police in Watts, 1966

Police searching men in the Watts district of Los Angeles in March 1966, seven months after the confrontations between police and residents that became known as the Watts Riots and that were followed by ongoing tension and violence in the community.Bettmann/Corbis/AP Images

During the War of 1812, American General William Hull surrenders Fort Detroit and his army to the British without a fight. Hull, a 59-year-old veteran of the American Revolution, had lost hope of defending the settlement after seeing the large English and Indian force gathering outside Detroit’s walls. The general was also preoccupied with the presence of his daughter and grandchildren inside the fort.

Of Hull’s 2,000-man army, most were militiamen, and British General Isaac Brock allowed them to return to their homes on the frontier. The regular U.S. Army troops were taken as prisoners to Canada. With the capture of Fort Detroit, Michigan Territory was declared a part of Great Britain and Shawnee chief Tecumseh was able to increase his raids against American positions in the frontier area. Hull’s surrender was a severe blow to American morale. In September 1813, U.S. General William Henry Harrison, the future president, recaptured Detroit.

In 1814, William Hull was court-martialed for cowardice and neglect of duty in surrendering the fort, and sentenced to die. Because of his service in the revolution, however, President James Madison remitted the sentence.

Source: history.com

1777 – During the American Revolutionary War, the Battle of Bennington took place. New England’s minutemen routed the British regulars.

1812 – Detroit fell to Indian and British troops in the War of 1812.

1829 – The “Siamese twins,” Chang and Eng Bunker, arrived in Boston, MA. They had come to the Western world to be exhibited. They were 18 years old and joined at the waist.

1842 – In New York City, the U.S. government took over operations of the City Despatch Post. This was the first congressionally authorized local postage delivery. 

1858 – A telegraphed message from Britain’s Queen Victoria to U.S. President Buchanan was transmitted over the recently laid trans-Atlantic cable.

1861 – U.S. President Lincoln prohibited the Union states from trading with the states of the Confederacy. 

1923 – Carnegie Steel Corporation put into place the eight-hour workday for its employees.

1930 – The first British Empire Games were held at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The event is now called the British Commonwealth Games.

1937 – Harvard University became the first school to have graduate courses in traffic engineering and administration.

1954 – Sports Illustrated was published for the first time. It was claimed that 250,000 subscriptions had been sold before the first issue came off of the presses.

1954 – Jack Paar replaced Walter Cronkite as host of “The Morning Show” on CBS-TV.

1960 – Cyprus was granted independence by Britain.

1960 – The free-fall world record was set by Joseph Kittinger. He fell more than 16 miles (about 84,000 feet) before opening his parachute over New Mexico.

1978 – Xerox was fined for excluding Smith-Corona Mfg. from the copier market. The fine was $25.6 million.

1984 – The U.S. Jaycees voted to admit women to full membership in the organization.

1995 – Voters in Bermuda rejected independence from Great Britain.

1999 – In Russia, Vladimir V. Putin was confirmed as prime minister by the lower house of parliament.