1792 – George Washington was re-elected president and John Adams was re-elected vice president.
1848 – President James Polk confirmed the discovery of gold in California, leading to the “gold rush” of 1848 and ’49.
1933 – Prohibition of liquor in the United States was repealed when Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
1955 – Blacks declared a boycott of city buses in Montgomery, Ala., demanding seating on an equal basis with whites. The boycott was prompted by the arrest of Rosa Parks, a black woman who refused to give up her bus seat to a white man.
1994 – Republicans chose Newt Gingrich to be the first GOP speaker of the House in four decades.
