and affordable, it helped bring electric light into homes and streets. In 1882 his company opened power stations in London and New York to supply electricity.
- On this day · 21 October 1879
Edison's light bulb burns for over 13 hours
On 21 October 1879, in his laboratory at Menlo Park, New Jersey, Thomas Edison tested a light bulb with a carbonised cotton thread that glowed for more than 13 hours. Better filaments soon lasted hundreds of hours, and electric light spread around the world.
- On this day · 4 November 1879
The cash register is patented
On 4 November 1879, James Ritty, a saloon owner in Dayton, Ohio, received a US patent for a mechanical cash register, nicknamed the 'Incorruptible Cashier'. It recorded every sale. The business was later bought and grew into the National Cash Register Company, which spread cash registers to shops worldwide.
- On this day · 7 March 1876
Alexander Graham Bell is granted the telephone patent
On 7 March 1876, Alexander Graham Bell received a US patent for the telephone. Three days later, he made the first call to his assistant in the next room: 'Mr Watson, come here, I want to see you.' Within decades, telephones linked homes and businesses across the world.
- On this day · 2 August 1873
San Francisco's cable car makes its first run
On 2 August 1873, Andrew Hallidie tested the first cable car on Clay Street in San Francisco. Cars gripped a moving cable under the street, which pulled them up steep hills that horses struggled with. San Francisco's cable cars still run today, a symbol of the city.
- On this day · 1 March 1872
Yellowstone becomes the world's first national park
On 1 March 1872, US President Ulysses S. Grant signed a law making Yellowstone, in the Rocky Mountains, the world's first national park. It protects geysers, hot springs, forests and wildlife such as bison and wolves. Today there are thousands of national parks around the world.
- On this day · 8 October 1871
The Great Chicago Fire
On 8 October 1871, a fire broke out in a barn in Chicago and spread through the wooden city for two days, destroying about 17,000 buildings and leaving about 100,000 people homeless. The city was rebuilt quickly, and in 1885 it built one of the first skyscrapers.
- On this day · 10 May 1869
The golden spike completes America's first transcontinental railroad
On 10 May 1869, a ceremonial golden spike was driven at Promontory Summit, Utah, joining the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads. Coast-to-coast travel across the United States, which had taken months, could now be done in about a week. Thousands of Chinese and Irish workers built the line.
- On this day · 23 June 1868
A patent for the typewriter is granted
On 23 June 1868, Christopher Latham Sholes and his partners received a US patent for a 'type-writer'. Their later design introduced the QWERTY layout of keys, which spread to typewriters worldwide and is still used on computer keyboards and phones today.
- On this day · 30 March 1867
The United States agrees to buy Alaska
On 30 March 1867, the United States agreed to buy Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million, about two cents an acre. Critics called it 'Seward's Folly', after the Secretary of State who arranged it. Gold, fish and later oil proved its value. Alaska became a US state in 1959.
- On this day · 18 December 1865
Slavery is abolished in the United States
On 18 December 1865, the US Secretary of State proclaimed the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution in force, abolishing slavery throughout the United States. About four million people had been enslaved in the country at the start of the civil war.
- On this day · 19 November 1863
Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address
On 19 November 1863, US President Abraham Lincoln gave a short speech at the dedication of a military cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. In about 270 words and two minutes, he described government 'of the people, by the people, for the people'. It became one of history's most famous speeches.
- On this day · 6 November 1860
Abraham Lincoln is elected US president
On 6 November 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States. He led the country through its civil war and issued the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States, shortly before Lincoln's assassination that April.
- On this day · 18 September 1851
The New York Times is first published
On 18 September 1851, the first issue of the New-York Daily Times was published, priced at one cent. Its founders promised a serious, fair newspaper. Now The New York Times, it has won more Pulitzer Prizes than any other news organisation.
- On this day · 19 June 1846
An early baseball game is played under modern rules
On 19 June 1846, at Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey, the New York Nine beat the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club 23–1. It is often cited as the first recorded baseball game played under written rules. Baseball became America's national pastime.
- On this day · 16 October 1846
Ether anaesthesia is shown in public
On 16 October 1846, at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, the dentist William Morton gave a patient ether before a surgeon removed a tumour from his neck. The patient felt no pain. Anaesthesia spread worldwide within months. The date is World Anaesthesia Day.
- On this day · 28 August 1845
Scientific American is first published
On 28 August 1845, the first issue of Scientific American appeared in New York, a four-page weekly newspaper about inventions. It is the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States, and has carried articles by more than 200 Nobel Prize winners.
- On this day · 15 June 1844
Charles Goodyear patents vulcanised rubber
On 15 June 1844, the American inventor Charles Goodyear received a patent for vulcanised rubber, made by heating rubber with sulphur. Raw rubber turned sticky in heat and brittle in cold; his process made it tough and stretchy. It made car tyres, hoses and countless products possible.
- On this day · 23 March 1839
'OK' appears in print for the first time
On 23 March 1839, the Boston Morning Post printed 'o.k.' as a joke abbreviation for 'oll korrect', a playful misspelling of 'all correct'. The fashion for such abbreviations soon faded, but OK survived and spread. It is now one of the most widely used words on Earth.
