Embargo Act

1807 US Congress passes Embargo Act and President Thomas Jefferson signs into law. Prohibits American ships from trading in foreign ports, as result of involvement in hostilities between France and Britain

First Christmas Lights

1882 1st string of Christmas tree lights created by Thomas Edison

Energy Policy and Conservation Act

1975 US President Gerald Ford signs the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) – establishes National Petroleum Reserve

1988 South Africa signs accord granting independence to South West Africa

1997 Acteal massacre: Attendees at a prayer meeting of Roman Catholic activists for indigenous causes in the small village of Acteal in the Mexican state of Chiapas are massacred by paramilitary forces.

2000 On This Day launched as HistoryOrb.com

2001 Richard Reid attempts to destroy a passenger airliner by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes aboard American Airlines Flight 63.

“Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” Repealed

2010 Repeal of the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy”, a 17-year-old policy banning homosexuals serving openly in the US military, signed into law by President Barack Obama

2022 “American life expectancy is now at its lowest in nearly two decades” – 76.4 years, according to new report by CDC, biggest factors in the fall among many, COVID-19 and drug overdoses [1]

2022 US Drug Enforcement Administration says it seized enough fentanyl in 2022 to kill every American, more than 379 million doses of [1]

1783 George Washington resigns as commander in chief