1858 – After several unsuccessful attempts, the first telegraph line across the Atlantic Ocean is completed, ushering in a new communications era.
1861 – Abraham Lincoln imposes the first federal income tax. Strapped for cash to fund the Civil War, Lincoln and Congress agreed to impose a 3 percent tax on incomes above $800.
1962 – Movie actress Marilyn Monroe is found dead at her home in LA of an apparent drug overdose. Her death was ruled a probable suicide.
1976 – The National Basketball Association merges with its rival, the American Basketball Association, and takes on the ABA’s four most successful franchises.
1981 – Pres. Ronald Reagan fires 11,359 striking air-traffic controllers who defied an order to return to work. Air travel slowed, but Reagan made his point.