- On this day · 6 January 1838
Morse and Vail first demonstrate the electric telegraph
On 6 January 1838, Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail demonstrated their electric telegraph at the Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown, New Jersey, sending a message through 3 km of wire. Their system of dots and dashes, Morse code, later carried news and messages across continents within minutes.
- On this day · 25 February 1837
An early electric motor is patented
On 25 February 1837, the American blacksmith Thomas Davenport received one of the first patents for an electric motor, powered by batteries. It was too expensive to succeed at the time. Today electric motors are everywhere, in fans, washing machines, trains and electric cars.
- On this day · 31 July 1790
The first US patent is granted
On 31 July 1790, Samuel Hopkins received the first patent issued under the new US patent law, for an improved way of making potash, used in soap and fertiliser. It was signed by President George Washington. The US Patent Office has since granted more than 12 million patents.
- On this day · 17 September 1787
The US Constitution is signed
On 17 September 1787, delegates in Philadelphia signed the Constitution of the United States, setting up a federal government with separate branches. It came into force in 1789 and is the oldest written national constitution still in use.
- On this day · 16 December 1773
The Boston Tea Party
On 16 December 1773, American colonists in Boston boarded three ships and threw 342 chests of British tea into the harbour, protesting against a tax imposed by the British Parliament. The protest became a step on the road to the American Revolution and independence in 1776.
Future · 8
- Future · Mid-2027 · Planned
Artemis III tests moon landers in Earth orbit
NASA plans Artemis III for mid-2027: a crewed mission of about two weeks in Earth orbit to practise meeting and docking with the two lunar landers being built by SpaceX and Blue Origin. NASA has said the mission is running behind schedule, so the date may slip. Its results will help decide which lander goes to the Moon first.
- Future · 2028 · Planned
Artemis IV aims to land astronauts on the Moon
NASA plans Artemis IV in 2028 as the first crewed Moon landing since Apollo 17 in 1972. Astronauts would travel on the Orion spacecraft and descend to the surface near the lunar south pole in a SpaceX or Blue Origin lander. Space schedules often slip, so the date is a target, not a promise.
- Future · July 2028 · Confirmed
The Olympic Games return to Los Angeles
In July 2028, Los Angeles hosts the Summer Olympic Games for the third time, after 1932 and 1984. The programme includes new sports such as cricket, flag football and squash. The Paralympic Games follow in August.
- Future · Around 2030–2031 · Planned
The International Space Station is retired
NASA and its partners plan to retire the International Space Station around the end of 2030 and guide it to a controlled re-entry over a remote part of the Pacific Ocean in 2031. Commercial space stations are being developed to take over its role in orbit.
- Future · February 2034 · Confirmed
Salt Lake City hosts the Winter Olympics again
In February 2034, Salt Lake City and the mountains of Utah in the United States host the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, 32 years after they first held them in 2002. Organisers plan to reuse venues from 2002 rather than build new ones.
- Future · Around 2035 · Planned
LISA, an observatory for ripples in space, is due to launch
Around 2035, the European Space Agency, working with NASA, plans to launch LISA: three spacecraft flying in a triangle 2.5 million km on each side. Lasers between them will detect gravitational waves, tiny ripples in space-time from colliding giant black holes across the universe.
- Future · 12 August 2045 · Predicted
A great total solar eclipse crosses the United States
On 12 August 2045, a total solar eclipse will cross the United States from northern California to Florida, then continue over the Caribbean and South America. At its longest, the Sun will be hidden for more than six minutes, one of the longest total eclipses seen from the US.
- Future · 16 December 2047 · Anniversary
The transistor turns 100
On 16 December 2047, it will be 100 years since the first transistor worked at Bell Labs in New Jersey. That small piece of germanium led to the computer chip. By its centenary, the world will have built more transistors than any other object in history.
People · 3
- Astronaut · 1930–2012
Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong was an American astronaut and the first person to walk on the Moon. On 20 July 1969, as commander of Apollo 11, he stepped onto the lunar surface and said: 'That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.' A former test pilot and engineer, he later taught aerospace engineering and avoided fame.
- Aviation pioneers · 1867–1912 and 1871–1948
Wilbur and Orville Wright
Wilbur and Orville Wright were American brothers who ran a bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, and built the first successful powered aeroplane. On 17 December 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville flew the Wright Flyer for 12 seconds. Their key breakthrough was a way to control an aircraft in the air, still used in principle today.
- Inventor · 1847–1931
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison was an American inventor and businessman who held more than 1,000 patents. He invented the phonograph, the first machine to record and play back sound, developed a practical electric light bulb and built early power stations. His laboratory at Menlo Park, New Jersey, was one of the first research labs devoted to invention.
Explainers · 2
- Explainer
How do US midterm elections work?
US midterm elections are held halfway through a president's four-year term. Voters elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives, about a third of the 100 senators, and many state governors. The president is not on the ballot, but the results decide which party controls Congress, which writes laws and approves the budget.
- Explainer
What is NASA's Artemis programme?
Artemis is NASA's programme to return astronauts to the Moon, for the first time since 1972, and to stay longer. Artemis I flew around the Moon without crew in 2022, and Artemis II carried four astronauts around it in 2026. NASA plans an Earth-orbit test of moon landers in 2027 and a crewed landing near the south pole around 2028.